Ukrainian Member of Parliament Yaroslav Zheleznyak has revised his legal position in a defamation lawsuit brought by businessman Timur Mindich, which concerns allegations related to honor, dignity, and business reputation. Zheleznyak’s defense now characterizes his previous statements as “publicist generalizations.”
The case was discussed during a preparatory hearing at the Shevchenkivskyi District Court in Kyiv on June 2. The lawsuit stems from a series of public remarks made by Zheleznyak, in which he linked Mindich to an alleged “criminal organization.”
According to lawyer Vladislav Tepliuk, who represents Mindich, Zheleznyak’s legal team, the Miller law firm, has submitted an official response to the court regarding the lawsuit.
Tepliuk noted that while the defense is requesting the court to dismiss the case, the content of their response indicates a shift in Zheleznyak’s rhetoric. Previously, the MP explicitly referred to Mindich as part of a “criminal organization”; however, his current defense now describes these statements as “evaluative judgments.”
“In court, Zheleznyak now explains that these remarks were merely ‘publicist generalizations’ and ‘evaluative judgments’ that cannot be considered factual assertions,” Tepliuk emphasized.
The defense’s response explicitly states that the phrase “criminal organization of Mindich-Yermak” was not intended to assert Mindich’s guilt but rather to draw attention to a socially significant issue.
Zheleznyak asserts that he did not claim Mindich’s culpability, arguing that his statements are evaluative judgments that cannot be disproven in court.
Tepliuk explained that following the lawsuit’s filing, Zheleznyak effectively distanced himself from his earlier definitive claims regarding Mindich’s involvement in a criminal organization, shifting to the argument that his comments did not contain factual assertions.
Additionally, the defense has pointed out that the term “Mindich’s criminal organization” has already appeared in public discourse and media.
This, they argue, grants Zheleznyak the right to use it in his speeches and publications.
The MP is currently attempting to justify his statements by emphasizing the significant public interest in the matter. To support this, the defense even references the popularity of related searches on Google.
Tepliuk concluded, “We believe this position only underscores the baselessness of the initial accusations. If the statements were merely evaluative judgments and publicist generalizations, this directly contradicts Zheleznyak’s earlier public statements, which were presented to the audience as facts.”
Yaroslav Zheleznyak has modified his defense in a defamation case initiated by Timur Mindich, now framing his earlier allegations as non-factual generalizations. This shift raises questions about the consistency of his previous public statements.