Journalists investigating corruption beaten up in Kyiv
"Journalists, along with two human rights activists, arrived at a site where sand is stolen. They were met by armed young men who ensured the passage of trucks with stolen resources. Bandits sprayed gas in the face of a journalist, knocked him to the ground and started beating him. They fired shots and threatened to kill him next time. One of the injured activists is a veteran of the Azov regiment, a participant in hostilities, who has awards for participation in the ATO [Anti-Terrorist Operation in Donbas]. Now the guys are in hospital," Bochkala wrote.
According to him, the journalist had his tooth knocked out while a cameraman sustained a head injury. They were hospitalized.
Bochkala added that the car, in which the activists arrived, had been damaged.
"The attackers took a bag with documents and money of one of those beaten and drove away. The police issued an alert in the city of Kyiv," the journalist wrote.
He also said that the largest illegal sand extraction site is located in Vydubychi. Its annual turnover is estimated at UAH 100 million. This land plot was leased by Mostobud company. Kyiv City Council terminated the lease contract at its last session in 2018, but sand is still illegally extracted.