Private television station in Ukraine wracked by series of violent incidents (03/14/99)

Private television station in Ukraine wracked by series of violent incidents

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - The STB television station, a privately run enterprise that is one of the more popular channels on Ukrainian television, has been wracked recently by a series of violent incidents - including the assassination of an associate of the director.

Police investigations into the gangland-style killing, as well as the beating of the commercial director, arson in the building of the general director and the ransacking of the STB offices - all of which occurred in a 10-day period between February 23 and March 4 - have so far shed little light on who may be responsible, or if the events are at all related.

Mykola Kniazhytskyi, general director of STB, told a press conference on March 4 that he does not believe the separate acts of violence are coincidental, and that it may be an effort by one of the financial-political clans that to a large extent control Ukrainian politics and business to muzzle the broadcasting firm.

"We have become a currency in the battle between the large financial-political clans. Inasmuch as we may be bothering one group or another, somebody decided to provoke a situation in which one [of the clans] will benefit from the situation in the future, that is to force us to align ourselves with one side or another," he commented.

This is not the first time the STB general director has become involved in controversy, although never of such a violent nature. Between October and December 1998 he was the first head of the Ukrainian Television and Radio Broadcast Company (Ukrteleradio), a quasi-independent government structure that was to revamp and bring financial stability to the four government controlled electronic media outlets, two television channels and two radio stations.

Mr. Kniazhytskyi was dismissed by President Leonid Kuchma after disagreements occurred within the government over the manner in which he was proceeding with reforms and allegations arose that he was more interested in exposing past financial misdeeds than in revamping Ukrteleradio.

The first of the incidents that have shaken STB occurred on February 23 when Oleksander Deineko, who was closely associated with STB and worked as an aide to Mr. Kniazhytskyi when he was head of Ukrteleradio, was shot dead at close range as he entered his apartment building at 11 p.m.

In an interview in the Kyiv Post, Mr. Kniazhytskyi downplayed any connection between the murder and the STB channel, but he said that it could be connected to an investigation he began while head of Ukrteleradio. The STB director said Mr. Deineko had presented to Ukraine's Parliament hundreds of documents implicating former managers of Ukrteleradio in corruption and illegal commercial deals.

The press office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ukraine's federal police, would not comment on the Deineko case while it is still under investigation.

A second violent incident, the beating of STB commercial director Dmytro Dakhno, may be tied more closely to the television station. Mr. Dakhno was beaten in his apartment by three men whom he allowed to enter after one explained that they were there to do electrical repairs needed in the building. The attack occurred on March 2, days after STB had broadcast a story on its popular program "The Shadow Sector," about the financial misdealings of a Zaporizhian metal factory. Ukrainian Credit Bank, which was implicated in the story, responded by initiating a libel suit against STB, seeking damages in the amount of 5 million hrv.

"The attack on Dakhno cannot be considered coincidental," said Mr. Kniazhytskyi.

According to Mr. Dakhno, robbery could not have been a motive because the perpetrators ignored a bundle of 500 hrv that was openly evident on his desk.

The day before, Mr. Kniazhytskyi and his family came under threat as well, although whether that also is a result of his work in Ukrainian television, the STB program or simply yet another coincidence has not yet been ascertained.

On March 1, the foyer of the building where Mr. Kniazhytskyi lives was set ablaze after electrical wiring had short-circuited. The foyer is adjacent to his apartment.

Then, on March 3, Mr. Kniazhytskyi and his wife, who is pregnant, were terrorized by armed assailants who ransacked the offices of STB, ignoring money and valuables, according to an RFE/RL report.

In another incident, a cameraman who had just finished a story in Lviv and was returning to Kyiv mysteriously lost consciousness at the main train station and awoke to find himself at a different train station. There are also assertions by STB employees that they have been followed and their apartments watched.

Although strongly suggesting that his television station had become a pawn in the political and financial games of Ukraine's mafia structures, Mr. Kniazhytskyi would not name names or give specific information on why STB had apparently been targeted.

He underscored that he was only relating the facts as they occurred. "I do not connect these incidents. I am simply listing a string of facts. Maybe there are other versions," Mr. Kniazhytskyi stated.

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