Ukrainian journalist says Austrian police held him at gunpoint, accused him of spying for Kyiv
Ukrainian investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach has described a violent arrest in Vienna, saying masked officers smashed the windows of his car, held him at gunpoint and accused him of spying for Ukraine's military intelligence. Tkach was released early on October 9, while his cameraman remained in police custody at the time of his account.
Tkach, an investigative journalist with Ukrainska Pravda, described the incident in an interview with the outlet's editor-in-chief, Sevgil Musaieva.
He said he and cameraman Yaroslav Bondarenko were driving between filming locations in Vienna on October 8 when seven armed, masked individuals approached their vehicle at a traffic light several kilometers from the city center.
According to Tkach, the officers smashed the car windows, sending glass into Bondarenko's face, and pointed weapons at both journalists.
“They detained us as if we were terrorists,” Tkach said, describing shouting and a lack of communication from the armed men.
Tkach said he repeatedly identified himself as a journalist but was pulled from the vehicle, forced face down onto the road, searched and restrained with his hands behind his back.
He alleged that one of the officers pressed a knee against his neck and shouted at him to remain silent.
Because the armed men initially did not identify themselves or explain their actions, Tkach said he believed for approximately 30 minutes that he and Bondarenko were being abducted.
He was subsequently taken to a police station, where his belongings were confiscated and he was placed in a cell.
Tkach said investigators later presented him with a document outlining three suspected offenses: espionage on behalf of Ukraine's military intelligence agency, participation in a criminal organization and causing harm to Austria.
He rejected the allegations and suggested that someone connected to the subjects of his investigative reporting might have misled Austrian law enforcement. He did not provide evidence supporting that theory.
Tkach was released at approximately 4 a.m. on October 9, according to Musaieva. He said Bondarenko was still being questioned when he gave the interview.
Austrian media, citing prosecutors, previously reported that suspicions against the two journalists had not been substantiated.
Ukrainska Pravda said the journalists had been working on an investigation involving former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry intervened following the detention, with a Ukrainian consul seeking access to Tkach and an explanation from Austrian authorities.
The journalist's account of the arrest and alleged use of force has not been independently verified.
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