Mykhailo Tkach spoke about his rough arrest in Vienna

Mykhailo Tkach, a journalist for “Ukrainska Pravda,” stated that during his detention in Vienna, armed, masked men smashed the car windows, forcibly dragged him and cameraman Yaroslav Bondarenko out of the vehicle, and threw them onto the road.

According to Tkach, the incident occurred while they were driving between filming locations. At a traffic light, approximately seven armed men ran up to the car and pointed their weapons at the journalists. Tkach claims that he immediately stated in English that he was a journalist, but one of the security officers pressed his knee against Tkach’s neck and ordered him to be silent.

The journalist said that those detained were not given any explanation for these actions. Because the security officers were wearing masks and he could not understand what was happening, he believed for the first 30–40 minutes that he was being kidnapped.

Tkach was later taken to a police station, where his personal belongings were confiscated and he was placed in a solitary confinement cell. According to him, he waited for about two hours without any explanation, after which he was interrogated.

Tkach also stated that he saw shards of glass from a shattered car window fly into the face of cameraman Yaroslav Bondarenko. After his detention, the journalist did not see him again.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda

The Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office has not confirmed the suspicion of espionage against “Ukrainska Pravda” journalist Mykhailo Tkach. The journalist has already been released, but the publication’s cameraman, Yaroslav Bondarenko, remains in custody. Two other Ukrainian citizens, whose names have not been disclosed, also remain in custody.

Ukrainian investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach, who was detained in Austria on October 8, has been released.