Mindich case: security guards attacked journalists in Israel

During a journalistic investigation in Israel, a film crew of “Ukrainian Pravda” was attacked by security guards. Among the victims was the head of the publication’s investigations department, Mykhailo Tkach.

This was reported by “Ukrainska Pravda” in a video published on the editorial office’s official YouTube channel.

The incident occurred while the journalists were working abroad.

The “UP” team traveled to Israel to establish the whereabouts of Timur Mindich, a defendant in a high-profile anti-corruption case who was taken into custody in absentia by the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court. According to the editorial office, Mindich crossed the Ukrainian-Polish border on the night of November 10, a few hours before the planned investigative actions.

The journalists checked several addresses in Herzliya and Tel Aviv that, according to sources, could be linked to Mindich. They later received information about the suspect’s possible residence in one of the gated housing complexes near Herzliya.

While filming in a public place near this complex, the journalists were attacked by security guards. They blocked the film crew’s car, forcibly took the operator’s phone, tried to take the car keys, and actually obstructed the team’s movement.

Mykhailo Tkach reported that the guards used physical force, pulled his clothes, damaged his belongings, and inflicted minor injuries. According to the journalists, they repeatedly explained that they worked in a public space and had journalistic credentials, but this did not stop the attackers.

The police were called by a resident of the apartment complex. After the police arrived, the security guards returned the journalists’ phone and car keys. The police did not file any complaints against the film crew, as the journalists did not violate the law.

At the same time, after the incident, identical messages appeared in dozens of Telegram channels claiming that the journalists were detained and handed over to the police for violations, including filming children. Ukrainska Pravda stated that these publications were manipulation, since there were no children at the scene and the police did not record any violations.

The editorial team considers the incident as another case of violent obstruction of journalistic activities. The team has already consulted with lawyers and is planning further actions after the editorial assignment is completed. Despite the attack, the journalists continued their work on the investigation into other individuals involved in the NABU and SAPO cases.

As previously reported, businessman Timur Mindic has publicly commented for the first time on the NABU investigation into large-scale corruption and money laundering in the energy sector . He stated that he considers himself “designated guilty” due to media pressure and difficult circumstances.

As a reminder, NABU and SAPO are conducting a large-scale operation “Midas” to expose corruption in the energy sector . According to the investigation, the activities of a high-level criminal organization were established, which controlled financial flows and personnel decisions in state energy structures.

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