Investigative journalism has often been deadly for the careers of corrupt politicians in Ukraine, with stories leading to resignations and even imprisonment. Now, under the conditions of martial law (including the closure of public data services) and limited opportunities for society to control the actions of the authorities, Ukrainian journalists became the main watchdogs over the government. This week they found out they were being watched, too.

Bihus.info, an investigative team exposing corruption among Ukrainian officials, came under attack. A questionable media outlet named People’s Truth released a video showing some Bihus employees (camera operators and social media managers) allegedly ordering and taking drugs at a New Year’s party. The description accompanying the video read: ‘After this, can we trust the investigations… if they were done under the influence?’. Denys Bihus, the company’s founder, immediately announced that all employees who used drugs at the event were fired and planned drug tests for the rest of the team. He also alleged that they had been under surveillance for about a year.

These scandals will be a slap in the face for the President’s office

Nevertheless, wiretapping and surveillance is illegal and the video aimed to discredit Bihus. The video was taken on a camera hidden inside the building where the party took place, as well as on cameras from the street and tapped phone calls. People’s Truth seems far from legitimate; its YouTube channel has only published four videos in the past five years, the latest being the Bihus expose. The editor-in-chief’s ‘photo’ appears to be AI-generated, as well as ‘her’ bio. The National Police has already registered a statement from Bihus.info regarding the obstruction of journalistic activities and interference in personal life. The team also plans to submit a statement to the Security Service of Ukraine.

They were not the only ones who suffered this week: there was an attempted break-in at Yuriy Nikolov’s apartment. He is the editor of a publication called Nashi Hroshi (‘Our Money’) and his investigations about inflated prices and non-transparent food procurements for the Ukrainian army led to the resignation of defence minister Oleksii Reznikov last September.

Unknown people covered Nikolov’s apartment door with signs, branding him a ‘traitor’ and ‘provocateur’ while urging him to join the army – a common way to disparage men in Ukraine (Nikolov probably qualifies for an exemption due to caring for his ailing mother). These images then went viral on anonymous Telegram channels believed to be connected to the Ukrainian government. Other Ukrainian outlets, including Detector Media, Ukrainska Pravda, NV, Censor.net, Babel, and Liga.net also reported similar provocations from anonymous Telegram channels.

Although the police have assured Nikolov that they are investigating the case, it needs oversight. Ukrainian media and journalists have called on Volodymyr Zelensky to condemn the pressure on independent journalists and to take control of the investigation. They say it must be in the President’s interests, because ‘anonymous Telegram channels are probably involved in the organisation of these provocations, directly calling them revenge for criticism of the government, in particular the president’.

In an address to the nation, Zelensky said that any pressure on journalists is ‘unacceptable’. He also added that the Ukrainian intelligence service is investigating both cases. Regardless of who stands behind the persecution of journalists, these scandals will be a slap in the face for the President’s office. One of the many differences between Zelensky and Vladimir Putin’s ways of ruling is the existence of independent media. Ukraine already has a pro-government news programme, Telemaraphon. Targeting independent journalists with persecution and threats is a direct affront to those Ukrainians who have given their lives in the fight with authoritarianism.

Svitlana Morenets writes the weekly Ukraine in Focus newsletter.