Ukrainian hackers leak IDs, personal data of journalists

MOSCOW – A Ukrainian nationalist website has published what it says is an email archive with copies of IDs and personal data of Ukrainian and international journalists, raising new concerns about their safety.

The archive posted by Myrotvorets, which allegedly comes from a disenchanted rebel official and contains thousands of emails, was published late Wednesday. Some emails contain photographs and copies of journalists’ travel IDs. There is no way to confirm the authenticity of the published emails, some of which contain some rebel officials’ comments and reviews about coverage by foreign new organizations and individual journalists.

In May, Myrotvorets first caused worries about the safety of journalists who covered the conflict in Ukraine’s rebel-controlled east when it leaked names and contact information for thousands of reporters who have reported from rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine. Some Ukrainian officials praised the publication as a tool to single out those who “collaborated” with the separatists. Documents in that dump were widely considered to be genuine.

The release of journalists’ personal data has drawn sharp criticism from international rights groups and Western governments have expressed concern, prompting Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to condemn the leak.

Despite the president’s criticism, Myrotvorets has received accolades from Ukrainian nationalist circles, along with some officials and lawmakers, and continued to operate unimpeded. Ukraine’s deputy information minister, Tetiana Popova, who spoke out strongly against the website and found herself under criticism from the nationalists, resigned earlier this week.

The Associated Press has been mentioned in leaked documents, along with The New York Times, BBC, Vice and many other media organizations. Some rebel documents accused Western news organizations of pro-Ukrainian bias.