Freedom of Speech Barometer for November 2024
The Institute of Mass Information experts recorded 27 freedom of speech violations in Ukraine in October, according to the monthly IMI monitoring “Freedom of Speech Barometer”.
Russia's crimes (19 cases) inlcuded opening fire on journalists, damaging media offices, death threats, cyber attacks, and legal pressure.
The death of two media professionals were reported in November:
- Oleksiy Andreyev, an army serviceman and TV cameraman from Mariupol. He was buried in Chernivtsi on November 2, 2024, having been previously assigned missing in Bohdanivka (Donetsk oblast, Bakhmut district) on November 29, 2023. His body was recently retrieved in a swap. A DNA analysis confirmed his identity. Oleksiy Andreyev worked as a cameraman at the Mariupol TV channels "TB7" and "Sigma" and the Azovstal plant press office since the 2000s.
- Andriy Buchak, Luhansk journalist who had been fighting on the front line since 2014. Andriy Buchak went missing in action on August 13, 2024 near Vodyane village (Donetsk oblast). His death was reported by his wife Olena on November 24, 2024. In the 2000s, Andriy Buchak worked in the Luhansk newspaper Kuryer.
Freedom of speech in Ukraine in November 2024
Hromadske journalist Ksenia Savoskina and cameraman Oleksiy Nikulin were targeted by Russian drones while filming a news story near Kupyansk (Kharkiv oblast). The journalists were filming the evacuation of animals from the left bank together with the Kharkiv Animal Rescue initiative. The Russians targeted their car, which burned down. They had to hide from the drones several times on their way back. The journalists were not injured.
Moreover, Russia's shelling strike significantly damaged the pavilion where STB's show MasterChef is filmed. There were no casualties.
On November 26, multiple media outlets and journalists received emails from unknown individuals claiming that bombs had been planted at various institutions across Ukraine, as well as the media outlets themselves. Namely, such emails arrived to Vilne Radio, Dumka, The Page, Speka, Syla Pravdy, Suspilne Uzhhorod, Chernivtsi news outlet 0372, Detector Media. The emails were sent from different addresses and signed with different names. The sender of each email introduces themselves as a combat veteran specializing in mining and accuses society of treating soldiers unfairly. They threaten to continue with bomb attacks “once every three to four days,” targeting schools, administrations, media offices, and public transport. Furthermore, the sender asks to blame Radio Liberty journalist Iryna Sysak and deputy Minister of Finance Svitlana Vorobey for the crimes.
Detector Media and inform.zp.ua were targeted by cyber criminals, with the former website temporarily going down and the latter being subjected to a month-long attack. The Russian hacker group “People's CyberArmy” claimed responsibility for the attack on Detector Media. The Zaporizhzhia team believes the attack is related to their reporting on the Russian army's crimes in the temporarily occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia oblast.
A court in Russia arrested France 24 journalist Catherine Norris Trent in absentia for reporting from Kursk region. Russia had previously opened a criminal case against her for illegally entering the Kursk region, partially controlled by Ukraine. The journalist entered the territory of the Kursk region together with Ukrainian soldiers; her report aired on the channel and on the broadcaster's website in late September.
The IMI also recorded eight cases of freedom of speech violations unrelated to Russia's war on Ukraine. These included death threats, obstruction, limiting access to public information, indirect pressure, and cyber attacks.
Journalists in Kyiv and Dnipro faced interference when reporting on the aftermath of Russian shelling strikes. Two journalists were not allowed to report from the Kyiv residential complex Jack House, where a fire had broken out following a Russian drone strike.
The Dnipro oblast military administration banned journalists from filming the aftermath of the Russian shelling strike on the city on November 21. The media only received permission to work at the shelling sites five hours later, even though anonymous Telegram channels were already actively sharing photos and videos of the shelling results.
Bihus.Info chief editor Maksym Opanasenko reported restriction on access to public information. The President's Office failed to answer his query regarding the new deputies of Andriy Yermak, the head of the President's Office.
Sofia Bakun, journalist with the anti-corruption center Mezha, reported death threats by a lawyer in a Kyiv court. The journalist was attending a court hearing about the assets of Yuriy Nerukh, the head of the weapons control sector at the crime prevention department of the Desnyanskyi Department of the Kyiv City National Police. During a break in the court hearing, Yuriy Nerukh's lawyer Andriy Davydchenko told her, "So, journalism or death?"
Rivne media outlet Chetverta Vlada was targeted with libel after reporting on the obstruction by City Council officials. The defamatory article allege that Chetverta Vlada has ties to the Russian special services because the deputy editor Antonina Torbich shares a registration address with a Moscow Patriarchate congregation. Later, another smear article about the Chetverta Vlada journalists Olha Pidhorodetska and Valeria Khomych, who report from Rivne Council sessions most often, was published. The article contains elements of ageism and lookism. The team believes this was triggered by an article criticising the Rivne City Council chief of communications, Yana Yevtushok, whom the media outlet accuses of obstruction.
Read the full monitoring report below:
RUSSIA'S CRIMES
Opening fire on journalists – 1
1. Hromadske journalists come under drone fire near Kupyansk
25.11.2024 Hromadske journalist Ksenia Savoskina and cameraman Oleksiy Nikulin were targeted by Russian drones while filming a news story near Kupyansk on November 25, reports Hromadske.
The journalists were filming the evacuation of animals from the left bank together with the Kharkiv Animal Rescue initiative. The two-car group was accompanied by a soldier, who noticed the horses that were about to be evacuated.
When the journalists started filming the evacuation, they heard drone sounds. The crew hid in a hangar. A few minutes later, an explosion went off. The car where the journalists had left a backpack with lenses caught fire.
Seeing as one of the cars burned down, the journalists had to go back on foot through the village. Ksenia says they walked three kilometers, or maybe a little more. They had to hide from the drones several times.
The journalists were not injured. The horses were successfully evacuated to Kharkiv.
Damaging media offices – 1
1. Russian shelling strike on November 13 damages MasterChef pavilion
14.11.2024 Russia's November 13 shelling strike significantly damaged the pavilion where STB's show MasterChef is filmed. There were no casualties, reports the TV channel's press office.
"The project's very home, where Ukraine's best food stories were being created from the very first season and where the country's favorite culinary stars were lit. The terrorist country continues its attempts to destroy everything that is created with love," the TV channel said.
They added that the TV channel and the Ukrainian brands they partner with filmed four new MasterChef seasons since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. All safety rules are observed during the production. For isntance, the staff equipped two bomb shelters as soon as the summer of 2022, and the pavilion itself is equipped with autonomous power generators. The project's team was preparing to begin filming season 15.
