Vienna has not confirmed the suspicion of espionage against journalist Mykhailo Tkach
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.
The Austrian Ministry of the Interior confirmed that Tkach has been released, while Bondarenko remains in custody. The Ukrainians were detained earlier this week on suspicion of espionage.
Tkach and Bondarenko were taken into custody on Thursday, October 8. The journalist was released at 4:00 a.m. on Friday after approximately 12 hours in custody. Sevgil Musaeva, editor-in-chief of “Ukrainska Pravda,” reported this on Facebook.
Nina Busseck, a spokeswoman for the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office, told the APA news agency that suspicions regarding two other individuals had arisen during other investigations, but these were not confirmed.
“In the course of other investigations, suspicions arose regarding two other individuals, but they were not confirmed,” Busseck stated.
According to her, the individuals in question were Mykhailo Tkach and Yaroslav Bondarenko. One of them has already been released, while the interrogation of the other is ongoing. Thus, at this time, the suspicions regarding both journalists have not been confirmed. The spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office did not provide any further comments.
Yaroslav Bondarenko was injured during his arrest and was subsequently hospitalized. According to Sevgil Musaeva, the cameraman’s interrogation did not begin until late at night.
The editor-in-chief of “Ukrainska Pravda” emphasized that the circumstances of the arrest raise serious questions.
“The charges brought against our colleagues during their arrest bear no resemblance to anything the editorial office has dealt with in the past. This raises serious questions,” Musaeva wrote.
She is awaiting an explanation from Austrian prosecutors. The Ukrainian Embassy in Vienna is also demanding official information regarding the circumstances of the detention and the legal grounds for the arrest.
“We expect a timely official statement from the relevant Austrian authorities regarding the circumstances and legal grounds for his arrest,” said a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian Embassy.
Mykhailo Tkach is the head of the investigative department at “Ukrainska Pravda” and one of Ukraine’s most renowned investigative journalists. He has been working in journalism for over ten years. In his reporting, Tkach monitors the activities of leading politicians and influential businesspeople and asks them tough questions.
The journalist’s recent investigations, in particular, focused on former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. According to Ukrainian anti-corruption investigators, Kravchenko has likely fled to Vienna.
The Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office reported this to the Austrian public broadcaster ORF.
Ukrainian investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach, who was detained in Austria on October 8, has been released.
As a reminder, Mykhailo Tkach, head of the investigative department at “Ukrainska Pravda,” was detained in Vienna while carrying out an editorial assignment. The journalist was searching for Ruslan Kravchenko, who is referred to in the report as a fugitive prosecutor general.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs commented on the detention in Austria of “Ukrainska Pravda” journalist Mykhailo Tkach.
