Mykhailo Tkach, head of the Ukrainska Pravda investigations team, remains detained in Vienna after Austrian authorities apprehended him on Oct. 8 while he was on assignment to locate fugitive Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, the outlet confirmed. Ukrainska Pravda’s editor-in-chief, Sevgil Musayeva, called the detention illegal and demanded his immediate release, along with an official explanation from Austrian law enforcement .
Tkach has had contact with his lawyer but remains inaccessible to his employer, Ukrainska Pravda reported. The whereabouts of his colleague, Yaroslav Bondarenko, who accompanied him on the assignment, are unknown. Musayeva said the publication has appealed to international journalistic and human rights organizations for support and has engaged Ukrainian diplomats to secure their release .
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Georgy Tykhy, confirmed the embassy in Austria has requested clarification from local authorities and that a consul has officially sought access to Tkach. As of Oct. 9, Tkach remains in custody despite the consul’s meeting with him .
Tkach, a prominent investigative journalist, received the Free Media Award 2026 in Oslo on Sept. 29 for his wartime reporting. He and Bondarenko were previously detained by Polish authorities in February 2024 while investigating transit routes between Poland, Russia, and Belarus .
