Igor Piddubny (also spelled Poddubny; ; born June 18, 1965) is a Ukrainian journalist, media manager, politician, and film director known for a number of documentaries that covered controversial topics in Ukrainian history and were aimed at

Russophone This article details the geographical distribution of Russian-speakers. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the status of the Russian language often became a matter of controversy. Some Post-Soviet states adopted policies of Derus ...

audiences in both Ukraine and Russia. One of these documentaries, which delves into the life of

Stepan Bandera Stepan Andriyovych Bandera (, ; ; 1 January 1909 – 15 October 1959) was a Ukrainian far-right leader of the radical militant wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, the OUN-B. Bandera was born in Austria-Hungary, in Galicia (Eas ...

, one of the leaders of Ukrainian nationalists, topped the ratings of UA:First, the national television channel in Ukraine, for the year 2015. Piddubny was also one of the founders of Robinzon TV, the first

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as films and television series, streamed over the Internet. Standing in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aerial systems, cable t ...

website in Ukraine. He received

Merited Journalist of Ukraine The Honored Journalist (also translated as The Merited Journalist of Ukraine, ) is an honorary title bestowed by Ukraine (before 1991 by the Ukrainian SSR) for "vital contribution" in the country's journalism. The title is awarded by the Presiden ...

award in 2015.

Media and political career

Early career: 1991–1999

Piddubny was born in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

on June 18, 1965. He graduated from

Kharkiv National University of Radioelectronics The Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics ( NURE, ) is a technological state-sponsored university based in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Founded in 1930, it is among the oldest technologically focused universities in Ukraine, with a student bod ...

in 1991, and later took courses in journalism from the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

. Piddubny's career in journalism started amid the economic chaos,

hyperinflation In economics, hyperinflation is a very high and typically accelerating inflation. It quickly erodes the real versus nominal value (economics), real value of the local currency, as the prices of all goods increase. This causes people to minimiz ...

, and uncertainty that followed the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

in 1991. In 1992, he worked for the newly formed Kharkiv newspaper ATV and became the deputy head of the Kharkiv office of Nika TV, a newly formed cable television company headquartered in Moscow. As both media projects failed and were restructured, Piddubny moved to the

FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high fidelity, high-f ...

business. In March 1995, he became CEO of ''Radio 50'', a local radio station, but after a period of media asset consolidation, the station changed its ownership, and in 1997, Piddubny had to leave. He briefly attempted his own advertising business, but returned to radio in 1998.

Politics and media: 2000–2010

From the early 2000s, Piddubny partnered with

Arsen Avakov Arsen Borysovych Avakov (, ; born 2 January 1964) is a Ukrainian politician of Armenian descent who served as the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine from 2014 to 2021. He was the Chairman of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration from ...

, a Ukrainian businessman and politician, identified with the "

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

" political block. The block was then at the core of the opposition

Ukrainian politics The politics of Ukraine take place in a framework of a Semi-presidential system, semi-presidential republic and a multi-party system. A Government of Ukraine, Cabinet of Ministers exercises executive power (jointly with the President of Ukraine ...

, mainly formed by

Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriiovych Yushchenko (, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. He aimed to orient Ukraine towards Western world, the West, European Union, and N ...

's " Our Ukraine" and

Yulia Tymoshenko Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko ( Hrihyan born 27 November 1960) is a Ukrainian politician, who served as Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2005, and again from 2007 until 2010; the first and only woman in Ukraine to hold that position. She has been ...

All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" The All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" (), referred to as Batkivshchyna (), is a political party in Ukraine led by People's Deputy of Ukraine, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. As the core party of the former Yulia Tymoshenko Blo ...

. Piddubny simultaneously headed several media projects sponsored and controlled by Avakov, including , radio station ''Novaya Volna'', TV and radio company ''Radio-Artel'', etc. Piddubny's longest involvement was with the currently defunct Kharkiv

weekly newspaper Weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current affairs publication that is issued once or twice a week in a wide variety broadsheet, magazine, and electronic publishing, digital formats. Similarly, a biweekly newspap ...

, ''Pyatnica'', where he served as an editor-in-chief from 2003 to 2011 (in paper format) and then until 2015 when it continued (as an online publication). After the success of the

Orange Revolution The Orange Revolution () was a series of protests that led to political upheaval in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005. It gained momentum primarily due to the initiative of the general population, sparked by the aftermath of the ...

in 2005, Avakov was appointed the Governor of Kharkiv Oblast by newly elected president Viktor Yushchenko. However, due to regional political differences, the Orange political block was in the minority in

Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in eastern Ukraine. Kharkiv borders Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the southeast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the southwest, Poltava Oblast to the w ...