"Even now, the entire team of the project and of STB continues to work and is looking for better solutions to restore production capabilities as soon as possible. We may need time and new solutions," the press office said.
They assured that despite the damage to the pavilion, the TV channel would find a way to film MasterChef season 15.
Threats, intimidation – 14
1. Vilne Radio CEO receives an email threatening to explode various institutions
26.11.2024 Multiple Ukrainian media workers and media offices received emails from unknown individuals claiming that various institutions across Ukraine had been mined. Namely, such letters were received by the Vilne Radio CEO Anastasia Shybiko and the chief editor of the Kharkiv media outlet Dumka Yuriy Larin, which they reported to the Institute of Mass Information representative Valentyna Troyan.
The letters were sent from different email addresses and signed with different names.
The Institute of Mass Information representative received two such letters. In one, the sender claims to be an ATO veteran, and in the other, they pose as an experienced soldier, but both say they are a "mines and explosives specialist."
The letters included a list of institutions where bombs had allegedly been planted, with the addresses. However, the listed addresses do not match the mentioned institutions, notes Valentyna Troyan.
The sender says that they left a vacuum-packed device containing explosives within a building and mentions the address of a building that has allegedly been blown up already.
The letter contains threats of explosions in “a school, a media office, a hotel, and an Administration”.
The senders claim that the motive behind their terrorist attacks is "the abuse faced by of Ukraine's combat and ATO veterans."
The IMI representative reported the letters to the Security Service of Ukraine.
2. Chief editor of Kharkiv's Dumka receives an email threatening to explode various institutions
26.11.2024 Multiple Ukrainian media workers and media offices received emails from unknown individuals claiming that various institutions across Ukraine had been mined. Namely, such letters were received by the Vilne Radio CEO Anastasia Shybiko and the chief editor of the Kharkiv media outlet Dumka Yuriy Larin, which they reported to the Institute of Mass Information representative Valentyna Troyan.
The letters were sent from different email addresses and signed with different names.
The Institute of Mass Information representative received two such letters. In one, the sender claims to be an ATO veteran, and in the other, they pose as an experienced soldier, but both say they are a "mines and explosives specialist."
The letters included a list of institutions where bombs had allegedly been planted, with the addresses. However, the listed addresses do not match the mentioned institutions, notes Valentyna Troyan.
The sender says that they left a vacuum-packed device containing explosives within a building and mentions the address of a building that has allegedly been blown up already.
The letter contains threats of explosions in “a school, a media office, a hotel, and an Administration”.
The senders claim that the motive behind their terrorist attacks is "the abuse faced by of Ukraine's combat and ATO veterans."
The IMI representative reported the letters to the Security Service of Ukraine.
3. The Page receives threats of terrorist attacks in various facilities
26.11.2024 The media outlets The Page and Speka also received emails about bombs being planted in multiple facilities in Kyiv and Lviv and the senders' intent to orchestrate explosions in public places. The sender also called themsleves an ATO veteran, Speka reports. The news outlet points out that some of the addresses are listed incorrectly and some objects, such as the Pulsar mall on Sofiivska Street in Kyiv, do not exist at all.
The sender blames the society for treating combatants unfairly. They threatens to continue bomb attacks “every three to four days,” targeting schools, administrations, media outlets, and public transport.
4. Speka receives threats of terrorist attacks in various facilities
26.11.2024 The media outlets The Page and Speka also received emails about bombs being planted in multiple facilities in Kyiv and Lviv and the senders' intent to orchestrate explosions in public places. The sender also called themsleves an ATO veteran, Speka reports. The news outlet points out that some of the addresses are listed incorrectly and some objects, such as the Pulsar mall on Sofiivska Street in Kyiv, do not exist at all.
The sender blames the society for treating combatants unfairly. They threatens to continue bomb attacks “every three to four days,” targeting schools, administrations, media outlets, and public transport.
5. Syla Pravdy director receives email threatening bomb attacks across Ukraine
26.11.2024 Yuriy Horbach, the director of the Investigative Journalism Center for "Syla Pravdy", received an email threatening bomb attacks in Kyiv and Odesa oblasts to his personal inbox.
He reported this to Maya Holub, the Institute of Mass Information representative in Volyn oblast.
According to Yuriy, the sender called themselves “Ilya Ustimovych Yizhak” and the letter with the subject line “Outgoing No. 7633” came from the address [email protected]. The sender wrote that they had planted an explosive device and listed the addresses of seven buildings in Kyiv and one in Odesa, including the Indonesian embassy in Kyiv, two shopping malls, the Channel 5 office, school No. 86 in Odesa, a hospital in Kyiv, and one building in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district.
The letter closed with a threat to plant 30 explosive devices at the other addresses.
6. Suspilne Uzhhorod staff evacuated over bomb warning
26.11.2024 The staff of Suspilne's Uzhhorod branch were evacuated due to a bomb warning targeting their office on November 26, reports Suspilne Uzhhorod.
An email claiming that the branch has been mined was sent to the editorial inbox.
National Police spokeswoman Yulia Girdvilis said in a comment to Suspilne that she did not rule out that this was an attempt by Russia to destabilize the situation across Ukraine through psyops.
The police inspected all facilities where bombs were said to be planted.
As reported, on November 26, 2024, several Ukrainian media outlets and media offices received anonymous emails warning of bombs planted in various institutions across Ukraine. In particular, such letters were received by the Vilne Radio CEO Anastasia Shybiko, the chief editor of Kharkiv's news outlet Dumka Yuriy Larin, the IMI representative Valentyna Troyan, the media outlets The Page and Speka, as well as Yuriy Horbach, the director of the Center for Investigative Journalism "Syla Pravdy".
7. Chernivtsi's 0372 journalist receives bomb warning via email
26.11.2024 Chernivtsi-based journalist with the news outlet 0372, Maria Bodnarashek, received an email warning of explosions across Ukraine, similar to the threats received by multiple other media outlets and journalists, the 0372 communications manager Anna Sotska reported to Alyona Chorna, the Institute of Mass Information representative in Chernivtsi oblast.
According to Sotska, the team has already contacted the police and is waiting for a response from the law enforcers.
Anna Sotska says that the sender claimed to be an ATO veteran and a “mine detonation specialist.” They also wrote that, having given everything for the country, they were left without family or support. The letter contains a list of institutions where bombs have allegedly already been planted. Furthermore, the sender assures that their intentions are serious and notes that they have already blown up one of the apartments listed.
The letter to 0372 says that the sender had left a toy with 8 kilograms of explosives in the building. “All the toys are made well, wrapped in vacuum packaging, which prevents sniffer dogs from finding them. I am a professional, I will be blowing up one building every 3-4 days,” the letter says.
In a comment to the IMI representative, Maria Bodnarashek remarked that such letters with threats should be thoroughly investigated by the police.
