The Kyiv Court of Appeal heard a civil case brought by Concord Bank co-owners Elena and Yulia Sosedok against Danilo Getmantsev, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax, and Customs Policy, and Ukrainian News Agency LLC. Why did the Sosedok sisters lose?
Elena Sosedka-Mishalova
By a ruling dated June 16, 2026, the court overturned the decision of the court of first instance and completely dismissed the claim for the protection of honor, dignity and business reputation.
The dispute arose over statements made by Danil Getmantsev during an online meeting of a parliamentary committee on February 1, 2024. The MP criticized several banks, particularly Concord, claiming that some financial institutions evaded taxation even during the war, and called on law enforcement to hold those responsible accountable.
On March 7, 2024, Ukrainian News published an article whose headline addressed the need to hold corrupt officials accountable for billion-dollar fund-siphoning schemes.
The bank's co-owners believed the disseminated information to be false and damaging to their business reputation, so they filed a lawsuit. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was also named as a defendant in the case.
By a decision of the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv on August 8, 2025, the claim was partially satisfied: Getmantsev's statements and the agency's publication were deemed unreliable, and Ukrainian News was ordered to publish a retraction.
Danila Getmantsev's representative disagreed with this decision and filed an appeal, demanding its overturning and a complete dismissal of the claim.
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The panel of judges of the Kyiv Court of Appeal, consisting of S. G. Muzychko, V. M. Ratnikova and L. P. Sushko, having studied the case materials, overturned the decision of the Pechersk Court on the following grounds:
- No personal references. During the committee hearing, Danil Getmantsev did not mention the names of Elena and Yulia Sosedok. His statements referred to a legal entity—the bank—and the court deemed the plaintiffs' identification with the phrase "the fraudsters behind these financial institutions" to be subjective.
- Evaluative nature of statements. The court noted that Getmantsev's words expressed his subjective opinion on matters of social importance. The speech contained metaphors, hyperbole, and introductory constructions ("it seems to me," "I don't know"), indicating the evaluative nature of his judgments. In accordance with Article 30 of the Law of Ukraine "On Information," such statements do not incur liability.
Taking into account the above, the Kyiv Court of Appeal upheld the appeal and issued a new decision, which completely denied the bank's co-owners (the Sosedka sisters) the claim.
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