Vitaliy was born in 1967 in Kiev. He studied in the department of journalism at Moscow University. In 1989-95 he worked as reviewer for in Moscow. He collaborates with a number of publications in the Baltic states and central and eastern Europe.

A Ukrainian and Russian commentator, Vitaliy Portnikov assumed the position of editor-in-chief of "Gazeta 24" in March 2007. Portnikov was born in Kiev on 14 May 1967. In 1990 he was graduated from Moscow University's faculty of journalism. While a student, he collaborated with "Molod Ukrainy" newspaper. He was one of the first correspondents to report on the Soviet Parliament. In 1989, he founded "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" (Russia). In 1995, he left together with a team of journalists who protested against the transferring of the newspaper to business interests close to Boris Berezovsky. Since 1990, he has worked for the Russian-language, Ukrainian-language and Belorussian-language services of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.