“Such threats have a strong impact on the mental and emotional state and the safety of each of us. In my place could be a person with a weaker psyche and this could have poorly affected their health and mood. We hope the cyber police will find the senders of these letters,” says Maria.
8. Detector Media receives bomb threats as well
26.11.2024 Detector Media reports receiving emails claiming that a bomb has been planted in the editorial office and multiple other facilities.
The media outlet says that five letters of almost identical content arrived in the editorial inbox from the same domain, but signed with different names. The author of each email claims to be a combat veteran specializing in mines and explosives.
The senders claim to have hidden a homemade explosive device, wrapped in vacuum packaging, “right in your building.”
Moreover, each letter lists seven more addresses in different cities across Ukraine that were allegedly mined as well, including embassies, schools, shopping malls, hospitals, etc. The list also includes the TV channel Novyny 24, radio Europe Plus Ukraine, the newspaper Naddnipryanska Pravda, radio Transformator. However, the addresses of some of these media outlets are listed incorrectly, and some other media outlets do not exist.
The sender asks to blame Radio Liberty journalist Iryna Sysak and deputy Minister of Finance Svitlana Vorobey for the deed.
9. International Multimedia Broadcasting Platform of Ukraine receives bomb threats
26.11.2024 The state-owned International Multimedia Broadcasting Platform of Ukraine (FREEDOM, Dim, UATV English, UATV Arabic, UATV Español, The Gaze) and its individual employees received emails threatening to set off bombs in the company’s premises on November 26, according to a media release obtained by the Institute of Mass Information.
“The threatening letters were sent to the company's official inbox and corporate email addresses of its individual employees from different mailboxes. The almost identical texts claimed that an explosive device had been planted in the company's premises and threatened to explode other institutions, public facilities and transport,” the company noted.
The letters also contained personal death threats to Radio Liberty journalist Iryna Sysak and deputy Minister of Finance of Ukraine Svitlana Vorobey.
The media outlet stressed that all information has been passed on to law enforcement agencies.
They added that no explosives were found in the premises of the IMBPU and that Dim and FREEDOM were speaking as scheduled.
The state-owned company International Multimedia Broadcasting Platform of Ukraine has already received similar bomb threats in October 2024.
10. Pershyi Zaporizkyi receives bomb threats
26.11.2024 Online media outlet Pershyi Zaporizkyi received an email threatening to explode the buildings housing various institutions and organizations on November 26, chif editor Andriy Vavilov confirmed to the Institute of Mass Information representative Natalia Vyhovska.
The emails mention Radio Liberty journalist Iryna Sysak, whom the senders blame for the terrorist attacks they claim are going to take place in Kyiv and Odesa.
“On November 26, our colleagues and we received letters similar to those sent to other Ukrainian media outlets. They say that an army serviceperson experienced with mines is warning us that they will blow up multiple buildings in Kyiv and Odesa,” he said.
The emails also mention the upcoming explosions that will "go off in a school, a media office, a hotel, and an administration."
The two almost identical letters sent to Zaporizhzhia media outlets were mailed out to 26 different addressees. They were sent by Orimir Fyodorovich Erstenyuk and Yegor Azarovich Kurylovich. Erstenyuk's email service, 114.co.jp, links to the website of the Japanese vegetable processing company Greenfield Okinawa. Kurylovich's service, ibakou.jp, also links to a Japanese company: Ibaraki Kousei, which builds pipelines.
The letters contain numerous Russian loanwords and punctuation errors. The emails' broken style indicates that they were translated into Ukrainian from another language.
11. 061.ua receives bomb threats
26.11.2024 Online media outlet 061.ua received an email threatening to explode the buildings housing various institutions and organizations on November 26, the team confirmed to the Institute of Mass Information representative Natalia Vyhovska.
The emails mention Radio Liberty journalist Iryna Sysak, whom the senders blame for the terrorist attacks they claim are going to take place in Kyiv and Odesa.
The emails also mention the upcoming explosions that will "go off in a school, a media office, a hotel, and an administration."
The two almost identical letters sent to Zaporizhzhia media outlets were mailed out to 26 different addressees. They were sent by Orimir Fyodorovich Erstenyuk and Yegor Azarovich Kurylovich. Erstenyuk's email service, 114.co.jp, links to the website of the Japanese vegetable processing company Greenfield Okinawa. Kurylovich's service, ibakou.jp, also links to a Japanese company: Ibaraki Kousei, which builds pipelines.
The letters contain numerous Russian loanwords and punctuation errors. The emails' broken style indicates that they were translated into Ukrainian from another language.
12. Accent receives bomb threats
26.11.2024 Online media outlet Accent received an email threatening to explode the buildings housing various institutions and organizations on November 26, chief editor Oleksandr Chubukin reported to the Institute of Mass Information representative Natalia Vyhovska.
The emails mention Radio Liberty journalist Iryna Sysak, whom the senders blame for the terrorist attacks they claim are going to take place in Kyiv and Odesa.
The emails also mention the upcoming explosions that will "go off in a school, a media office, a hotel, and an administration."
The two almost identical letters sent to Zaporizhzhia media outlets were mailed out to 26 different addressees. They were sent by Orimir Fyodorovich Erstenyuk and Yegor Azarovich Kurylovich. Erstenyuk's email service, 114.co.jp, links to the website of the Japanese vegetable processing company Greenfield Okinawa. Kurylovich's service, ibakou.jp, also links to a Japanese company: Ibaraki Kousei, which builds pipelines.
The letters contain numerous Russian loanwords and punctuation errors. The emails' broken style indicates that they were translated into Ukrainian from another language.
13. inform.zp.ua receives bomb threats
26.11.2024 Online media outlet inform.zp.ua received an email threatening to explode the buildings housing various institutions and organizations on November 26, deputy editor Elmira Shahabudtdynova reported to the Institute of Mass Information representative Natalia Vyhovska.
The emails mention Radio Liberty journalist Iryna Sysak, whom the senders blame for the terrorist attacks they claim are going to take place in Kyiv and Odesa.
The emails also mention the upcoming explosions that will "go off in a school, a media office, a hotel, and an administration."
The two almost identical letters sent to Zaporizhzhia media outlets were mailed out to 26 different addressees. They were sent by Orimir Fyodorovich Erstenyuk and Yegor Azarovich Kurylovich. Erstenyuk's email service, 114.co.jp, links to the website of the Japanese vegetable processing company Greenfield Okinawa. Kurylovich's service, ibakou.jp, also links to a Japanese company: Ibaraki Kousei, which builds pipelines.
The letters contain numerous Russian loanwords and punctuation errors. The emails' broken style indicates that they were translated into Ukrainian from another language.
