Radio Liberty car set ablaze after bug found at journalist home

A car belonging to the Skhemy investigative news
program sponsored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) was set ablaze
the early morning of Aug. 17. The KIA Cerato had been used by staff for four
years and was parked at the house of its driver. Its leading investigative
journalist, Mykhaylo Tkach, had reported in the prior weeks that officials with
the State Security Administration (UDO) – responsible for the president’s
security – were monitoring the same car and Skhemy journalists. On Aug. 8,
Tkach reported finding a covert listening device, or a wire, in his home. The
UDO released a statement on Aug. 17 denying any involvement in monitoring the
car or setting it on fire.

Andriy Portnov, a lawyer for the Yanukovych entourage
who is widely believed to be influencing the Zelensky administration, published
all the personal data of the news crew’s drivers about a year ago, said on Aug.
17 Natalie Sedletska, the chief editor of the Skhemy investigative news
program. A criminal case was opened against him but has not been investigated,
she said on her Facebook page. Then on Aug. 14, Portnov wrote on his Facebook
page, “The marginal Radio Liberty – I am continuing the complex of educational
measures,” she noted. At the same time, the torched car “was well known among a
wide circle of the subjects of our materials,” she wrote. 

Internal Affairs Minister Arsen Avakov initiated an
Aug. 17 meeting with RFE/RL Kyiv Bureau Chief Editor Inna Kuznetsova to promise
her “an objective and open to society investigation” of the car arson. They
also discussed the criminal case for the bugging of Tkach’s home. Police
investigating the scene said they hadn’t found any bugging device.

As his response to the arson, President Zelensky
promised to defend the rights of all the government’s critics in a Facebook
post. “I am convinced that freedom of speech is the foundation of any
democratic country. Journalistic activity never can be the basis for persecution,”
he said, also noting that he had a car that was set on fire in December 2014.
Zelensky also noted that his comedy troupe had also been the target of bugging
and monitoring by law enforcement, as well as interference and prohibitions on
their concerts. “I went through all of that. I know what that is and I will
never allow any government criticism to lead to persecution or intimidation
during my presidency,” he said.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on
Aug. 17 the arrest of a former police officer who allegedly organized the
January arson of a car belonging to Halyna Tereshchuk, a Lviv journalist with
RFE/RL. He was named a suspect in the criminal cases of participating in a
crime and intentional destruction of the property of a journalist. In that
arson case, a 19-year-old university student was issued a notice of suspicion
and placed under 24-hour house arrest.

Zenon Zawada: We believe
Zelensky has an agreement with people like Office Head Andriy Yermak and police
chief Avakov to let them handle the dirty work of politics, while he plays the
role of the telegenic spokesman. And we believe Yermak has a deal to cooperate
with Portnov, who likely has a hand in the Aug. 17 arson, as indicated by
Sedletska. As for the arrest in the Tereshchuk arson, we believe it’s intended
to distract the public, as well as offset the negative attention on the Kyiv
arson.

These events are merely the latest evidence that the
Zelensky administration is committed to politics as usual rather than assertively
pursuing pro-Western reforms, particularly in the spheres of rule of law,
fighting corruption and freedom of the press. We expect no trials or
convictions in these criminal cases involving RFE/RL. We also expect
persecution against pro-Western mass media to intensify as pro-Russian forces
extend their hybrid war in Ukraine.