Detention of hromadske journalist Shulhat: police turned off body cameras

Yevhenii Shulhat. Photo: frame from video

During the forceful detention of hromadske journalist Yevhenii Shulhat, officers of the special police unit turned off their body cameras and gave false names. The editorial office assures that his military registration documents were in order, and the detention itself may be connected to his professional investigation of possible corruption among law enforcement officers.

This was reported by hromadske, quoted by Novyny.LIVE.

Detention of Yevhenii Shulhat

Officers of the special police unit committed violations during the detention of journalist Shulhat. According to the editorial office, the police deliberately turned off their body cameras, used false names, and used physical force against the journalist.

They gave different versions of the reasons for stopping the vehicle in which Shulhat was riding — from a faulty signal to an alleged call to the special line 102.

Later the police department claimed that Shulhat was detained for failing to undergo a military-medical commission.

However, the publication's lawyer, Illia Podvornyi, emphasized that all of the journalist’s military registration documents were completely in order, no fines or administrative reports were drawn up against him, and he called the reason given by law enforcement legally untenable.

“According to the military registration documents generated by Yevhenii Shulhat in the Rezerv+ app in May 2026 and again immediately after the detention, no violations were recorded, and such documents are valid for one year from the date of issue. No administrative offense reports or rulings holding Shulhat accountable for breaches of military registration were issued, and he did not pay any fines. In the absence of an obligation to independently undergo an MMC, of any call from the territorial recruitment and social support center, of a status of ‘limited fitness,’ and of any recorded registration violations, the grounds for detention cited by the police are legally untenable, and the coercive measure applied to Yevhenii Shulhat was unlawful,” Podvornyi explained.

The journalist’s documents. Photo: hromadske

The editorial office suggested that the forceful detention of Shulhat may be directly related to his professional activity, in particular to materials about possible corruption schemes within law enforcement agencies.

The Main Directorate of the National Police in the city of Kyiv initiated an internal investigation into the incident.

The journalist was later taken to the territorial recruitment and social support center, and after clarifying the circumstances he was released with a referral to undergo the military-medical commission. Shulhat is currently serving in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“Given the circumstances of the journalist’s detention, the differing versions regarding the reasons for stopping the car, and the behavior of police representatives, hromadske sees signs of pressure in this. The editorial office continues to investigate the circumstances of the journalist’s detention and is submitting additional requests to the police,” the editorial office added.

As Novyny.LIVE wrote, citing hromadske, journalist Yevhenii Shulhat was detained in Kyiv. The police and the territorial center issued statements.

Earlier, Slidstvo.Info found that an SBU employee may have instructed staff of the territorial recruitment and social support center regarding serving a summons to journalist Yevhenii Shulhat. The day before, he had conducted an investigation concerning the head of the SBU Cybersecurity Department, Illia Vitiuk.