Bihus commented for the first time on the threats of an attack following the investigation into U420
Denis Bigus, the founder of Bihus.Info, responded to NABU recordings in the “Carthage” case, in which those involved discussed an attack on him following an investigation into the U420 chain of stores. For the first time in over a year since his mobilization, the journalist recorded a video to comment on this story. He admitted that what shocked him most were not the threats themselves, but the information about possible protection for the suspects from high-ranking law enforcement officials.
On November 5, Denis Bigus, founder of Bihus.Info, published a video in which he commented on the NABU materials in the “Carthage” case. In the released recordings, the individuals involved discussed a possible attack on the journalist following an investigation into the U420 chain of stores. For Bigus, this was his first video appearance in over a year since his mobilization. He said that at first, he didn’t even know how to react to this information. The editorial team suggested recording a separate episode, as the journalist’s silence amid such events might have seemed strange.
Bihus admitted that at first he wanted to brush it off with a joke about how, for the first time in his life, someone wanted to take him to the Dominican Republic. But after watching the full NABU video that night, he decided the situation was much more serious. “I wanted to brush it off with a joke about how, for the first time in my life, someone wanted to take me to the Dominican Republic, but then NABU came along and ruined everything. However, I finally watched the full video last night, and, you know, it really hit home,” the journalist said.
He clarified that the episode itself—the discussion of the attack on him—wasn’t the biggest surprise for him. Bigus explained that one can expect such actions from people he considers gangsters. At the same time, certain details of the conversation still surprised him.
Bihus was more struck by the possible cover-up for those involved
According to the journalist, other parts of the recordings struck him much harder. These are conversations that, in his opinion, may indicate the suspects’ ties to high-ranking law enforcement officials. “What you don’t expect is that low-level officials across all agencies are blatantly working for real-deal gangsters from the ’90s,” Bigus stated. He also commented ironically on the content of the released materials. The journalist drew attention not only to discussions of a possible attack but also to how, according to the investigation, the participants in the conversations spoke about potential protection from people in high-ranking positions.
Thus, for Bigus, this story turned out to be much broader than mere personal threats. What concerns him most is the possibility that people involved in criminal activity could count on support or protection from representatives of state agencies.
Bihus thanked viewers for their support
At the end of the video, the journalist addressed the Bihus.Info audience and thanked viewers for their interest in the editorial team’s work. He suggested that the team’s public profile and the interest in its investigations may have played an important role in this situation. “Thank you for watching. It’s both a pleasure and a form of protection—and, as we can see, sometimes it literally saves lives,” said Bihus.
He concluded his address with another joke about the Dominican Republic, hinting that without the audience’s attention, the consequences could have been much worse. “If you weren’t watching, I’d be lying on a beach somewhere in the Dominican Republic right now. No, well, buried a couple of meters deep, but still,” the journalist joked.
As a reminder, in materials from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) regarding the “Carthage” case, the suspects discussed a possible attack on Denys Bihus following a Bihus.Info investigation into the U420 chain of stores. The recordings became part of the public discussion of the case, in which law enforcement is investigating possible ties between the suspects and representatives of government agencies. The conversations themselves and the plans discussed in them are part of the investigation, not evidence that the attack actually took place. Bihus explained this in a video on the Bihus.Info channel on November 5.
On Wednesday, November 4, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine released recordings of conversations between individuals involved in the U420 case, during which they discussed the possibility of physically assaulting journalists who were covering the retail chain’s activities. In particular, they discussed an acid attack on journalist Denys Bihus in connection with his report on the U420 drug stores.
In Kyiv, “U420” stores are being raided amid suspicions of selling drugs to children.
A drug ring that distributed drugs through a pretrial detention center was exposed in Kyiv.
Law enforcement is conducting large-scale raids on the U420 chain of stores.
The National Police have uncovered a connection between U420 and Khimprom.
