The infamous murder of Georgiy Gongadze stirred up society and caused the first mass protests in the independent Ukraine. The then officials were found involved in the opposition journalist’s death, and the Ukrainians demanded accountability from the authorities. This was a point of no return in the formation of independent journalism in Ukraine. 

Georgiy Gongadze was an experienced journalist of Georgian origin who was always proud of his roots. He was one of the first people to develop a culture of independent media in Ukraine. Gongadze first worked as a media person in Lviv and then in Kyiv. 

During his life, he was not a “great martyr for free speech” as is commonly portrayed now. However, Gongadze sincerely sought to create a space for free expression and pluralism in Ukraine. 

The released recordings of former President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma’s conversations with the then Minister of Internal Affairs, which were popularly nicknamed “Kuchmagate,” shed light on the terrible murder of Georgiy Gongadze, the founder of the now famous newspaper Ukrainska Pravda. 

Police ex-general Oleksii Pukach, who was found guilty of the crime, explained the reason for the murder as “disrespect for President Kuchma.”

The decapitated body of Gongadze was found in a wooded area of the Kyiv region on November 2, 2000, and the head itself only 9 years later. The news of the journalist’s death shook the whole country, and a wave of protests under the slogan “Ukraine without Kuchma” swept through major cities. Perhaps, it was this public attention that put an end to the rise of Kuchma’s authoritarianism, or Kuchmism. 

The perpetrators of Gongadze’s murder were eventually brought to justice, but the masterminds of the crime were never punished. At least, this is the opinion of the deceased journalist’s family and the active part of Ukrainian society.

The story of the high-profile political murder of a journalist has taught Ukrainians to raise the critical questions with authorities, about democracy, free speech and European values. It also became a test of maturity for the people of Ukraine; they did not allow the murderers to be in power with impunity, but could not achieve complete justice.

Just ten years after the murder of Georgiy Gongadze, Ukraine was again on the brink of authoritarianism, but luckily, the country was able to overcome it, preserving the independent media.