Public Figure Iryna Fedoriv Claims Pressure from Well-Known Politicians.

Head of the public initiative "Holka" Iryna Fedoriv, the International Republican Institute (IRI), supported by USAID, canceled planned lectures without explanation. This happened after a publication mentioning Kubrakov and urban planning "reform" 5655. For a month, IRI did not officially explain why participation in events that did take place was canceled. Similarly, there is no response from USAID. This is stated in a statement on the public initiative "Holka"'s website.

The public initiative noted that Ukraine is receiving substantial funds from international organizations for reconstruction, the trust of partners who provide our country with the funds of their taxpayers, is extremely important, and corruption and non-transparent rules can undermine it.

Currently, at the level of some political figures, there is an intensive campaign of disinformation of international donors, which not only hinders reforms in the country but also carries risks of partners making non-objective decisions. High-ranking officials involved in post-war reconstruction at the legislative and (until the resignation of Vice Prime Minister for Reconstruction Oleksandr Kubrakov in June 2024) executive branches of government are participating in this campaign. This poses a serious threat, given that in wartime, the government is less sensitive to the civil sector's position, and the actions of irresponsible politicians are aimed at destroying the dialogue between donors, the civil sector, and the media. Under such conditions, it becomes easier to lobby policies with corruption risks

Since reconstruction requires the most funds, urban planning reform progresses the hardest. Large developers strive to establish rules favorable to them, but parliament must develop policies with the involvement of all parties – the civil sector, architects, professional associations, etc.

In the last three years, there has been an attempt to lobby through parliament and government the rules of the game specifically for large developers. Initially, it was the "scandalous urban planning "reform" (5655) that was criticized by the European Parliament, the European Commission, which President Volodymyr Zelensky deliberately did not sign. After that, there were decree-clones of this initiative that they tried to push through the government. The Royal Institute of International Affairs Chatham House sees risks in the attempt to implement these rules – it's a threat of forming construction cartels.

"Holka" emphasizes that those who exposed lobbying in the information field or helped create an expert environment that could counteract the activities of lobbyists were subjected to systematic political pressure from Olena Shuliak and Oleksandr Kubrakov. The latter try to manipulate international donors and partners, and this has its consequences:

• The Civil Society Institute was deprived of funding (USAID project "Hoverla") and it stated informal political pressure from the Ministry of Reconstruction. The head of the institute, Anatoliy Tkachuk, is one of the architects of decentralization. It is this Institute that is currently forming the basis of regional policy for the state, which has not been done by the ministry in the last 5 years;
• The working group, which forms an alternative to the urban planning "reform" 5655, was also deprived of funding (USAID project "Hoverla"). The head of the working group, MP Anna Bondar, claimed that Kubrakov personally asked the US ambassador about this, misinforming and manipulating her. Immediately after the funding was cut off, the head of the relevant committee, Shuliak, who should have been interested in the working group delivering results and facilitating its work, launched a media campaign claiming that the working group was not delivering the expected results. This indicates that lobbyists clearly plan their campaign, influence the cessation of funding for the alternative to 5655, and simultaneously develop a discrediting information campaign and block anti-corruption policies for honest reconstruction;
• The SBU pressured the Union of Architects of Ukraine, whose representatives opposed the 5655 project, and the organization is currently seeking justice in the courts. Along with this, Shuliak systematically spreads false information about the Union of Architects in the media;
• The head of the public initiative "Holka" Iryna Fedoriv, the International Republican Institute (IRI), which is supported by USAID, canceled planned lectures without explanation. This happened after a publication mentioning Kubrakov and urban planning "reform" 5655. For a month, IRI did not officially explain why participation in events that did take place was canceled. Similarly, there is no response from USAID.

In addition to pressure, there are reports of censorship in the media related to the coverage of lobbyists' actions and the Urban Planning Code, which is an alternative to project No. 5655. We're talking about "Government Courier", which removed an article and returned it, cleaning up opponents' comments and adding a comment from Olena Shuliak, and an attempt to remove a material from the "Espreso" website about pressure on the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy for money. In addition, the publication "Detector Media" reported that Olena Shuliak tried to ensure that her interview did not go out on The Page due to editorial lead. The targeted