. Considerable tension grew between centrally-appointed Avakov the two leaders of local government

Hennadiy Kernes Hennadiy Adolfovych Kernes (27 June 1959 – 16 December 2020) was a Ukrainian politician who was the 5th mayor of Kharkiv from 24 November 2010 until his death on 16 December 2020.

and Mykhailo Dobkin. Amidst this tension, Avakov-controlled media and Kernes-controlled media continuously attacked their respective opponents. In early 2007, Piddubny's new

Opel Signum The Opel Signum is a large front-engine, front-wheel drive, five-passenger, mid-size executive hatchback manufactured and marketed by the German car manufacturer Opel from 2003 to 2008, exclusively over a single generation, derived from the Opel ...

vehicle parked next to his home was burned in a night-time arson attack. Both Piddubny and Avakov denounced the attack and alluded that only two people could have behind it; however, seven years after the arson, the perpetrators had still not been found. Meanwhile, in late 2005, Piddubny began his own political career in Kharkiv local government, joining All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" in December. In 2006 he was elected to the

Kharkiv Oblast Council The Kharkiv Oblast Council () is the regional oblast council (parliament) of the Kharkiv Oblast (province) located in eastern Ukraine. The council is composed of 120 members and is situated in the oblast's administrative center Kharkiv. Council me ...

; later he became the caucus leader for the "Fatherland" minority in the council. In 2009, one of Piddubny's projects in the council was the electronic

condolence book A condolence book or book of condolence is a book in which people may record their condolences following a death or great tragedy. Following the death of a leading figure or great disaster, condolence books are placed in public places for member ...

which aimed to preserve information about local victims of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In the summer of 2010, Piddubny helped defending Kharkiv's

urban forest Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of peop ...

from the road laying and the associated tree-cutting initiated by Hennadiy Kernes. The attempt to defend the forest failed, however, as the protesters were beaten and their camp destroyed by pro-Kernes

titushky The Titushky (plural; ; ; ; ) were mercenary agents in Ukraine who supported the Ukrainian security services during the administration of Viktor Yanukovych, often posing as street hooligans in sports clothing with the purpose of serving as provoca ...

, and the road was eventually built. In 2010, Piddubny also served as an assistant to

People's Deputy of Ukraine A people's deputy of Ukraine (, ) is a member of parliament and legislator elected by Direct election, popular vote to the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament of Ukraine. They are often referred to simply as "deputies". Prior to 1991, the Verkhovna R ...

In the fall of 2010, Ukraine experienced a political shift when

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...

was elected president, reversing the

. In simultaneously held local elections, Piddubny was elected to

Kharkiv City Council Kharkiv City Council () is the city council for the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, and is elected every five years to run the city's local government. History Until 1870, members of the city council were elected according to the estate order, and ...

, but his patron, Arsen Avakov, lost his head-to-head controversial and contested electoral battle with Hennadiy Kernes for the position of Kharkiv mayor. As freedom of the press in Ukraine deteriorated, by 2011, most Avakov-controlled media were forced off the air or out of circulation.

Media and politics: 2011–present

After the demise of most of Avakov's media, Piddubny remained the editor-in-chief of (online only) ''Pyatnycya'' at least until 2015. By 2012, Piddubny's main project has become ''Robinzon.TV'', the first Ukrainian

website. It utilized YouTube as its underlying platform, and offered a mix of studio programs and

live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

news, often from unpaid stringers armed only with mobile phones. In an interview, Piddubny said that the idea came from a Russian TV channel, Dozhd. He said that rather than create ''Robinzon.TV'' as a "political mouthpiece," his aim was something akin to a

public broadcasting Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive f ...

service. After the Ukrainian revolution of 2014, Robizon.TV was purchased by businessman and politician

Yevheniy Murayev Yevheniy Volodymyrovych Murayev (; born 2 December 1976) is a Ukrainian politician and media owner. He was the leader of the now-banned political party Nashi. Murayev has been a deputy of the Kharkiv Oblast Council (two convocations) and a de ...

. Piddubny remained in opposition in the

; occasionally, his verbal altercations with Hennadiy Kernes attracted national attention. In 2015, Piddubny was re-elected to the Kharkiv City Council; his current term ends in 2020. However, he no longer represents the

, and is listed as an independent member of the Council. In 2015, Piddubny received the

award from the

Ukrainian president The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and Oligarchy, oligarch who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister ...

. As of 2016, Piddubny considered film-making his primary work.

Film making

Piddubny's career as a film director began in 2010 with an hour-long documentary, ''Undesirables'' (), inspired by his work on the electronic

. ''Undesirables'' spotlights how many contemporary Ukrainians have ancestors who were persecuted by

communists Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, d ...

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

, resulting in significant omissions in ancestry knowledge. The film was positively received. Although Piddubny's documentaries deal with Ukrainian history, they are filmed in Russian and specifically aimed at

audiences in both Ukraine and Russia. Piddubny gave two reasons for this decision. First, Ukrainian-speaking audiences know Ukrainian history much better and do not have as many questions (or hold as controversial opinions) as the Russian-speaking Ukrainians. Second, because the Russian audience is considerably larger, Piddubny could make more money.

