Everything you need to know about Forbes returning to Ukraine
New publisher and investor, first launch, the loss and acquisition of the license
Forbes Magazine returns to Ukraine. Forbes Media LLC, the owner of the Forbes brand, announced the news on 30th of March. The magazine will relaunch in spring, an online version will follow in the second half of 2020. Volodymyr Fedorin, who lead the previous version of Forbes Ukraine from 2010 to 2013, will be both a publisher (through his company UYAVY!) and editor-in-chief.

"Yes, you heard everything right. Forbes returns to Ukraine. I appeal to you as the only real owners of this project. We will build the best business media in the country solely for you and, I hope, together with you," — said Fedorin in his video message. He also invited readers to name three businessmen whom they respect in the comments under the video.

UYAVY! LLC is a Ukrainian publishing company founded by Volodymyr Fedorin. The majority stake in the company belongs to Swiss Mimier Trade, owned by businessman Arthur Granz.

"The start of this project coincided with the toughest challenge in our lifetime, but I am sure that Ukraine and the world will overcome this with business doing its best to support the country and the people," commented Grantz, who became the chairman of the supervisory board of UYAVY! LLC.

Forbes Ukraine, despite the quarantine, crisis and tendencies among Ukrainian media for permanent or temporary transition into online form due to financial difficulties and distribution problems, will be published ten times a year. The magazine will be available in two languages — Ukrainian and Russian. 80% of the content will be local.

Forbes Media noted that the publication will be politically independent and meet the highest professional, editorial and ethical standards set by Forbes.

Former editor-in-chief of forbes.ua Leonid Bershidsky called Fedorin's decision to revive Forbes Ukraine during the crisis "a true punk act." "This guy caught a black swan, strangled it and devoured without pinching," Bershidsky commented.
A dip into history:
1
2010
Forbes Ukraine was launched in 2010, with Volodymyr Fedorin as editor-in-chief.
2
2011
The first issue of the magazine was printed in 2011.
3
2012
forbes.ua, online version of the project, was launched in 2012, owned by Borys Lozhkin's Ukrainian Media Holding (UMH Group).
4
2013
In June 2013, Lozhkin sold the UMH to a Ukrainian businessman Serhiy Kurchenko, close to then-president Viktor Yanukovych. Forbes Ukraine was a part of the deal, and Volodymyr Fedorin had immediately announced his departure from the project.

"I consider the sale of Forbes Ukraine to be the end of the project in its current form. I am convinced that the buyer has one of three goals (or all three at once)

1. shut up journalists before the presidential election,

2. whitewash his own reputation,

3. use the magazine to solve issues that have nothing to do with the media business", — Fedorin explained. He resigned as chief editor on August 6, 2013, before the deal was closed and three months before the end of the contract. Russian journalist Mikhail Kotov replaced him as a new editor-in-chief.

The deal was closed ahead of schedule on November 5, 2013, and a week later most of the Forbes Ukraine team, 13 journalists and editors, left the project due to an attempt by the new owners to introduce censorship.
5
2014
Forbes LLC revoked the license to issue the Ukrainian version of the magazine from the UMH Group in March 2014, noting that new owners' interference with the editorial policies damaged the Forbes brand.
6
2015
UMH Group tried to appeal this decision, but to no avail. Chief editor Mikhail Kotov resigned from Forbes Ukraine on September 4, 2015, Ukrainian journalist Yevgeny Shpitko took his place.
7
2016
Forbes.ua (forbes.net.ua after the license was revoked) stopped being updated in February 2016.
8
2017
Evgeny Shpitko and the rest of the team left UMH and created their own mind.ua project in March 2017.
9
2019
In 2019, the Slovak publishing house Barecz & Conrad tried to relaunch Forbes Ukraine, with a journalist Kateryna Gorchinska as editor-in-chief, but Forbes Media LLC eventually refused, saying it had another license applicant.
10
2020
On March 30, 2020 Forbes Media LLC announced the revival of Forbes Ukraine.
Adsider info:
Vladimir Fedorin
Journalist, writer, public figure. Editor-in-chief of Forbes Ukraine, founder of the UYAVY! LLC

2001-2005 - Reporter, Head of Politics /Economics, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti.

2005-2008 - Deputy Editor-in-Chief at SmartMoney Weekly.

2008-2010 - First Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Russia.

2010 - 2013 - Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Ukraine.

Since 2015 - co-founder and director of Bendukidze Free Market Center.
Arthur Granz
Businessman, owner of BF Group LLC and Mimier Trade, co-owner of the largest Duty Free network in Ukraine.
Forbes Media, LLС
American publishing house, owner of the Forbes brand.
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