14. Hromadske Radio receives bomb threats mentioning Radio Liberty journalist
26.11.2024 Multiple Hromadske Radio represenatives and the Institute of Mass Information representative Valentyna Troyan received letters threatening to blow up the buildings housing various institutions and organizations on November 27.
The letter resembles the one that media workers and representatives of other organizations had received on November 26, with the sender claiming to be a soldier who is familiar with mines and explosives. It contained a list of institutions that the sender threatened to blow up, explaining their motive for the crimes in the same way: “Abuse faced by Ukrainian combat veterans and ATO participants.”
However, the November 27 letter is different in that the sender listed the specific persons they ask to blame for the crimes: the Radio Liberty journalist Iryna Sysak and Ukraine's deputy Minister of Finance Svitlana Vorobey.
The letter also contains an attachment – a photo of a plastic bottle stuffed with screws, pieces of what looks to be plastic explosives, and a walkie-talkie. These items are taped together and placed on an A4 paper sheet saying, in Russian: “For Svetlana Vorobey.”
As reported, on November 26, 2024, several Ukrainian media outlets and media offices received anonymous emails warning of bombs planted in various institutions across Ukraine. In particular, such letters were received by the Vilne Radio CEO Anastasia Shybiko, the chief editor of Kharkiv's news outlet Dumka Yuriy Larin, the IMI representative Valentyna Troyan, the media outlets The Page and Speka, as well as Yuriy Horbach, the director of the Center for Investigative Journalism "Syla Pravdy".
In addition, in Uzhhorod, employees of the local Suspilne branch were evacuated due to a bomb threat on November 26.
Cyber attacks – 2
1. Detector Media suffered a large-scale cyber attack on November 8
08.11.2024 The Detector Media website suffered a large-scale cyber attack on November 8. The team reports that the attack lasted from 10:30 p.m. to midnight and caused the website to go down temporarily.
User access to the webbsite was later restored by the technicians.
Detecor Media website editor Halyna Sklyarevska said in a comment to the Institute of Mass Information that the staff could not say the exact reason for the attack.
"However, this time our website 'desinfo', where the Detector Media research center analysts refute pro-Russian fakes and manipulation daily, was targeted as well, so we can assume that the attack was related to the content on this website," said Halyna Sklyarevska.
The Russian hacker group “People's CyberArmy” claimed responsibility for the attack on the Detector Media website.
2. Zaporizhzhia website іnform.zp.ua has been under a DDoS attack for a month. Team blames Russia
22.11.2024 The Zaporizhzhia website Inform.zp.ua has been the target of large-scale DDoS attacks since mid-October. The team believes the attack is related to their reporting on the Russian army's crimes in the temporarily occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia oblast, chief editor Eric Brynza reports to the Institute of Mass Information representative in Zaporizhzhia oblast, Natalia Vyhovska.
According to him, the attack began on October 12. In the first weeks of the attack, the website's server was overloaded by numerous requests, many of which were incorrect or made no sense. The requests were coming from different IP addresses and were about sections or tags that the website did not have. Most of the requests concerned the English language version of the website, which does not exist, either.
“They attacked us in cycles. Sometimes the server would be overloaded with requests, then it would be alright again. Finally, our server crashed. It is unclear where they are attacking from. The website is being targeted from different IP addresses, with different requests, so we can't say exactly where the attack is coming from," Brynza said.
Due to the server reboot, the website was unavailable for some time. The team had to spend over two weeks restoring the databases and rewriting the code to step up protection.
“We have now installed additional safeguards and restored to the old version of the site. Not everything is working as it should yet, because the news get displayed incorrectly in different language versions of the site. But we are doing everything necessary to fix it. There are no abnormal posts now. So the website is working,” said Eric Brynza.
The chief editor believes that the cyberattack is an act of pressure on freedom of speech and an attempt to interrupt the work of Zaporizhzhia oblast's prominent news resource. “This may be related to our reporting on the Russian army's crimes in the temporarily occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia oblast. Previously, the team received overt threats from Russian law enforcement agencies with warnings about possible hacker attacks,” said the chief editor.
As the IMI reported, throughout the first six months of the war, the team received numerous threats from Russian email addresses demanding that it stop reporting on the developments in the full-scale war and side with the Russian aggressors. The staff were threatened with torture, imprisonment, and deportation “to Siberia.” The office also received threats from Russian hackers saying they would “bring down the website” if the team “did not stop the pipeline of fakes about Russia.”
Legal pressure – 1
1. Russian court arrests France 24 journalist in absentia for reporting from Kursk region
26.11.2024 A court in Russia has arrested France 24 journalist Catherine Norris Trent in absentia. Russia had previously opened a criminal case against her for illegally entering the Kursk region, partially controlled by Ukraine, reported France 24 on November 26.
The channel notes that the journalist entered the territory of the Kursk region together with Ukrainian soldiers and that her report aired on the channel and on the broadcaster's website in late September.
Catherine Norris Trent visited two villages in the Kursk region, where she met local civilians.
It was reported in October 2024 that the Federal Security Service of Russia had opened a case against France 24 journalist Catherine Norris Trent for illegally crossing Russia's border (Part 3 of Article 322 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
Crimea – 1
1. Editor of Crimean Tatar children's magazine Ediye Muslimova goes missing in occupied Crimea
22.11.2024 Ediye Muslimova, aged 61, editor-in-chief of the Crimean Tatar children's magazine Armançıq, has gone missing in Crimea. Both her personal and work phones are turned off, reports the civil society initiative Crimean Solidarity, citing her niece Elzara Muslimova.
"Yesterday, Thursday, November 21, 2024, at 11 a.m. I last spoke with my aunt, Ediye Muslimova. We talked, and she said that she would finish some things at home and leave Simferopol, leave Kyivska St, and travel towards Sudak, to Sonyachna Dolyna village, to visit her mother," Elzara Muslimova says.
According to Elzara Muslimova, Ediye Muslimova's mother is 91 years old. She needs the care of her daughter and assistance from other people. The woman is severely disabled.
“At six p.m., her mother (my grandmother) called me and said that she was still missing. I started calling her on the phone, my grandmother could not get in contact with her since 4:00 p.m., and even as early as 3:00 p.m. her nephews called her, but she was already out of reach. I started calling: she has two phones (for work and personal), both phones were turned off. There is no way to contact her: not on Telegram, not on WhatsApp, not on Viber,” the niece added.
Elzara Muslimova has already filed a statement with the police and is preparing complaints to the Crimea Prosecutor’s Office and the FSB. Ediye Muslimova’s car is still parked near her house.
