Three participants in the operation to track Bihus.Info journalists — Ihor Kravchenko, Yevgeny Konovalenka, and Taras Sadovnyk — were transferred to the war zone in the east of the country to perform operational-combat tasks by order of the head of the SBU, Vasyl Malyuk. The SBU informs about this in response to the journalists' request.
At the same time, journalists expressed interest in the person who temporarily performs the duties of the head of the Department for the Protection of National Statehood after the dismissal of Roman Semenchenko. According to the SBU, this position is held by Andrii Ishchuk.
Regarding the dispute between Bihus.Info and the SBU, it arose as a result of the publication of videos and materials on the little-known resource "Narodna Pravda" on January 6, 2024, which showed Bihus.Info employees who, according to the authors, use drugs during a corporate event in a suburban complexes near Kyiv. Denys Bigus, the founder of the project, immediately denied these accusations, saying that the video does not show journalists, but cameramen who have already been fired. He also noted that their project was the object of illegal surveillance by the special services, which lasted for almost a year.
After the journalists appealed to the SBU, the police and the prosecutor's office and conducted their own investigation, which ended on February 5, it was discovered that the surveillance of them was carried out by the SBU Department for the Protection of National Statehood. The editors of Bihus.Info claim that more than 30 people took part in this operation. The head of the SBU, Malyuk, later criticized the actions of the special services employees who were monitoring the journalists. He explained that the operation was aimed at combating drug crime, but condemned the distribution of video materials in the media.
The SBI received a case of surveillance of Bihus.Info journalists for further investigation, believing that the involvement of law enforcement officials in these events is possible. The Prosecutor General's Office is also investigating possible obstacles in the activities of journalists. The editors of Bihus.Info believe that the surveillance order was issued from the Office of the President, but this information has not been confirmed or denied.
