“Trukha” is under pressure: Lavrynenko, founder of the Telegram channel, comments on the fine notice
25 July 22:29
Today, on July 25, it became known that the State Agency for Regulation of Gambling Business PlayCity fined the Telegram channel Trukha Ukraine UAH 4.8 million for allegedly illegal gambling advertising. The channel’s founder, Maksym Lavrynenko, said that there has been no court decision yet, and that it is only the beginning of administrative proceedings. He considers it an attempt of media pressure by the authorities. Lavrynenko wrote about this on Instagram, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
In his public address, Lavrynenko explained the situation:
“Friends, I see that there are questions about the ‘fine’. Let me explain: the PlayCity agency has just started administrative proceedings in the case of alleged violation of advertising laws. There has been no court decision yet.”
He emphasized that these actions are part of a broader campaign against independent media, including Telegram channels and bloggers who cover critical events in the country:
“Despite this, due to the recent events in the country, the authorities continue to exert media pressure on Trukha, trying to intimidate Telegram channels and bloggers and misinform about our activities.”
The founder of the channel said that the Trukha team is closely monitoring the situation and responding both in the information plane and legally:
“We are recording everything, responding informationally and legally. We will keep you updated.”
What happened earlier
on July 25, the PlayCity agency announced the imposition of penalties on Trukh Ukraine for allegedly systematically advertising gambling in violation of Ukrainian law.
According to the regulator, the violations identified include
- lack of registration in the Register of Media Entities;
- use of manipulative phrases that may be misleading, for example: “won 2100 UAH out of 100”, “subscriber took 17,000”;
- lack of warnings about the risks of gambling addiction;
- advertising without contracts with licensed organizers.
“This is the first but not the last successful case and a signal for bloggers and Telegram channel owners. The law is the same for everyone, and every violation will have consequences,” the agency said.
“Trukha Ukraine” is one of the most popular Telegram channels in Ukraine, which has become particularly influential since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. It was founded in November 2019 as a local channel “Tru Kharkiv”, but later it covered all-Ukrainian topics. The channel currently has almost 3.4 million subscribers. The founder of “Trukha” is Maksym Lavrynenko.
The investigation into the alleged violation of the law is ongoing. No court decision has been made on this matter yet.
