Free Media Awards
2013
Sergey Leschenko - Ukraine
Sergey Leschenko (b. 1980) from Kiev is one of the best investigative journalists in Ukraine.
He writes for the online newspaper Ukrainska Prawda, where he is also the acting editor.
Leschenko is one of the most active bloggers in the same newspaper. He files detailed reports on matters such as corruption among the power elite.
In connection with the preparations for the soccer world championships in 2012, he wrote a number of critical articles about who got awarded contracts and what they earned on them.
As a journalist, he is impartial, giving precedence to objective descriptions. He has a firm grasp of the political situation in Ukraine, and maintains the necessary distance from both the government and the opposition.
Sergey Leschenko was nominated by Heike Dörrenbächer, head of Deutschen Gesellschaft für Osteuropakunde in Berlin.