Four Ukrainians arrested in Vienna on suspicion of espionage

Four Ukrainian citizens were arrested this week in Vienna on suspicion of espionage, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner announced today, while the Ukrainian newspaper Ukrainska Pravda said that two members of its editorial staff were among those detained.

Three of those arrested remain in custody, Karner said, declining to provide further details because the investigation is ongoing.

The Austrian news agency APA reported a statement from a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian embassy in Vienna, who stated that the embassy is awaiting an explanation from the Austrian authorities the circumstances and legal basis for the arrest.

The editor-in-chief of the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, Sevgil Musayeva, announced on that investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach was released on Thursday, after spending more than 12 hours in custody in Vienna.

"However, his communication devices have not been returned to him, so the editorial staff is currently unable to him directly," Musayeva said.

She added that cameraman Yaroslav Bondarenko was injured during the arrest.

"We are currently not aware of the procedural status of either of the two journalists," she added.

The Austrian magazine Profil reported that Bondarenko should be released soon, citing a spokeswoman for the Vienna prosecutor's office.

According to the magazine, the other two men, arrested on Monday, are suspected of espionage for a Ukrainian intelligence service and are being held in custody pending an investigation.