In Zaporizhzhya, Department for Fighting Organized Crime searched information agency "Reporter"

Last week, operatives of the Department for Fighting Organized Crime (DFOC) of the Chief Administration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Zaporizka oblast conducted a search in the editorial office of the Zaporizhzhya information agency “Reporter”. The information originates from “Komentari Zaporizhzhya”, referring to the staff of the “Reporter” agency.

According to the official version of police, the search is related to the agency’s affiliation with a local businessman Yevhen Anisimov, who frequented its office.

After the visit, all computer equipment was taken from the journalists, even personal notebooks of freelance correspondents, Mark Sokolov and Oleksander Zaporozhets. The journalists say that police tries to block their work due to the journalists’ professional activities, as the “Reporter” criticized local police, in particular, the Department for Fighting Organized Crime.

The ‘Reporter’s editor-in-chief Olena Balanda was not there during the search. She believes the police’ actions to constitute obstruction to journalists’ professional activies. She intends to file a corresponding complaint with the local prosecutor’s office.