On 27 May 2023, followers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, a religious group with ties to Russia, obstructed the work of a news crew reporting for Suspilne, Ukraine’s public broadcaster, in the town of Pryiutivka, in Ukraine’s central Kirovohrad region. Journalist Antonina Kreytor and camera operator Anatoly Basystiy arrived to the town to report on a congregation of parishioners of a local Orthodox church, who were voting on its transfer to the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, a competing religious group governed from Kyiv.
Supporters of the Russia-affiliated church gathered near the congregation to oppose the decision. At least one participant of the gathering threatened Kreytor and Basystiy with physical violence, while another tried to knock Basystiy’s camera out of his hands. Additionally, one of the Church followers obstructing the news crew’s work took Kreytor’s phone from her hand to prevent her from filming. Another person repeatedly attempted to block the view from Basystiy’s camera by placing a Ukrainian flag in front of it, asking why he “didn’t want to film” it.
The Suspilne regional newsroon in Kirovohrad informed that it had filed a complaint with police for obstruction of legal journalistic activities, which is considered a criminal offence in Ukraine. A police representative later confirmed that the incident had been registered by police services.