Crimean Solidarity notes that Ediye Muslimova has been publishing the children's magazine Armançıq in Crimean Tatar language since 2011. She is the daughter of Crimean Tatar activist Refat Muslimov, who came back to Crimea with his family in 1968 despite the hardship.
As reported by the Radio Liberty project Krym.Realii, in 2019, Muslimova said that the magazine was in crisis and on the verge of closing down.
Later, Russia's FSB released Ediye Muslimova after a 35-hour interrogation in the Simferopol FSB department. All this time, she was held incommunicado and was not allowed to see her lawyer, reports the media outlet “Graty.”
Ediye Muslimova was released late on November 22 after her relatives actively searched for her and international human rights journalistic organizations responded to her disappearance.
Only on the night of November 22 did Muslimova’s lawyers manage to learn that she had been in the FSB HQ in Simferopol since the first hours of her detention. Lawyer Emine Avamileva officially introduced herself to the duty officer as Muslimova’s lawyer and tried to meet her to provide legal assistance, but was not allowed in.
Ediye Muslimova was brought home by special service officers.
In a video that the media professional posted on Facebook after her release, she noted that the FSB were not physically violent to her and fed her. She also showed the roses that the FSB officers gave her.
According to her, the Russian FSB officers asked her about her work and about the magazine. “I spent a very long time arguing that, having 1,485 subscribers, we are still somehow holding on. 35 hours without sleep. It’s unpleasant,” said Ediye Muslimova.
THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH SITUATION IN UKRAINE FOR WHICH UKRAINE'S CITIZENS ARE RESPONSIBLE
PHYSICAL AGGRESSION
Death threats, intimidation, persecution – 1
1. Journalist with the anti-corruption center Mezha reports death threats by a lawyer
27.11.2024 Activists with the anti-corruption center Mezha report death threats by lawyer Andriy Davydchenko made during a session of the High Anti-Corruption Court in Kyiv on November 26.
A Mezha journalist spoke about this in a comment to the Institute of Mass Information representative Valentyna Troyan.
The journalist was attending a court hearing about the assets of Yuriy Nerukh, the head of the weapons control sector at the crime prevention department of the Desnyanskyi Department of the Kyiv City National Police.
According to her, Yuriy Nerukh's lawyer Andriy Davydchenko told her during a break in the court hearing: "So, journalism or death?"
The journalist attended three hearings in the case. Davydchenko was present at two of them – the first one and third one.
"The ambiguous passive-aggressive phrases were said during the first hearing. He said, ‘Who are you? If you are a listener, then sit and listen.’ He was absent at the second hearing. At the third one, during a break, he asked me, ‘So, journalism or death?’ And then, I don't know if he was speaking to himself or not, he said, ‘A person in their right mind wouldn't engage in public jurisprudence,’” the journalist said.
She could not say whom exactly Davydchenko was addressing with his phrase about jurisprudence.
“I did not understand, but these two phrases were said one after the other. I did not respond to them,” Sofia Bakun noted.
The journalist added that she had ignored Davydchenko addressing her during the first hearing as well. The anti-corruption center Mezha has contacted the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of the Bar.
Sofia Bakun clarified that what the lawyer had said to her in court were heard by the court secretary. “She looked at me and smiled after this phrase,” the journalist said.
The head of the anti-corruption center Mezha, Martyna Bohuslavets, reported that the organization considers Davydchenko’s phrase “as pressure on our independent anti-corruption center and a threat to journalists who listen to court cases on our behalf.”
She said that the court had seized Yuriy Nerukh's assets after their center drew the attention of the National Agency for Corruption Prevention and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
The IMI representative tried to get a comment from Andriy Davydchenko by calling the number listed in the Kyiv attorneys' register. However, the man who answered said that the representative had dialed the wrong number. Yet, the number was listed as “Davydchenko” on Viber. The IMI is willing to talk to the lawyer Andriy Davydchenko so that he can confirm or deny the reported information.
Obstruction of reporting – 2
1. Two journalists report being barred from entering the site hit by a Russian drone at RC Jack House
07.11.2024 Journalist Kateryna Malofeyeva and Sipa correspondent Dmytro Kovalchuk were not allowed to report from the Russian drone strike site at the Kyiv residential complex Jack House.
Malofeyeva reported this on Facebook, and Kovalchuk commented on the incident to the Institute of Mass Information.
Kateryna Malofeyeva said that she had asked the security guard for permission to access the 33rd floor, but, judging by the released video, he refused.
"Not only was I faced with rudeness from the administrator, but they refused to give me the manager's contacts, they started insulting me, and the security guard was about to use force," Malofeyeva wrote.
In the video, the security guard says he forbids her to work and violates the law. "Yes, I forbid you to work, I am violating all your journalist rights, yes," he says.
He added that she has no right to be in the residential complex.
In the comment to the Institute of Mass Information, Kateryna Malofeyeva said that she would not be complaining anywhere on this matter, as she has no time.
Sipa correspondent Dmytro Kovalchuk also told IMI that a security guard of the residential complex refused to let him work at the Russian drone attack site.
As reported by the State Emergency Service press office, the November 7 Russian drone strike caused a fire to break out on the 33rd floor of a residential building in the Pechersk district, which resulted in the 34th (non-residential) floor partially collapsing.
2. Dnipro media barred from filming the aftermath of Russian shelling
22.11.2024 The Dnipro oblast military administration banned journalists from filming the aftermath of the Russian shelling strike on the city on November 21. The media only received permission to work at the shelling sites five hours later, even though anonymous Telegram channels were already actively sharing photos and videos of the shelling results, reports Kateryna Lysiuk, the regional representative of the Institute of Mass Information.
The IMI representative notes that after a series of explosions that occurred in the city at 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. and the requests by journalists in a group chat to film the affected sites, the Dnipropetrovska OMA spokeswoman Natalia Ohorodnya said, "Dear colleagues, for now we observe media silence. Thank you for your understanding."
Dnipro media outlets were only permitted to work at the shelling sites after Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov reported damage to civilian infrastructure on Telegram and two posts by the chair of the Dnipropetrovska OMA, Serhiy Lysak.
“After Dnipro survived a strike with what apparently was a new type of intercontinental ballistic weapon, we are stepping on the same rake once again. Three hours have passed since the attack and, despite the UAF Commander-in-Chief's Decree No. 73, which outlines clear regulations for reporting under martial law, the Dnipropetrovska OVA refuses to let journalists film the affected rehabilitation center or ordinary residential buildings in the city with no explanations provided. The attack began at 5:30 a.m., and we only received permission to film 5 hours later. Once again, I would like to understand what rules the official media should be guided by when covering such publicly important information, are these rules clear and the same for everyone?” says Channel 11 chief editor Inna Lysak with indignation.
