Key facts
- NABU recordings feature two people discussing kidnapping Bihus or dousing him with acid to intimidate him.
- One suspect, nicknamed Mexican, said on the tapes that acid would make Bihus less presentable.
- The probe targets a group accused of systematically bribing senior law enforcement officials to protect illegal businesses.
- Anti-corruption agencies charged five members of the alleged group on November 5, 2026.
- Bihus said he expected nothing less from a gangster but was surprised by the acid idea.
- IMI documented 69 freedom-of-speech violations by Ukrainian nationals or institutions in the first eight months of 2026.
Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau published recordings on November 4, 2026 in which two suspects discussed kidnapping investigative journalist Denys Bihus or dousing him with acid. Bihus is the founder of Bihus.Info, an outlet known for investigating high-level corruption.
The tapes were released as part of a broader probe into a criminal group accused of systematically bribing senior law enforcement officials to secure protection for illegal businesses, including scam call centers. The investigation names senior officials from the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police and the Prosecutor General's Office, as well as members of criminal groups.
In one recording, a suspect nicknamed Mexican said: "Let me f*** him up, because if that rat doesn't film anything about us today, he'll do it in six months – but if we splash acid on his f***ing face, he'll be not so presentable." Media identified the alleged group's leaders as Andrii Osipov and Yehor Burkin, referred to on the tapes as Criminal and Mexican respectively. Russian-born Burkin is reportedly the founder of the transnational drug ring Khimprom.
Bihus, who now serves in the military, said he expected nothing less from a gangster, though the acid idea surprised even him. "What you don't expect is top officials in all (law enforcement) agencies blatantly working for these 'gangsters from the 90s'," he said.
The threats were linked to a March investigation by Bihus.Info exposing U420, a retail chain selling synthetic cannabinoids and psychotropic substances at purported souvenir shops. Police announced they traced the chain to Khimprom and Burkin. Journalists sent items purchased from the shops to the Interior Ministry's laboratory, which later confirmed the presence of illegal substances.
Svitlana Stetsenko, a Bihus.Info journalist who helped expose U420, told the Kyiv Independent that hearing such threats against a colleague was shocking. "What angers me the most personally is that on the recordings we hear this stark contrast: the drug syndicate is bargaining with law enforcement officials, including Minister K," she said, referring to former Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.
Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies charged five members of the alleged criminal group on November 5, 2026. The case is part of NABU's operation Carthage, which in September brought down then-Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who fled the country after his dismissal.
Oksana Romaniuk, head of the Institute of Mass Information, called the recordings absolutely disturbing. "Discussing an acid attack against a well-known journalist is not just a threat against one individual; it's an attack on press freedom as a whole," she told the Kyiv Independent.
Bihus.Info has faced pressure before. In January 2024, SBU employees surveilled the outlet's journalists, installing hidden cameras in their hotel rooms and releasing the videos. An investigation was launched but no progress has been made in two years, according to IMI. IMI documented 69 freedom-of-speech violations by Ukrainian nationals or institutions during the first eight months of 2026.
On November 5, 2026, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Ukraine was responsible for the 2018 acid attack on anti-corruption activist Kateryna Handziuk and violated her right to life and freedom of expression. Handziuk was doused with sulfuric acid outside her apartment building in Kherson in July 2018 and died in November that year. Vladyslav Manher and Oleksii Levin were convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison.