A deputy of Kherson regional council threatened to "break knees" to journalist

The deputy of the Kherson Regional Council from the "Opposition Bloc" Pavel Filipchuk threatened with physical harm to a staff correspondent of the "New Day" newspaper Oleh Baturyn. On May 16th, in Kakhovka (Kherson region) the elected official told he would "break his knees". The journalist reported it to IMI representative in Kherson region. "While you jogging at the stadium in the evening, I'll break your knees!", as the journalist Baturin wrote on Facebook. As the journalist told the IMI correspondent, the deputy attacked him at the entry of the conference hall at regional community center, where a session of the Kakhovka district council was held at that moment. "Approximately at 11.10 a.m., when the plenary session of the session of the Kakhovka district council was still going on, I left the hall and was going to quit the building. (…) The deputy of Kherson regional council from opposition “Opposition bloc” Pavlo Filipchuk ran to me. He barred me the way, grasped me by left hand and screamed at me, demanding to describe the session of the Kakhovka District Council as it would be desirable to him, as Baturin told IMI correspondent. The journalist replied that it sounded like frankly threat, the deputy confirmed it really was. "I consider the actions of the deputy of the Kherson Regional Council Pavlo Filipchuk as a crime stipulated by the Article 345-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, threat or violence against a journalist," Baturin said. Commenting the incident to IMI, Pavlo Filipchuk said that he did not threaten Baturin. "Do I look like a person who threatens someone? I did not threaten anyone, but only said that Oleg Baturin a mercenary journalist. I have witnesses of what happened, "he said. Oleg Baturin filed a complaint to the police of the city of Kakhovka against Pavlo Philipchuk citing his attempt to threat of physical assault). As reported by IMI, in 2018, the chairman of the Standing Committee on Budget and Finance and the Deputy of the Kherson Regional Council from the "Opposition Bloc" Pavlo Filipchuk had sued Oleg Baturin and the editor of the newspaper "New Day for defamation due to investigation " Millions of hryvnia – went up in smoke" .