Off the record, journalists tell the IMI representative they are facing increasingly frequent bans on reporting on attacks on Dnipro and the oblast. Some media outlets are threatened with their accreditation being canceled for failure to comply with the bans on filming, while others work on strike sites uninterrupted nearly in the first minutes after the shelling, posting photos and videos on social media.
“There are indeed strict requirements in Dnipropetrovska oblast for reporting in such situations, and, in my opinion, this is justified to a certain extent. After all, Russian special services often use information from the media or social media to better aim their strikes. However, it is important to note that there are still rules for working with information and most journalists follow them. Unfortunately, there have been cases of our colleagues violating these rules, which harms not just them, but also the image of our profession overall,” says 056.ua chief editor Kateryna Okhotnyk, commenting on the problematic communication.
In her comment to the IMI representative, Natalia Ohorodnya of the Dnipropetrovska OMA press office explained the situation citing security concerns.
“We always do everything in our power to inform the public about the results of the enemy's attacks on our oblast on time. And we are doing everything we can to ensure that the media can collect information in a timely manner and report from places where civilian infrastructure has been damaged by enemy strikes. But there are times when security concerns prevent the media from working in such situations immediately following the strikes so as not to help the enemy aim their fire better, as well as while the authorities are investigating the shelling sites," she said.
We remind you that, according to the agreement between mass media representatives, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, journalists can collect information, take photos and film videos at shelling sites immediately after the strikes, but must wait before publishing multimedia content: 3 hours for civilian objects and 12 hours for military objects.
The shelling strike on Dnipro on the morning of November 21 affected a rehabilitation center for people with disabilities, 2 private houses, an industrial facility, partially destroyed a boiler room, damaged 9 garages and broke several dozen windows in the buildings nearby. Fire broke out at two affected sites. 2 people were injured, one of whom was hospitalized. Later in the afternoon, Kryvyi Rih came under attack as well, with 32 people injured as a result, including 2 children.
CENSORSHIP, TOPIC GUIDELINES, ACCESS TO INFORMATION
Access to information for journalists – 1
1. President's Office fails to answer Bihus.Info query on Yermak's new deputies
19.11.2024 The President's Office failed to answer the query by the Bihus.Info chief editor Maksym Opanasenko regarding the new deputies of Andriy Yermak, the head of the President's Office.
Maksym Opanasenko reported this on Facebook and shared the details in a comment to Valentyna Troyan, an Institute of Mass Information representative.
Maksym Opanasenko told the IMI that he had submitted the query back on October 9, 2024, and the deadline for a response had already expired. He also said that he has no assumptions about who exactly would be responsible for approving his query.
"I asked about the people appointed as advisors to the new deputy heads of the Office (they are no longer 'new' now since the query has been lying somewhere all this time). Basically, my entire question boiled down to 'please give me the full names of the people appointed as advisors to so-and-so and so-and-so.' Doesn't seem so complicated," Opanasenko wrote on Facebook.
Having received no reply, he called and asked "how's the answer going" again.
"First time, I heard laughter and then, 'Well, it’s beeing approved by you know who.' Second time, 'Nothing has changed.' Third time, 'Well, you can call my boss if you want. But I won’t give you the number, I’m not authorized to give out numbers,'" the journalist wrote.
IMI lawyer Roman Holovenko noted that the wording in the query submitted by Maksym Opanasenko falls under the criteria of public information, so it should not be considered as a citizen’s appeal (the Law of Ukraine “On Citizens’ Appeals” allows much more time for processing a request).
INDIRECT PRESSURE
Other cases of indirect pressure – 2
1. Chetverta Vlada reports smearing attempts after news of obstruction by City Council
06.11.2024 The investigative journalism agency Chetverta Vlada was targeted with libel. The media outlet believes this has to do with their reporting criticizing the Rivne City Council chief of communications, Yana Yevtushok, whom the team accused of interfering with their work, reports Hanna Kalaur, the Institute of Mass Information representative in Rivne oblast.
On October 31, the websites CRiME and Press Center posted identical, potentially commissioned article titled "The Russian Orthodox Church abroad or the Job of Pochayiv parish – the little secret of the Torbichs, possible separatists". On November 1, a similar article appeared on the website News 24. All these websites claim to be news resources with a news feed, editorial offices, contacts, etc.
The articles are written as exposure and allege that Chetverta Vlada has ties to the Russian special services because the deputy editor Antonina Torbich shares a registration address with a Moscow Patriarchate congregation. In fact, the IMI representative points out, Antonina Torbich is not registered at the address listed in this article, and the congregation that used the media outlet's premises for some time in the past has no relation to the UOC MP or the Russian Church, but is an independent religious community.
The rest of the article is written by artificial intelligence. "We asked an AI. Here's what it told us..." the text says.
The Chetverta Vlada chief editor Volodymyr Torbich noted that the commissioned article used "the same false theses about his family and the Chetverta Vlada team that were previously voiced by representatives of the party/NGO Rivne Razom in conversations with journalists."
"Obviously, the person who came up with this used the Nazi and ruscist propaganda tips: 'The bigger the lie, the more people will believe it.' I started collecting materials to file a lawsuit and declare the reported information to be untrue," said Torbich in the comment to the IMI representative.
Volodymyr Torbich believes the smearing attempt has to do with their reporting on obstruction faced by Chetverta Vlada journalists on the part of Yana Yevtushok, the Rivne Council chief of communications. The media outlet said that the official was deliberately ignoring journalists' requests for an interview with Victor Shakirzyan.
"I believe that it (the libel – Ed.) was commissioned by an organized political and financial group behind the Rivne Razom brand," said Volodymyr Torbich.
The IMI representative in Rivne oblast asked the head of the Rivne Razom press office, Andriy Smus, to comment on Rivne Razom's involvement in the libel.
"It's hard for me to say whether Rivne Razom is involved in this," said Andriy Smus.
IMI representative Hanna Kalaur also tried to get a comment from Yana Yevtushok on this matter, but the official picked up neither her work nor personal phone. The attempts to contact other employees of the communications department also failed. The IMI representative has texted her questions to Yana Yevtushok on social media and is ready to report her position when she replies.
Rivne Razom is a party and an NGO founded by the current acting the mayor of Rivne, Victor Shakirzyan. In the 2020 local elections, Victor Shakirzyan was a candidate from the Rivne Razom party while handing out "humanitarian aid" to voters as the leader of the NGO. Today, the Rivne Razom party has one of the largest factions in the Rivne City Council.
14.11.2024 A smear article about two Chetverta Vlada journalists, containing signs of ageism and lookism, has appeared online. The editors believe this was triggered by an article criticising the Rivne City Council chief of communications, Yana Yevtushok, whom the media accuses of obstruction, chief editor Volodymyr Torbich reports on Facebook.
