Two Ukrainians are being held in Austria on suspicion of espionage while two Ukrainian journalists arrested in the same case have been released or are being freed, authorities and media reports said. The developments were reported by AFP, which cited statements from Austrian officials, the Ukrainian newspaper that employed the journalists and other organisations.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said two suspects arrested on Monday remain in custody on suspicion of “espionage.” “Investigations are currently underway,” he told reporters, according to AFP, but he declined to provide further details.
Austrian news agency APA reported that the two men in custody have been alleged to be members of Ukrainian military intelligence. A spokeswoman for the Vienna prosecutor’s office told AFP that the two journalists detained on Thursday faced “suspicions that have not been confirmed.” She said one of the journalists had already been released and the second would be released.
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The two journalists work for the Ukrainian daily Ukrainska Pravda. The newspaper condemned the arrests and demanded answers from Austrian authorities. “The charges brought against our colleagues during their detention are unlike anything our editorial team has dealt with before and raise serious questions,” Ukrainska Pravda said, asking for “explanations” from law enforcement, the paper reported.
Ukrainska Pravda identified the detained journalists as Mykhailo Tkach, head of its investigative team, and cameraman Yaroslav Bondarenko. Tkach was freed early Thursday after more than 12 hours in custody, the paper said. Editor-in-chief Sevgil Musaieva wrote on Facebook that Bondarenko was injured during his arrest and admitted to a hospital, and “the police did not begin questioning him until late at night.”
The newspaper said Tkach had been in Vienna on an editorial assignment connected to the search for former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who is reportedly on the run. AFP noted that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired Kravchenko last month; Kravchenko has been accused of taking bribes, allegations he denies.
Press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said the two journalists had been “subjected to a violent police arrest in Vienna.” The organisation added, “RSF calls on the authorities to shed full light on these events and to ensure the protection of their equipment and sources.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said it was “continuing to work to clarify the circumstances of the detention” and was in contact with Austria’s Foreign Ministry, according to AFP.
Authorities have so far given limited public detail as the investigation continues. AFP reported the remarks by prosecutors, the interior minister and other parties cited above; Austrian officials have not released a full account of the evidence or the specific charges beyond the broad suspicion of espionage.