''Stepan Bandera: Ukraine between red and black''

The documentary ''Stepan Bandera: Ukraine between red and black'' delves into the life of

, a militant ideologist of

Ukrainian nationalism Ukrainian nationalism (, ) is the promotion of the unity of Ukrainians as a people and the promotion of the identity of Ukraine as a nation state. The origins of modern Ukrainian nationalism emerge during the Khmelnytsky Uprising, Cossack upri ...

. The documentary was filmed in 2014 in multiple locations, including Bandera's birthplace, Staryi Uhryniv; other Ukrainian towns associated with Bandera and his followers;

Jezkazgan Zhezkazgan, or Jezkazgan ( ) is a city and the administrative centre of Ulytau Region, Kazakhstan. Population: Its urban area includes the neighbouring mining town of Satbayev (city), Satpayev, for a total city population of 148,700. 55% of ...

in Kazakhstan (the location of the largest Soviet labor camps for Ukrainian political prisoners); and inside Moscow archives. Like other Piddubny films, it was primarily aimed at the

audiences of

Eastern Ukraine Eastern Ukraine or East Ukraine (; ) is primarily the territory of Ukraine east of the Dnipro (or Dnieper) river, particularly Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts (provinces). Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts are often also regarded as ...

and Russia. The film received overall positive reviews from critics, who thought Piddubny managed to maintain an independent viewpoint free of propaganda for either side, and that such an account of Stepan Bandera was long overdue. Boris Bahteev, a critic, believes, however, that Piddubny hadn't completely freed his worldview from the

Soviet propaganda Propaganda in the Soviet Union was the practice of state-directed communication aimed at promoting class conflict, proletarian internationalism, the goals of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and the party itself. The main Soviet cen ...

and mythology created around Bandera. The documentary topped the ratings of UA:First, the national television channel in Ukraine, for the year 2015. It gained additional audience on YouTube and on 1+1 TV channel, and is being used in Ukraine in secondary schools as an educational aid. As of 2016, it remained the most-watched Piddubny film.

''Crimea: Maximum Security Resort''

Premiering in October 2015, the documentary ''Crimea: Maximum Security Resort'' is a four-part

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

that explores 250 years of the Crimean history. It investigates the question who had a more righteous claim to the

Crimean peninsula Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrai ...

, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. The miniseries received positive reviews from Ukrainian critics. The miniseries utilizes many previously unpublished

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

archive documents, prompting Inna Dolzhenkova, a Ukrainian Association of Cinematographers critic, to call the documentary "a painful slap in the face" to Ukrainians who became interested in the history of Crimea only after its annexation.

''Ivan Mazepa: I appoint you a traitor''

Filmed for 18 months between 2017 and 2019, the documentary ''Ivan Mazepa: I appoint you a traitor'' explores the life of

Ivan Mazepa Ivan Stepanovych Mazepa (; ; ) was the Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host and the Left-bank Ukraine in 1687–1708. The historical events of Mazepa's life have inspired Cultural legacy of Mazeppa, many literary, artistic and musical works. He was ...

, a controversial

Hetman of Zaporizhian Host The Hetman of the Zaporozhian Host (, ) was the head of state of the Cossack Hetmanate. The office was abolished by the Russian government in 1764. Brief history The position was established by Bohdan Khmelnytsky during the Cossack Hetmanate in ...

who is asymmetrically portrayed in Russian and Ukrainian histories. Piddubny's

film crew A film crew is a group of people, hired by a production company, for the purpose of Filmmaking, producing a film or motion picture. The crew is distinguished from the Ensemble cast, cast, as the cast are understood to be the actors who appear ...

worked in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, Russia, and Sweden to present a comprehensive image of Mazepa. Two Russian historians, and appeared in the film as consultants. The documentary premiered in a Kharkiv theater in March 2019. Aside from Ukrainian television, the film was shown internationally within the

Ukrainian diaspora The Ukrainian diaspora comprises Ukrainians and their descendants who live outside Ukraine around the world, especially those who maintain some kind of connection to the land of their ancestors and maintain their feeling of Ukrainian national ide ...

in United States and in Europe, including

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, and

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. In 2019, it received Gran Prix at the historical film festival ''Poza Chasom'' and was the subject of

masterclass Yanka Industries, Inc., doing business as MasterClass, is an American online education subscription platform on which students can access tutorials and lectures pre-recorded by experts in various fields. The concept for MasterClass was conceiv ...

es at the Kharkiv State Academy of Culture. The documentary received positive reviews from Ukrainian historians and and Russian historian Boris Sokolov The documentary was criticized, however, because it was filmed in Russian rather than Ukrainian.

Full filmography

References

Literature cited

External links

The official channel of Piddubny's documentaries on Youtube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piddubny, Igor Ukrainian journalists Film people from Kharkiv Ukrainian film directors Batkivshchyna politicians 1965 births Living people Recipients of the Honorary Diploma of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Honored Journalists of Ukraine