Video: Journalist Mykhailo Tkach shared details of his detention in Vienna

Mykhailo Tkach, head of the investigative journalism department at “Ukrainska Pravda,” reported that following their forcible detention in Vienna, Austrian law enforcement officials charged him and cameraman Yaroslav Bondarenko with three offenses at once. Specifically, the charges include espionage on behalf of Ukrainian military intelligence, participation in a criminal organization, and causing harm to the Republic of Austria.

According to the journalist, at the beginning of the interrogation, he was asked to sign a document equivalent to a formal notice of suspicion, which listed these charges. Tkach emphasized that law enforcement officials did not provide any substantive justification or evidence during the conversation. The journalist noted that he and his colleague had worked in Vienna on numerous occasions exclusively in public places and had gathered information about public figures whose activities are of public interest; therefore, such allegations came as a complete surprise to them.

The first part of the interrogation lasted about two hours, after which the Ukrainian consul arrived at the police station. According to the investigator, the intervention of Ukrainian diplomats significantly helped resolve the situation. Tkach himself called the incident an extraordinary misunderstanding and suggested that the detention might have been the result of manipulation or false information that someone had passed on to the Austrian police.

Source: Tkach in a video by Ukrayinska Pravda.

As a reminder, Mykhailo Tkach, head of the investigative department at “Ukrainska Pravda,” was detained in Vienna while on an editorial assignment. 

Ukrainian investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach, who was detained in Austria on October 8, was released after 12 hours in custody. 

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the detention in Austria of “Ukrainska Pravda” journalist Mykhailo Tkach.