Adnan Kivan, the Kyiv Post publisher, said on Monday, Nov. 8, that the newspaper will close immediately “for a short time.”
“God bless all of us. One day, we hope to reopen the newspaper bigger and better,” Kivan said. “I thank the entire Kyiv Post team and Brian Bonner for his service to Ukraine and independent journalism in the past 25 years.”
Bonner, the Kyiv Post chief editor, said that he will retire after closing down the operations of the newspaper and preserving its archives. Bonner thanked Kivan “for his strong support since he bought the newspaper.”
The independent Kyiv Post has ceased to exist today, after 26 years.
On the morning of Nov. 8, the paper’s employees came to the office only to be notified that they were all being fired, effective immediately.
Three weeks ago, the Kyiv Post’s owner, Odesa construction tycoon Adnan Kivan, had other plans: To expand the Kyiv Post and launch a Ukrainian-language outlet under the paper’s brand. At the time, this news, as well as the appointment of a hand-picked chief editor to head this new section, were a total surprise to the newsroom.
We saw significant risks in the expansion format chosen by Mr. Kivan. We also saw it as an attempt to infringe on our editorial independence.
The newsroom’s attempt to save the editorial independence of the Kyiv Post elicited opposition from our owner.
We consider the cessation of publication and the dismissal of the paper’s staff to be an act of vengeance by Adnan Kivan. He has officially announced plans to “reorganize” the Kyiv Post and to restart operations in a month with a new team.
We see this as the owner getting rid of inconvenient, fair, and honest journalists.
The Kyiv Post has been the international community’s primary source of news about Ukraine for the last 26 years.
We have exemplified high professional and ethical standards. That is why every president and government in Ukraine’s history attempted to influence the Kyiv Post.
However, even under all this pressure, none of our owners went so far as to shut down the paper. Adnan Kivan himself promised to protect our editorial independence when he bought the Kyiv Post in 2018.
“I highly value the work of Kyiv Post journalists and intend to preserve editorial independence,” Kivan said at the time.
Today, we asked him to sell the paper or to hand over the Kyiv Post trademark to the newsroom. He did not agree.
We call upon our readers and advertisers, businessmen, diplomats, international organizations, and everyone else who believes in independent journalism to support us.
The Kyiv Post newsroom
I fully support you although I don't believe there is much I can do. I hope you will begin ANOTHER version of a subscriber - supported Ukrainian Post should present ownership be bending to Moscow's influence.
Sincerely,
Bob Banos
Bob....you may be interested. The KP staff have come together and started publishing a newspaper called "The Kyiv Independent". It's in E-mail form at the present time, but I think their intent is to find investors and subscribers. You may want to subscribe at the following address: "The Kyiv Independent" kyivindependent@
Thank you, Bob.......for your response and (more especially) your understanding
of the importance of the Kyiv Post as an independent newspaper.
However, I have reason to believe that the KP may start up again.
Thanks a lot for all your work!
It is really heartbreaking to see this.
I am just thinking: before the server will be down; isn't it a good idea to find a place to establish a new community, so we can think of new ways to continue to provide the world with trustworthy news about Ukraine?
Maybe a Telegram, Reddit or a Discord server?
So many questions.
Why?
And what about the subscribers?
30 EX-KYIV- POST JOURNALISTS TO LAUNCH THEIR OWN MEDIA
http://euromaidanpress.com/2021/11/15/30-ex-kyiv-post-journalists-to-launch-own-media-outlet/
You can follow the new group on twitter @savekyivpost
And they have a newsletter to subscribe to so far. Hope for success.
Where can I subscribe to their newsletter, Kelley? I'll be happy to support them in their endeavors. Brian Bonner was one of my heroes in his principled position for a quarter-century among people that have often yielded to envelopes under tables. His staff is likely to have absorbed and adopted that courage.
It was an option off of your link, with a "here" in blue.
Can't find it. It may have been the Euromaidan Press.
Yes... in the "30 Ex..." article
As had been predicted by many, we are now learning a bit more as to why the KP may have been "temporarily" closed.
As per: https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2021/11/15/7314015/
it appears that Prosecutor General, Iryna Venidektova, had been pressuring Brian Bonner and the KP for over a year because of some unfavorable statements the paper published concerning her effectiveness in the position to which she was appointed. Her office began to investigate Mr. Kivan's business dealings. Mrs. Venidektova (whose only qualifications for the position she held was her complete loyalty to Pres. Z) had even summoned Brian to her office threatening a lawsuit.
So there you have it, folks. Mrs. V has recently been reassigned, but not before she was "effective" in abusing her position to cause Mr. Kivan to remove the offending mirror on the wall.
GOOD READ http://euromaidanpress.com/2021/11/11/kyiv-post-owner-got-signals-from-ukraines-government-law-enforcement-former-deputy-chief-editor-says/
Check out http://savethekyivpost.com/
https://www.eureporter.co/world/ukraine/2021/11/12/the-independent-kyiv-post-has-ceased-to-exist-today-after-26-years/
Yesterday, when looking for replacement Ukrainian news websites, I came across a link to subscribe to Kyivpost. And I thought, could they be back already?? Nope. But, they’d still be happy to take your money. 🙂
https://khpg.org/en/1608809717. Interesting article with some possible insight. Is Zelensky following in the footsteps of other failed Ukrainian leaders?
Lee Thompson -Gale MCIJ
A very sad sad day Indeed.
I feel for you Brian. I feel for the whole team.
A flagship of excellence independence and honesty.
Again destroyed by corrupt liars all money hungry with no loyalty to the lovely Ukrainian people or their country..
An absolute travesty ..
God bless all the team of the kyiv post....
God bless Kyiv and the Ukraine...
