On 12 December 2024, a large number of Ukrainian media outlets reported that they had received emails containing information on alleged bombs planted at a number of public institutions across Ukraine, including, among others, embassies, media outlets and government buildings. A likely non-exhaustive list of the concerned media outlets and journalists included: TV channel Espreso, local outlets Volyn Online and Buh, Zhar.Info founder Alona Bereza, Rivne-based journalist Hanna Kalaur, press freedom group Detector Media, Zaporizhia-based outlets Pershiy Zaporizkiy, Accent, Zaporizhia Investigative Centre, Zprz.city and Inform.zp.ua, as well as the regional offices of Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne in Lutsk and Rivne. Moreover, emails sent to some of the listed media outlets contained threats to set off bombs at the offices of Mykolaiv TV channel 2, Radio Knyha, TV channel Rivne 1, TV company Kremenchuk 2, UNIAN and Radio Liberty, the last one likely a reference to the Kyiv office of RFE/RL. Additionally, the offices of Suspilne in Rivne were evacuated, as these offices appeared on the list of buildings where bombs had allegedly been planted.
While the content of the emails varied slightly, with some of the senders presenting themselves as veterans of the Russia-Ukraine war, others not, all emails expressed discontent at the general state of affairs in Ukraine as well as criticism, if not insult, of President Zelensky. The senders of the emails also called upon recipients to participate in mass anti-government protests which were allegedly planned for December 14.
Some of the concerned media outlets, including, for instance, Suspilne Rivne, directly blamed Russia for the incident, claiming that the emails were part of Moscow’s hybrid warfare efforts, aiming to psychologically terrorise Ukrainians in addition to the missile and other physical attacks which are regularly launched on Ukraine.