The RFE/RL project Skhemy has identified the man who was spotted near the apartment of The Kyiv Independent CEO Daryna Shevchenko in Kyiv on 29 September, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The man is named Oleksandr H., 24, and hails from Kyiv. In his number is tagged as “SBU Oleksandr” in the phone number verification services.
Skhemy journalists used facial recognition technology to identify the man. They have reached out to him via messenger apps and by phone but received no immediate response.
The SBU confirmed that Oleksandr was their employee but assured that his visit had nothing to do with the journalist.
“The SBU operative visited the address in question to check the whereabouts of a person involved in another case. These actions were in no way related to the work of The Kyiv Independent or journalists in general,” the press office reported.
According to Skhemy‘s sources in law enforcement, the case is about a previous owner of the apartment where Daryna Shevchenko lives now.
The Skhemy team has handed the received information on the SBU operative over to The Kyiv Independent.
Earlier, The Kyiv Independent CEO Daryna Shevchenko said there has been an incident near her house which she considered to be stalking. An unknown man had come to the house where Daryna Shevchenko lives on 30 September to collect information about her. He interviewed her neighbors, showed them her photo, took pictures of the entrance door and the hallway door on her floor.