On 12 March 2024, Ukrainian investigative outlet Slidstvo.Info sued the administration of the Rada (Ukrainian parliament) for refusing a request for public information earlier formulated by the media outlet. In its request, Slidstvo.Info asked the parliament administration to provide infomation on official foreign travel by MPs (validated by parliament) since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The outlet said that it had sent this request to the Rada three times: on January 2 as well as on February 1 and 8. In the first two instances, the parliament administration responded by claiming that it did not have in its possession a document with the information that Slidstvo.Info requested, and that obtaining this information would require “analytical processing of data”.
In its last response, the Rada administration no longer cited lack of access to the information requested as an issue. Instead, it claimed that providing such information under martial law was restricted, and that foreign visits by MPs had allegedly gained “increasing importance” since Russia’s full-scale invasion: “As a result of negotiations and consultations [by MPs] with international partners, there is an increase in the amount of military and humanitarian aid [offered to Ukraine], laying the groundwork for stabilizing the economy and the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine,” the parliament administration wrote.
Slidstvo.Info recalled reports from July according to which a Ukrainian MP had traveled to the Maldives while technically on official travel. The trip had reportedly earlier been validated as official travel by Ukrainian parliamentary services. The MP in question later resigned from parliament. Under martial law regulations, adult Ukrainian men under the age of 60 are not allowed to leave the country without specific permission.
UPDATE: On 25 March 2024, media outlet Zhar.Info said that it too would sue the administration of the Ukrainian parliament, as Zhar.Info had also repeatedly received refusals to provide information on the topic of foreign visits by MPs.
UPDATE: On May 8, a court in the city of Khmelnytskiy ruled that the refusals by the Ukrainian parliament to provide Zhar.Info with the information it requested were illegal, and obliged the parliament to provide the requested information. The defendant received the right to appeal this decision in court within 30 days.
UPDATE: On 2 July 2024, a court of appeals in Khmelnystskiy cancelled the decision by the court of first instance, on the grounds that this court listed the wrong defendant in its verdict: in fact, Zhar.Info had sued a specific unit of the Ukrainian parliament’s administration, whereas the ruling of the court of first instance indicated the Ukrainian parliament’s administration, not the specific unit, as the defendant in this case.
UPDATE: On 22 October 2024, the district administrative court of Khmelnytskiy obliged the Ukrainian parliament to provide information on foreign business travel of MPs from the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine until the date of journalist Alona Bereza’s initial request.