According to Volodymyr Torbich, the libel targets two Chetverta Vlada journalists – Olha Pidhorodetska and Valeria Khomych, who report from Rivne Council sessions most often. He also supposes that the text was written with the help of artificial intelligence.
According to Hanna Kalaur, the Institute of Mass Information representative in Rivne oblast, the defamatory article about the journalists appeared on the website "Persona" on November 12 under the headline "Chetverta Vlada or a factory of lies? How journalists sell gossip as the truth for profit." The article manipulatively and offensively retells parts of the journalists' biographies, finishing with a conclusion that they are insufficiently qualified due to not having diplomas in journalism.
"The above-mentioned journalists are like uneducated surgeons: they were given a scalpel, but they don't know how to use it," the article concludes.
In addition to the manipulation, the article resorts to ageism such as the following lines: "Olha is an adult, she has a family. But life has been rough on her, too;" "Valeria is aged 20, and Olha is almost 40."
In the comment to the IMI representative, journalist Olha Pidhorodetska said that she considers this commissioned article "a primitive method of smearing." According to her, her sources say that the authors achieved the opposite effect.
"This is an unsuccessful and incompetent campaign by the local self-government, namely by the staff of Rivne's acting mayor Victor Shakirzyan. (...) Just like a boomerang, this defamation backfired on the authors," noted Olha.
There is also an instance of lookism in the article: the anonymous author contrasts a photo of Valeria Khomych generated by artificial intelligence with a real one.
Valeria Khomych also believes that the article aimed to smear them. "To hate on someone for their looks is a low move. This says more about the person who wrote it than about me. I consider myself beautiful and no anonymous scribblers will erase that," she commented to the IMI representative.
Valeria says that the article smearing her is primitive and that the Rivne City Council chief of communications, Yana Yevtushok, was involved in its creation, because the journalist has shared the facts about her life featured in the article with Yevtushok.
"The goal was to discredit us, because we don't have journalism diplomas and overall, one of us wanted to be an actress as a child, and the other has worked as a stage make-up artist. They definitely failed to discredit us. Rather, with this article and the previous one about the Torbichs (the media outlet's editors – Ed.) they showed that we hit them where it hurts. It is just a little absurd that Chetverta Vlada has released so many articles reporting on the declarations of the Rivne Razom deputies, and on the companies owned by acting mayor Viktor Shakirzyan, and on Liana Dynovska (the new director of the Rivne City Center of Social Services – Ed.) being appointed without a competition, and it was after the news about the press secretary that the wave of defamation began," said Valeria Khomych.
The IMI representative tried to get a comment from Yana Yevtushok, the head of the communications and public relations department of the City Council, repeatedly calling both her work number and personal number, but she did not answer. She also texted Yana Yevtushok on Telegram, asking her to comment on her alleged involvement in the commissioned article targeting Chetverta Vlada, and received no immediate reply. The IMI is ready to report on Yana Yevtushok's position when she answers.
Earlier, two websites published identical defamatory articles targeting Chetverta Vlada. The media outlet believes this had to do with their reporting criticizing Yana Yevtushok. According to the journalists, the party and NGO Rivne Razom, founded by the current acting mayor of Rivne Viktor Shakirzyan, were involved in the smear campaign.
ONLINE PRESSURE
Cyber attacks – 2
1. Kirovohradska Pravda receives phishing emails from "cyberpolice"
20.11.2024 The Kropyvnytskyi oblast newspaper Kirovohradska Pravda received a phishing email posing as the Cyberpolice to its corporate email inbox, chief editor Olena Sidorova reports to Pavlo Lisnychenko, the Institute of Mass Information representative in Kirovohradska oblast.
“The letter went to the spam folder right away. Of course, we suspected that something was wrong with it. Since the department chief’s name listed in the letter was incorrect and the sender's address was very strange, we decided not to open it,” the journalist said.
The team’s suspicions were confirmed by the Cyberpolice, which the journalists contacted for advice.
The Kropyvnytskyi broadcasting company TTV also received a similar letter to their editorial mailbox. The team did not open the phishing letter, either, as per their internal protocols for processing correspondence.
Multiple Kropyvnytskyi publications reported similar phishing attacks earlier, in October. First, Hrechka received a phishing email claiming to have been sent by the State Tax Service inspection in the Suvorovskyi district, Odesa. And within a few days, phishing emails posing as the "Central SBU Office" were received by the media outlets Tochka Dostupy, CBN, and Hrechka again.
2. Kirovohradska Pravda receives phishing emails from "cyberpolice"
20.11.2024 The Kropyvnytskyi broadcasting company TTV received a phishing email posing as the Cyberpolice to its corporate email inbox.
A similar email was received by the newspaper Kirovohradska, as chief editor Olena Sidorova reported to Pavlo Lisnychenko, the Institute of Mass Information representative in Kirovohradska oblast.
“The letter went to the spam folder right away. Of course, we suspected that something was wrong with it. Since the department chief’s name listed in the letter was incorrect and the sender's address was very strange, we decided not to open it,” the journalist said.
The team’s suspicions were confirmed by the Cyberpolice, which the journalists contacted for advice.
The TTV team did not open the phishing letter, either, as per their internal protocols for processing correspondence.
Multiple Kropyvnytskyi publications reported similar phishing attacks earlier, in October. First, Hrechka received a phishing email claiming to have been sent by the State Tax Service inspection in the Suvorovskyi district, Odesa. And within a few days, phishing emails posing as the "Central SBU Office" were received by the media outlets Tochka Dostupy, CBN, and Hrechka again.
DEFENDING FREEDOM OF SPEECH
The authorities' response to freedom of speech violations – 3
1. Man fined 850 hryvnias for interfering with the work of a MOST journalist
18.11.2024 The Kherson City Court fined the CEO of the Kherson private company "ANK" 850 hryvnias, convicting him of obstructing the work of the MOST journalist Olena Hnitetska on September 30, 2024.
The ruling was passed on November 12.
The journalist was attacked by an unknown man on a school's premises in Kherson. The man prevented her from filming and took away her corporate phone, tossing into the construction pit.
During the probe, the attacker pleaded fully guilty, but explained that he had not taken away the journalist's phone or thrown it away, but "started covering the phone camera, which Olena Hnitetska was using to film, with a jacket, knocking it out of her hand, which is why the mobile phone fell into the construction pit".
The review of the indictment took place in a simplified procedure without a trial in a court session in the absence of the participants in the court proceedings and without recording by technical means.
As a result, the court found the man guilty of committing a criminal offense (misdemeanor), provided for in Part 1 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and imposed a fine on him.