Thankyou for your amazing news ..
you will be sadly missed
I'm very sad to see this turn of events. I enjoyed the KP. It was a beacon for truth. My heart is with you all.
Interesting to receive an email telling of my subscription cancelation at my request when I made no such request.
Likewise, Greg.....I received the same message.
BTW: Thank you for all your excellent comments over the years. We were always of like mind, They will be missed.
Thanks George. Sad state of affairs, I trust something good will come of this disaster. Perhaps something in the works. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/11/12/staff-of-shuttered-kyiv-post-announce-independent-relaunch-effort-a75537
I got the same, saying "we are sorry to see you go". No refund for the unexpired portion though.
With the current build up of Russian troops and problems in Belorus, I am missing the KP already as there is no real way to find out what is going on other than by reading multiple sources. Kivan has a lot to answer for.
I actually have high hopes of Kyiv Post returning in time to cover both the Western and Eastern Christmas seasons…including the return of the bulk of their editorial staff and writers.
I’m picking December 21st…any bets? The winner gets a half eaten box of Oreos.
I'll throw in the other half if that should happen.,
wow a huge shock and disappointment... I hope and trust a new news source will arise from the ashes of death here.... I have enjoyed many years of the Kyiv Post and will miss the daily articles, insight and reporting on Ukrainian life, business and national needs. Ukriane needs many more such sources and truly needs to tackle the corruption nationwide.
I hope that Brian or someone else will begin a new venture to continue and exceed this current newspaper.
To all those who lost their jobs, sad and greatly disappointed... but thank you for your efforts, commitment to excellent. all the best for your future I am sure hundreds are waiting as well.
Sad, very sad piece of news. The Kyiv Post has been, and too some extent still is part of my life. I ask it’s staff to try hard to overcome this misstep. Free press is key, all over the places.
To fellow KP subscribers and readers:
Lots of questions have been raised concerning what may have caused this sudden closing of the KP.
In the interest of providing some additional news concerning causes and intentions, I am copying, in full, a short news report from "Ukrayinska Pravda". Anyone who has other information may want to take advantage (for whatever amount of time is still available) to copy the information they may have.
For those who do not read Ukrainian, here is the summary of the text in English:
The KP owner ((Adnan Kivan) claims that there was no pressure from the Office of the President exerted either on him or on the editorial staff to change its editorial "politics": "There was no pressure from the president's office on either the KP or on Adnan Kivan. Thank God that Ukraine has freedom of the press". He added that - at the moment - the publication is being "re-formatted" and all "technical" issues will be resolved shortly.
But (according to the UP) this seems to contradict the information received from the KP in a statement by its staff on Annya Maroniuk's "facebook" that all of the KP senior staff was fired and an effort was made to appoint a new individual who was more inclined to implement a different concept of growth.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Власник видання Kyiv Post Аднан Ківан заявляє, що ні на нього особисто, ні на редакцію видання не тиснули з Офісу президента стосовно зміни редакційної політики.
Джерело: Детектор медіа, яке цитує Ківана
Пряма мова: "Жодного тиску з боку Офісу президента на видання Kyiv Post і на Ківана Аднана не було. Дякувати Богу в Україні сьогодні є свобода слова!"
Деталі: Бізнесмен додав, що наразі триває переформатування видання. Усі технічні питання вирішуватимуть найближчими днями.
Водночас, це суперечить інформації джерел "Української правди" в редакції Kyiv Post. Зокрема, у заяві працівників, опублікованій на facebook-сторінці Анни Миронюк, йдеться, що всю команду примусово звільнили, а в редакцію видання спробували призначити сторонню людину, прихильну до іншої концепції розвитку.
Передісторія:
8 листопада на сайті видання з’явилась заява про тимчасову зупинку роботу "для перезавантаження". Водночас, працівники редакції повідомили, що видання закрили повністю, а їх позбавили доступу до сайту й сторінок у соціальних мережах.
В Офісі президента сказали, що вони "неприємно здивовані" спробами пов’язати закриття видання із президентом Володимиром Зеленським.
Посли європейських країн в Україні висловили занепокоєння через ситуацію довкола ймовірного закриття Kyiv Post.
This is very sad news. An independent Kyiv Post is vital to the interests of Ukraine and all those who love Ukraine. I hope that the Post can somehow be saved to continue its mission.
Surprised and greatly saddened to see it close. I hope for the employees and their families, that they find new profitable employment elsewhere. The independence and genuineness of the newspaper was never in question . If Brian Bonner took an unfortunate Democrat Party stance consistently on all issues from ignoring the Biden family corruption to adhering to the climate change dogma - that was only what many American newspapers have done. I still always looked forward to readingt it and I hope another English language newspaper may follow. Good luck.
Please cancel my subscription immediately. (I couldn't find where do to it online)
Will save my funds for whatever new media project Brian Bonner starts.
What a sad day. I have been reading and a subscriber of KP for more than 20 years. Brian Bonner + Team - thank you for your great work, but unfortunately the Oligarch/Politicians won in the end. That was the end of completely free and fair news coverage in Ukraine, like we unfortunately see in so many countries these days. KP has however been on shaky grounds for some years, actually from the moment they let big industrial tycoons take over the paper.
I was very shocked and surprised to find this out this morning.
It is a great shame as the KP was not just independent journalism but an an important source of information sometimes for those of us living a long way from Kyiv as to what was going on. This is what happens when a business is subject to the whims and fancies of one person, and as to what, if anything, will resurface after the "short time" it will not be the same.
I would like to thank Brian Bonner and his team for all their work and hope they manage to re-form at some stage in the future
Sad news indeed, but I really don't think we can blame Russia for this one. Seems like the owner got annoyed with his editorial team and decided to teach them a lesson. Has happened before and will happen again.