Ihor Bloshko, employee of the municipal company Mykolaivvodokanal (Mykolaiv Water Utility), activist, and former law enforcement officer, threatened Suspilne Mykolaiv journalists, claiming that the people of Plyushchivka village may attack them for their reporting on the stance of Bashtanka mayor Oleksandr Berehovyi regarding the conflict with Plyushchivka mayor, Viktor Prokopchuk, who is suspected of murdering his colleague Svitlana Vanzhula, reports Kateryna Sereda, the Institute of Mass Information representative in Mykolaiv oblast.
The incident in Plushchivka occurred on 17 March, when an argument erupted between the village mayor and his colleague, ending in the former taking the hunting rifle from his office and shooting the woman in the head three times, as reported by the Mykolaiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office.
Ihor Bloshko made a Facebook post defending Viktor Prokopchuk, who also serves in the army. He explained the village mayor’s actions by claiming that the victim, Svitlana Vanzhula, had provoked Prokopchuk and acted in the interests of Bashtanka’s mayor.
In his comment to Suspilne, Berehovyi denied having a conflict with Prokopchuk and said that Svitlana Vanzhula was de-facto performing the mayor’s duries while he served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Ihor Bloshko, who, according his declaration, is also a journalist with Ukrpres-Info, claimed that Suspilne had reported false information and warned the journalists that “lies like that” may get their cameras crushed in the courtroom.
“And you, journalists at Suspilne Mykolaiv, will probably be attending the hearing where a measure of restraint for Viktor Prokopchuk will be chosen. Take care lest the other people present at the hearing smash your cameras against your heads. It’s a big shame that lies are a norm of life,” said Ihor Bloshko in his video address.
Suspilne Mykolaiv chief editor Oleksandra Malevych said in a comment to IMI that their news story was well-balanced and showcased different parties’ views on the reasons for the conflict. She considers Ihor Bloshko’s words as threats against journalists, which may lead to liability under criminal law.
IMI’s lawyer Volodymyr Zelenchuk agreed that Bloshko’s statement constitute an implicit threat.
“Ihor Bloshko’s words, albeit phrased as a warning, in reality consitute an implicit threat. This is suggested by the condescending tone in his addressing the journalists and by his putting the journalists in opposition with the village’s residents, which makes the threat all the more realistic,” the lawyer said.
The court hearing in question took place in Bashtanka on 18 March. Journalists with Suspilne Mykolaiv and MykVisti were present.
MykVisti reporter Alisa Melikadamian told the IMI representative that the hearing was attended by many people who had come to support the suspect and tried to block her way to the courtroom, but did not succeed.