Attack on Schemes Film Crew at Bank: Police Investigate, Bank's Version and Use of Force

The bank's chairman did not like a journalist's question.

Journalists from were attacked at the state-owned Ukreximbank while recording an interview with the bank's chairman, Yevhen Metzger, in his office. Here is what is known so far about the incident. 

What happened

A journalist and a cameraman from Schemes were recording an interview with Yevhen Metzger at the central office of Ukreximbank. 

Nataliia Sedletska
journalist, Schemes

According to the editorial assignment, the journalist was to ask Metzger a question so that his position would be reflected in an investigation being prepared for one of the upcoming broadcasts. 

Metzger did not like one of the questions asked by investigative journalist Kyrylo Ovsiany, after which he ordered security to “remove the cameras” and “take the tapes out of them.” 

The journalists said that bank employees used force against the cameraman and seized two cameras and memory cards with footage. They prohibited filming everything on phones, “physically prevented them from leaving the room,” and searched clothing for recording devices. 

In the office, besides Metzger himself, were the bank's director of the information policy department, Volodymyr Pykalov, a security guard, and another bank employee named Ihor, who “used physical force against the cameraman.” An hour later, the crew's equipment was returned, but the footage of the entire interview and of the attack itself had been deleted. 

The journalist managed to record what was happening on audio. Representatives of the editorial office arrived at the scene; they called the police and filed a complaint about obstruction of journalistic activity. 

According to the audio recording, bank employee Ihor said: “You are at a critical infrastructure facility. Behave normally, please.” Metzger added: “They just stand here and write, they've f***ing lost it.” Sounds of physical struggle can also be heard, and the journalist asks why security “twisted my cameraman's arm” and asks to leave. 

Police are looking into it

Kyiv police opened a criminal case over the obstruction of the professional activities of Schemes journalists: “Law enforcement officers are currently carrying out the necessary investigative actions for an objective and impartial pre-trial investigation.” 

On the night before, a report was received via the 102 emergency line from the editor of an online publication stating that the film crew was being obstructed in its journalistic activity at the bank's premises on Antonovycha Street. 

Patrol units and an investigative-operational group of the Holosiivskyi police department were dispatched to establish all the circumstances of the incident. Investigators of the inquiry department opened a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (obstruction of the lawful professional activity of journalists). 

It should be noted that Yevhen Metzger has headed the state-owned Ukreximbank since March 2020. Previously he worked at Ukrgasbank and Finance and Credit Bank. In 1999 he graduated from Kryvyi Rih National University. 

Bank statements

After the incident became widely discussed, Ukreximbank provided its version of events: “During the interview, Radio Svoboda journalist Kyrylo Ovsiany asked a series of questions about the disclosure of information on the bank's client activities, which the bank obtained in the course of servicing them and their legal relationships. In addition, the journalist, without any justification, expressed a suspicion about alleged violations by the bank within the relevant legal relationships.” 

It is also noted that the journalist was offered to prepare a list of new questions that the institution could answer. After that, the journalist and cameraman “left the bank's premises without any obstruction.” 

The bank believes that “the actions of journalist Kyrylo Ovsiany contained signs of both the unlawful acquisition of information with restricted access and a violation of the Code of Ethics of the Ukrainian Journalist regarding the use of illegal methods of obtaining information.” 

Ukreximbank promised to appeal to law enforcement bodies and to the authorities regulating television and radio broadcasting so that they would “assess the journalist's actions.”