The journalists were reportedly tracking former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who fled to Europe during a corruption probe. Tkach previously detailed a violent arrest by seven masked men who smashed his car windows and described being held in solitary confinement. He alleged that officials accused him of membership in a criminal organization and spying for Ukrainian military intelligence, prompting the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and its embassy in Vienna to seek consular access.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Austria Confirms 4 Spying Detentions and Releases 2 Ukrainian Journalists
Geopolitics11 days ago
Mykhailo Tkach and Yaroslav Bondarenko have been freed following their detention by police in Vienna. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner confirmed that four Ukrainian nationals were taken into custody on suspicion of espionage, with the two Ukrainska Pravda journalists among those released, according to the magazine Profil. The outlet's editor-in-chief had previously demanded the journalists' immediate release and an official explanation from Austrian authorities.
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