IMI receives anonymous bomb threats via email

Illustration by the IMI

The Institute of Mass Information (IMI) received an email about a "bomb threat" on January 31.

The anonymous message arrived from the email address [email protected].

It says that an explosive device has been planted in a building, but does not specify the address of the building or of the IMI office. The letter threatens that “the explosives will detonate very soon, everyone will be blown up,” while recommending that “people be evacuated from the premises in order to avoid casualties.”

The anonymous sender writes “I hate you” and promises that “everyone who neglects their own safety will be destroyed.”

They add that they are “tired of fighting my own sins and weaknesses” and that having made sure that the explosives have been activated, they will “commit suicide.”

The writing suggests that the author was probably not fluent in Ukrainian.

Previously many Ukrainian media outlets received letters with bomb threats. What sets this letter apart is that it was sent to the IMI address, which had not happened before.

This week, the aforementioned email address has already sent bomb threats to the Leninsky District Court of Kharkiv, as reported on the court's website.

As the IMI reported, the Russians continued to intimidate and threaten journalists in 2024. The IMI recorded three waves (in October, November, and December) of anonymous threats to bomb multiple editorial offices and institutions across Ukraine: several media outlets and journalists received identical emails claiming this.