Russia formally accused journalist Evan Gershkovich of spying for the CIA and finalized his indictment on June 13. The Prosecutor General's statement did not set a date for the trial.
Nataliia Humeniuk, who was dismissed in April from her position as the head of the military's Southern Operational Command press department, has been appointed the deputy head of the Southern Operational Command's communications department, Humeniuk told Detector Media on June 5.
Roshchyna disappeared on Aug. 3, 2023 while reporting in Russian-occupied territory. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed her detainment in a letter dated April 2024.
Ukraine rose from 79th to 61st place in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on May 3.
The General Staff's announcement did not mention the reason for Humeniuk's dismissal, but said that the search for her replacement is underway.
"(W)e call on authorities to establish systemic safeguards that prevent SBU officials from targeting journalists or other critics in retaliation for their work, and protect journalists who report on possible misconduct or crimes by SBU officials," the letter said.
Illia Vitiuk, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) cybersecurity chief, has been suspended pending consideration of Slidstvo.Info's revelations, Interfax-Ukraine reported on April 9, citing a statement from the SBU's press service.
A Ukrainian investigative journalism outlet Slidstvo.Info said on April 6 that their journalist, Yevhenii Shulhat, appeared to be targeted for military draft as retaliation for his work investigating authorities.
Gershkovich was arrested in Yekaterinburg in late March 2023 while working on a story about the Wagner mercenary group's recruiting methods, as well as Russian citizens' views on the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Two journalists of the Rayon.ua.in news outlet were detained in Poland and deported while reporting on a trade on the Russian-Polish border, the news outlet said on March 13.
Ihar Karnei, a former freelance journalist with Radio Svaboda, the Belarus service of the U.S. Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), will be tried in Minsk on March 19.
RFE/RL suspended its operations in Russia in March 2022, shortly after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and subsequent crackdown on media in Russia.
Investigative journalists in Ukraine came under two attacks in just the past week, one involving a threatening home visit and another using covert surveillance. The two incidents are the latest in a series of discrediting campaigns against independent Ukrainian media, often supported by anonymous pro-government Telegram channels, raising concerns about
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