The International Press Institute (IPI) today called on Ukrainian authorities to investigate a recent arson attack on the office of investigative website Chetverta Vlada in Rivne, northwestern Ukraine.

Separately, IPI asked Ukrainian authorities to explain the seizure of Kiev newsrooms belonging to the media company Vesti and to allow the company’s journalists access to their office and equipment.

On February 22, an unknown man entered Chetverta Vlada’s office and set the first floor on fire by throwing two gasoline-filled bottles. Nobody was injured in the attack, even though there were people present on the second floor of the office, including the media outlet’s deputy editor-in-chief, Antonina Torbich, and her son. The office and its equipment were destroyed. The assailant managed to flee before police arrived at the site.

In an interview with the Kiev-based Institute for Mass Information (IMI), Torbich said she believed the attack was in connection with the website’s journalistic work. Chetverta Vlada investigates local corruption and other illegal activity.

The arson attack came just days after the media outlet lost its website data. On February 17, Chetverta Vlada’s server provider’s office was robbed, which led to the shutdown of the media’s webpage. The site’s chief editor, Volodymyr Torbich, told IMI he considered the robbery a deliberate act to prevent his journalists from reporting.

IPI Deputy Director Scott Griffen said Ukrainian authorities had a responsibility to investigate both incidents.

“Both the arson attack as well as the attack on Chetverda Vlada’s server appear aimed at preventing the site’s journalists from carrying out their work”, he said. “The Ukrainian police have an obligation to ensure that attacks on the media, whether carried out through physical or technical means, do not go unpunished”.

In a separate case, on February 8 a large group of law enforcement officials from different agencies in Ukraine, including the National Assets Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), accompanied by unidentified individuals in civilian clothes, raided the Kiev offices of the company Media Holding Vesti Ukraine (MHVU). The group drove Vesti journalists out of the building. Pictures from security cameras show masked men destroying the premises and equipment and persons unknown to the MHVU settling into the offices.

Vesti journalists are currently working outside of the office, but are not able to operate at full capacity, since they have not been allowed back in the building to get their equipment. The company hosted four different newsrooms in the building, including the daily newspaper Vesti, the radio station Radio Vesti, and the websites vesti-ukr.com and UBR.ua.

“Our journalists still have no access to the newsrooms, computers, hi-tech radio equipment and even personal belongings”, the assistant chair of MHVU, Alexandra Marchenko, told IPI in an interview. “We haven’t gotten any of that back yet.”

According to Marchenko, the offices are now occupied by representatives of a company called “Business Centre Navigator”.

“They called themselves the ‘new owner’ of the MHVU office”, Marhcenko said. “Also, there are unidentified civilians in black masks. These athletically built young men claim to be ‘security’, but we have no idea who they are and why they destroy our property and drink their alcohol in our office. Some of them even post photos of it on Instagram.”

There is no legal basis for the other company to occupy the premises, Marchenko said. MHVU has a lease agreement with the owner of the building that does not restrict usage in any way.

Marchenko also noted that the Ukrainian authorities had not provided any justification for their seizure.

ARMA has not responded to questions IPI sent to the agency via email on Monday.

“The seizure of MHVU is contrary to the Constitution of Ukraine”, Marchenko said. “The people who seized the premises, in their turn, preferred forcible seizure to a civilized dialogue: after multiple requests, no documents or legal grounds were presented. Negotiations with lawyers were refused.”

This is not the first time that the Vesti media company has been targeted by security officials. In July 2017, police and military prosecutors raided the same Kiev offices. The company has also been investigated by tax authorities after being accused of money laundering and nontransparent funding. The company believes it is being targeted because of its editorial line, which is critical of the Ukrainian government. Ukrainian authorities and activists have referred to Vesti as a “pro-Russian” and “anti-Ukrainian” media outlet.

“We are troubled that Ukraine has offered no explanation or legal justification for the otherwise arbitrary seizure and occupation of Media Holding Vesti Ukraine’s office and equipment”, Griffen said. “Such actions run counter to basic notions of the rule of law.”

He added: “Ukrainian authorities must grant Vesti journalists access to their equipment and allow them to do their jobs.”