The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech will contact the Prosecutor General’s Office, the State Bureau of Investigation, and the National Police regarding the death threats made by UAF servicemembers to journalists Kateryna Lykhohliad (Babel) and Anna Kaliuzhna. The decision was made on 1 September following a committee meeting initiated by the Committee’s public board, reports IMI representative Hanna Chabarai, who took part in the meeting.

The cases concern the two instances of journalist Anna Kaliuzhna facing death threats following her criticism of the command of several military units, one of which has gone uninvestigated for two and a half years, and the threats to journalist Kateryna Lykhohliad and Babel following an investigation into non-combat deaths in the Skeila Regiment. In the latter case, the police has been unable to determine which agency has the jurisdiction for two months, meaning the investigation has effectively not even begun.

The Committee decided to send two separate addresses to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the State Bureau of Investigation, and the National Police, asking them to take personal oversight of the cases and to report on the progress and their procedural status.

Committee Chair Yaroslav Yurchyshyn stressed that the examination of these cases has nothing to do with antagonising the military, as some Telegram channels have occasionally framed it.

“Reporting on issues is a core function of journalism. It’s what protects us and stops us from turning into Russia, which is destroying Ukrainian media outlets by the dozen. I’m counting a great deal on partnership with law enforcement bodies here. We’re all interested in showing results and showing the media that they are protected in this country — despite all the red tape and legal complications — and that they can do their part. Just as the military protects us physically, the media protect the values of democracy that set us apart from the aggressor state,” Yurchyshyn said.

The Committee’s next meeting on the issue has been scheduled for early October.

Deat threats to Babel

On 23 June 2026, Babel released an investigation into the non-combat deaths of at least 26 recruits in the Skelia Assault Regiment No. 425 that occurred in late 2025 — spring 2026. The journalists discovered that most of the servicemembers died of pneumonia, cardiovascular and other diseases shortly after being drafted. Families of some of the deceased reported possible violence in the unit.

The Skelia Regiment said that the authors of the news story were making generalisations, reducing the unit’s history to one-off tragic instances. They claim that most of the deaths mentioned in the investigation occurred in hospitals or on the way to them and were related to the recruits’ health.

On 25 June, Babel reported violent threats by Mykola Kharkhan (call sign “Kyianyn”), a serviceman in the Skelia Assault Regiment No. 425 after the release of their news story about a series of non-combat deaths in the regiment.

On 1 July, the Media Movement and the Ukrainian media community issued a joint statement demanding that law enforcement bodies investigate the threats to Babel journalists that were made after the release of the Skelia investigation.

On 7 July, Babel reported that the SBI had refused to register a statement by their journalists regarding threats by the Skelia Regiment serviceman Mykola Kharkhan (Kyianyn).

Death threats to Anna Kaliuzhna

In March 2026, war correspondent Anna Kaliuzhna reported receiving over 150 abusive messages after a post criticising the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Assault Regiment No. 225, and the Skelia Regiment. She later reported death threats by a stranger in the street, which she believed was linked to her reporting. She filed a statement with the police, who opened a case under Article 129 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (“Death threats”), which is not related to journalism.

In 2024, war correspondent Anna Kaliuzhna said she had received death threats to herself and her parents. According to the war reporter, the threats were made after a conflict with an Assault Brigade No. 3 battalion commander Dmytro Kukharchuk. The police later opened an investigation into the incident.