On 6 January 2025, Ukrainian journalist Alyona Bereza (Альона Береза), founder of the Khmelnytskyi-based (Хмельницький), Ukraine, media outlet Zhar.Info, reported receiving several threatening emails claiming that bombs had been planted at her office and six other locations across Ukraine. The anonymous sender, who claimed to reside in Switzerland, sent messages with disturbing content.
Bereza stated to the Institute of Mass Information (Інститут масової інформації IMI – https://imi.org.ua/en), that similar emails had been received before, but the recent threats featured new details and were sent from a suspicious email address allegedly registered under a woman’s name, though the language in the messages suggested they were written by a man.
You can read more here: https://imi.org.ua/en/news/zhar-info-journalist-receives-bomb-threats-via-email-i65888
According to head of communications for the Khmelnytskyi regional police, several institutions in the region also received similar bomb threats on 6 January 2025. Police and explosives experts were dispatched to investigate, and after thorough inspections, authorities confirmed that no explosives were found. The incidents are being investigated under Article 259 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code, which deals with false reports of threats to public safety.
This latest threat follows a series of similar incidents targeting media outlets in Ukraine. In December 2024, Zhar.Info and other national and regional media received bomb threats via email, with the senders making various accusations and blaming journalists for alleged attacks. These intimidation tactics appear aimed at silencing independent media voices in Ukraine. Bereza also received an email with bomb threats in October 2024. Also in October 2024 the local police received a total of nearly 50 reports about bombs planted in various facilities, as the Institute of Mass Information (IMI – Інститут масової інформації) reported. Also that time according to IMI other media outlets in Ukraine received bomb threats via email, like the Suspilne Cherkasy (Суспільне Черкаси ) team, Rivne branch of the National Public Broadcasting Company Suspilne Rivne (Суспільне Рівне) , the online news outlet Pershyi Kryvorizkyi (Перший Криворізький), and the Multimedia Broadcasting Platform of Ukraine, as well as journalist Valentyna Kuts working for the Lutsk Center for Investigative Journalism Syla Pravdy and Maria Bodnarashek from news outlet 0372.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the bomb threats made against Ukrainian journalist Alyona Bereza and the media outlet Zhar.Info, as well as similar threats targeting other journalists and media institutions across Ukraine. These intimidation tactics are clear attempts to silence independent journalism and undermine press freedom in the region. SEEMO calls on Ukrainian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation, and ensure the safety of media professionals.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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