Earlier, the Kherson police opened a case under Part 1 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Preclusion of the legal professional work of journalists) for the attack on Olena Hnitetska.
2. Court orders the VRU Apparatus to provide Zhar.Info with data on deputies' business trips
26.11.2024 The Khmelnytskyi District Administrative Court ordered the Citizens' Appeals Department of the Verkhovna Rada Apparatus to Zhar.Info journalist Alyona Bereza with data on the deputies’ overseas business trips that occurred between the day of the full-scale invasion and the date of the query.
The ruling was passed on October 22, 2024.
The Verkhovna Rada Apparatus will also have to pay UAH 1,211 court fees from its appropriations.
As the IMI reported, the journalist filed a query in early February 2024 and received a refusal, with the Apparatus claiming that the requested information was not considered public since it could only be obtained by summarizing and analytically processing data. Following the refusal, Bereza first filed a lawsuit against the VRU Apparatus in the Khmelnytskyi District Administrative Court. The court declared the Apparatus’s actions as unlawful and ordered them to provide the information. The Apparatus filed an appeal, and the Administrative Court of Appeal No. 7 overturned the first instance court’s ruling. However, Alyona Bereza filed a new lawsuit against two defendants simultaneously: the Verkhovna Rada Apparatus itself and its structural unit, the Citizens' Appeals Department, so that the Apparatus had less room for maneuver by claiming that the lawsuit had been filed against the wrong entity.
In turn, the Khmelnytskyi District Administrative Court ruled that it was the Citizens’ Appeals Department of the Verkhovna Rada Apparatus that refused to provide the requested information, saying that it was not public since it required summarizing and analytically processing data.
The court said they disagreed with such statements and noted that “providing applications for and reports on the business trips of deputies, which are independent documents and must be stored by the Verkhovna Rada Apparatus, does not require the data holder to take any additional action to summarize or analytically process the data.”
The court also concluded that the response provided to the journalist’s query was unlawful, that the claims in the lawsuit were well-founded and thus should be satisfied.
“I believe that this ruling is legal and fair in that the court restored the journalist’s rights with a direct effective demand to provide her information. As practice shows, ordering to reconsider the query is not an effective way to protect journalists’ rights, as it makes it difficult for journalists to obtain the requested information in the end. I thank the judge for such a restoration of the journalist’s rights,” said Yevhen Vorobyov, a lawyer for the public organization Human Rights Platform, who was present in court during the entire appeal process.
The Khmelnytskyi District Administrative Court ruling can be appealed to the Administrative Court of Appeal No. 7 within 30 days from the date of the full court ruling being passed. At the time of reporting, no appeal has been filed by any of the defendants.
Journalist Alyona Bereza was asking for public data on the overseas business trips by the deputies representing the Khmelnytskyi oblast. Bereza sent several requests to the VRU Apparatus: on November 28, 2023; January 10 and February 7, 2024.
The Apparatus altogether ignored the first request, which the journalist sent by email only. The next two requests, which were submitted both by e-mail and through her own cabinet on the official VRU website, were processed but the requested information was denied, the Apparatus claiming that they could not create a document containing the requested information.
3. Security guards who attacked Mykhailo Tkach in Kozyn put on probation
28.11.2024 The Obukhiv District Court of Kyiv Oblast has sentenced two defendants accused of obstructing the work of Ukrainska Pravda journalist Mykhailo Tkach near the restaurant Tandyr in Kozyn village in 2023 to three years of restricted liberty with a two-year probation period.
The ruling was passed on November 28, 2024, the court’s press office reports.
The court found both defendants guilty of intentional acts that resulted in any form of influencing a journalist in order to obstruct their performing of their professional duties, committed by a group of persons without prior collusion (Part 1 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The court found that on November 17, 2023, at about 10:00 p.m., Mykhailo Tkach arrived at the restaurant Tandyr to film a journalistic investigation. When customers began to leave the restaurant, Tkach got out of his car, which was parked in the restaurant’s parking lot, and started filming on a digital camera. At that time, the two defendants blocked his way, covered the video camera, and interfered with the journalist’s filming of the people leaving the restaurant. The court found that they prevented him from reaching the restaurant’s entrance, thereby precluding his reporting.
The court put the defendants on probation, since they had not previously been convicted and there were no mitigating or aggravating circumstances, according to the parties to the criminal proceedings.
The sentence has not entered into force and can be appealed in the courts of appeal and cassation.
On the evening of November 17, 2023, Ukrainian Pravda journalist Mykhailo Tkach was attacked while filming near the restaurant Tandyr in Kozyn, Kyiv oblast.
The Kyiv Oblast opened a case for obstruction of journalistic work (Part 2 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code).
In April 2024, the police sent indictments against citizens O. and Kh., charged with assaulting the "Ukrainian Pravda" journalist Mykhailo Tkach near the "Tandyr" restaurant in Kozyn (Kyiv oblast) on November 17, 2023, to court.
The journalist community's response – 1
1. NGOs, media demand expanded access to VRU meetings for journalists
25.11.2024 The Chesno Movement partnered with specialized civil society organizations and media outlets to develop recommendations to expand journalists' access to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, as the Chesno Movement reports on their website. The Institute of Mass Information has also joined this initiative.
The recommendations include:
- expanding journalists' access to parliamentary and committee meetings;
- improving accreditation procedures, introducing transparent criteria;
- ensuring equal access requirements for all media outlets, including regional and independent publications.
The recommendations aim to ensure the transparency of the parliament’s work, restore and boost public control over it.
It is noted that, despite some media workers partially regaining access to the parliament building in 2024, the issue of admitting journalists to VRU meetings still remains extremely relevant.
“Journalists continue to be limited in accessing the VRU lobby and the press boxes: they only work in the press office. Security risks do impose certain restrictions, but it is still necessary to find a balance to preserve Ukraine's democratic achievements. The absence of journalists in the walls of the Verkhovna Rada and in meeting livestreams is not only detrimental to access to information, but also affects the effectiveness of parliamentarians' work," the report says.
Namely, the restriction of journalists' access to the parliament and deputies has significantly weakened the connection between the parliament and the public, which creates risks of trust in democratic institutions dropping.
The developed recommendations will be submitted to deputies working in specialized committees and representatives of the parliament's leadership. Any party interested in the outcome can support the initiative and join the advocacy to restore transparency in the Verkhovna Rada.
The demands were supported by the following:
Chesno Movement
Bihus.info
Ukrainian Pravda
Institute of Mass Information
Detector Media
NGO Anti-Corruption Action Center
NGO Joint Action Center
Vox Ukraina
Hlavkom
Mezha Anti-Corruption Center
Earlier, the Institute of Mass Information analyzed if the restrictions on access to the Verkhovna Rada are justified in the third year of the invasion.
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