New York, October 18, 2024—More than 1,500 emails threatening a bomb attack were sent on October 14 to Ukrainian media outlets, government agencies, schools, business centers, and hotels, as well as dozens of Ukrainian embassies abroad. The sender blamed three journalists with U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) — Iryna Sysak, Valeria Yehoshyna, and freelancer Yulia Khymeryk — for prompting them to plan the alleged attack.
“CPJ denounces the intimidation of journalists Iryna Sysak, Valeria Yehoshyna, and Yulia Khymeryk, and calls on Ukrainian authorities to ensure timely investigations into the bomb threats recently sent across Ukraine,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Ukrainian authorities must ensure the safety of the journalists and hold the perpetrators to account. Journalists must be able to work safely without fear of retaliation.”
The threats followed an October 8 investigation by the three journalists published by Schemes, an investigative journalism TV program within RFE/RL’s Ukrainian service, about Russian secret services recruiting Ukrainians to set fire to Ukrainian military vehicles.
After evacuating several buildings after the bomb threats and investigating, Ukraine’s national police stated on October 15 that they opened criminal proceedings for “knowingly false reports of threat to the safety of citizens.”
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Ukrainian media outlets that received bomb threats include:
- Independent outlet Ukrainska Pravda
- Independent outlet Liga.net
- Several regional offices of public broadcaster Suspilne
- RFE/RL’s office in the capital, Kyiv
“We will not be intimidated and stand behind our reporters who will continue to bring news to Ukrainian audiences without fear or favor,” President Stephen Capus said in a post on his RFE/RL website.
According to RFE/RL, the unnamed group that claimed responsibility for the bomb threat messages also called for the burning of Ukrainian military vehicles on social media.
Committee to Protect Journalists
On the photo: Police officers examine the wreckage of an aerial bomb that exploded during an airstrike in Kharkiv, on September 24, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo: AFP/Sergey Bobok)
