Wave of bomb threats proven false, most came from Russian IP addresses, police say
The police have examined more than 2,000 messages with bomb threats sent out across Ukraine, the National Police said on Oct. 15, launching a full investigation.
Hundreds of Ukrainian schools, businesses, embassies, administrative buildings, and media outlets, including the Kyiv Independent, received bomb threats via email on Oct. 14, prompting evacuations of state institutions.
Following their examination of the incident, the police said that all threats turned out to be false. The vast majority of messages reportedly came from Russian IP addresses.
"Such messages match the style of Russian intelligence services, which are waging a hybrid war against Ukraine, trying to cause mass panic and exhaust state and law enforcement agencies," the police said on Oct. 15.
The threats appeared to be connected to a recent investigation conducted by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) into Russian security services' sabotage efforts in Ukraine.
The sender claimed to represent a "terrorist group" and said that three of RFE/RL's investigative journalists should consider themselves responsible for the attack. The group's name matches that of an anti-Ukrainian Telegram channel that disseminates calls to set fire to cars belonging to Ukrainian military personnel.
RFE/RL's investigative project, Schemes, published a report on Oct. 10 documenting how Russian security services recruit Ukrainians, including minors, to burn cars belonging to military personnel and enlistment officials.
The journalists who authored the report were those named in the threatening email.
"We will not be intimidated and stand behind our reporters who will continue to bring news to Ukrainian audiences without fear or favor," RFE/RL President Stephen Capus said.
Capus pledged to cooperate with authorities in the investigation.
Oleg Sukhov
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