Ukraine's Security Service visits Kyiv Independent CEO’s home, says it’s in unrelated investigation
An employee of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) visited the home of the Kyiv Independent's CEO Daryna Shevchenko on Sept. 30, in an apparent attempt to gather information.
According to the SBU, the man was conducting operative work for a case unrelated to Shevchenko or the Kyiv Independent. However, witnesses said the man had attempted to gather information about Shevchenko, allegedly showing them her photo.
Multiple media outlets in Ukraine, including the Kyiv Independent, have previously faced undue interest or pressure from the SBU, which they believe is connected to their work.
The Kyiv Independent's editor-in-chief Olga Rudenko said on Sept. 30 that an unidentified man was seen questioning Shevchenko’s neighbors, reportedly showing them her photo, and taking pictures of her apartment building’s entrance and floor.
Rudenko also posted CCTV images of the man and asked to help identify him.
"Daryna has no personal conflicts or matters that could be related to this case," Rudenko said in her Facebook post. "The only version is that it is connected to her role as executive director of the Kyiv Independent, and to our journalistic work."
The following day, on Oct. 1, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's investigative project Schemes reported that it had identified the man as 24-year-old Oleksandr H., who appears to be employed by the SBU.
On the same day, SBU publicly confirmed that the man is one of its employees but claimed he was at Shevchenko's address in connection with an investigation into an organized criminal group, unrelated to the Kyiv Independent. According to the SBU, he was allegedly trying to verify the location of a person involved in that case.
"Employees of the Security Service of Ukraine were not collecting any information regarding Daryna Shevchenko, the executive director of the Kyiv Independent," the SBU told the Kyiv Independent in a comment on Oct. 1.
Shevchenko filed a report with the police regarding suspected illegal surveillance.
"Given that Ukraine has seen cases of pressure on the media and violence against journalists in the past, we can't take any potential threats lightly," Rudenko said on Oct. 1. "Making them public remains our best defense."
The events unfold a month after the Kyiv Independent published a story revealing that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has been investigating a private Ukrainian defense company Fire Point over concerns that it misled the government about drone pricing and deliveries.
After the article was published, the Kyiv Independent received a letter from Fire Point’s legal owner, Yehor Skalyha. Skalyha demanded a retraction and threatened to file a complaint with the SBU against the Kyiv Independent, accusing the outlet of "treason and aiding the aggressor state, Russia." The Kyiv Independent did not retract the story.
The Kyiv Independent's editor-in-chief viewed these threats as an attempt to pressure the media outlet.
The Kyiv Independent doesn't know whether such a complaint was filed, or whether the company's threat is connected to the SBU visit to the CEO's home.
Between late 2023 and early 2024, the Kyiv Independent has experienced some undue interest from the SBU that could be seen as pressure following its investigations into alleged abuses of power within the International Legion.
Other Ukrainian media outlets have also faced pressure from the SBU in recent years.
In 2024, the investigative team at Bihus.Info came under surveillance, which first became apparent on Jan. 16, when a video surfaced online showing some team members supposedly using drugs at a private party — footage captured by well-hidden cameras.
Soon after, Bihus.Info revealed that an SBU department was behind the illegal surveillance of its journalists. Although the SBU opened a criminal case into illegal surveillance, it justified its actions by citing "the fight against organized drug crime."
