Myrotvorets

Myrotvorets
Owner NGO ″Myrotvorets center″
Slogan(s) "PRO BONO PUBLICO"
Website psb4ukr.org
Commercial No
Launched December 15, 2014 (2014-12-15)
Current status Online

Mirotvorets, or Myrotvorets (Ukrainian: Миротворець /mɪrɔ'tvɔrɛt͡sʲ/, lit. "Peacemaker"), is a Ukrainian Kiev-based[1] website that purports to reveal personal information of people who are considered to be "enemies of Ukraine",[2][3] or, as the website itself states, "whose actions have signs of crimes against the national security of Ukraine, peace, human security, and the international law".[4] It was launched in December 2014 by Ukrainian politician and activist Georgy Tuka,[5][6] then a head of "Narodny Tyl", who since 29 April 2016 serves in the Ukrainian government as Deputy Minister for the "temporarily occupied territories and internally displaced persons"[3] and before that, in 2015–2016, was the governor of Luhansk Oblast ("chairman of the Luhansk Regional Military and Civil Administration") appointed by president Petro Poroshenko.[7][8][9]

The site reflects the work of NGO ″Myrotvorets center″, led by Roman Zaitsev, former employee of Lugansk Security Service of Ukraine office.[10]

The website is curated by the government law-enforcement and intelligence agency Security Service of Ukraine (SBU)[11] and promoted by Advisor to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Anton Gerashenko.[11][12] In October 2015 he proposed to add a special section titled "Putin's crimes in Syria and Middle East" dedicated for personal data of Russian military personnel of the operation in Syria collected by Inform Napalm,[13] as he cited from his correspondence:[14] in order "to help ISIS take revenge" on them "in accordance with Sharia law".[3][12][14][15][16]

In April 2015 the website published the home addresses of Ukrainian writer Oles Buzina and former Verkhovna Rada parliamentarian Oleg Kalashnikov just days before they were assassinated.[3]

In 7 May 2016 the website published the personal data of 4,508 journalists and other media staff from all over the world who had worked (or had received accreditation to work) on the uncontrolled by Ukrainian Government territory of Donbass, and therefore "cooperated with terrorists".[1][2][3][11][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] There were phone numbers, email addresses, and partly countries and cities of residence of Ukrainian and foreign journalists received from hacked database of "Donetsk People's Republic Ministry of State Sucurity"; journalists and support staff provided these data to be "accredited" by Russia-controlled militians. In response, the Security Service of Ukraine issued a statement that it finds no violations of the law of Ukraine by "Myrotvorets"[24]

The slogan of the website of the Center, and the Center itself, is a Latin saying «Pro bono publico» (for the public good).

History

The staff of the Center "Myrotvorets"

Centre began to develop the project in summer 2014, during the War in Donbass. The project was launched in December 2014 as a part of work of the volunteers group "Narodny Tyl".[6] First true leader and participants for safety was not reported.[10] For distraction as a leader was presented "Narodny Tyl" leader[10] Ukrainian politician and activist Georgy Tuka, who since 29 April 2016 serves in the Ukrainian government as Deputy Minister for the "temporarily occupied territories and internally displaced persons"[3] and before that, in 2015–2016, was the governor of Luhansk Oblast ("chairman of the Luhansk Regional Military and Civil Administration") appointed by president Petro Poroshenko.[7][8][9]

Director of the Center is Roman Zaitsev, a former employee of the territorial office of the SBU in the Luhansk region. At the Center, there are about 250 people living both in Ukraine and abroad. During the first two years of the Centre incurred losses in killed, wounded and missing.[10]

The website is promoted by Advisor to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Anton Gerashenko. The center is affiliated with the government law-enforcement and intelligence agency. Security Service of Ukraine (SBU)[11][17] and the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs.[3]

Activity

Coat of "Myrotvorets" staff member with field version of emblem

"Myrotvorets" leader states that the objective of the center is to provide information and advice to the executive authorities in order to finally bring peace and harmony in Ukraine. In the work center pays special attention to expressions of "separatist and terrorist activities" on the territory of Ukraine.[10]

The sources of information for the centre is primarily public materials posted on the Internet, publications, and more. So, as other volunteer organisations, center widely uses OSINT methods. In addition, the Center uses information provided by individuals on a confidential basis. Under current Ukrainian law the Centre does not use the information contained in the anonymous appeals.[10]

In October 2015 center added a special section titled "Putin's crimes in Syria and Middle East" dedicated for personal data of involved in bombing Russian military personnel of the operation in Syria, according to Russian media "to help ISIS take revenge" on the Russian pilots "in accordance with Sharia law".[3][12][14][15][16] Myrotvorets actions caused extremely strong reaction from the Russian presidential administration and among Russian experts in military affairs and special operations. As stated in the publications website InformNapalm important element of the operation was to compare the numbers of Su-24 from the airbase "Shagol" (Russia) and the same type of aircraft, overturned in Syria. A few days after the operation began, Russian TV started to hide numbers of the military aircraft based in Syria, for their video shooting.[25][26] After the publication of the Investigative Committee of Russia launched criminal proceedings against Anton Gerashchenko for "public calls to terrorism".[27]

In February 2016 members of the center took part in operation of mobile groups against illegal transport of cargo through the line of armed conflict in the area of War in Donbass.[28]

Myrotvorets Center repeatedly provided information on the participation of foreign nationals in the armed conflict on the side of pro-Russian separatiists. In early March 2016 due to the materials of the center, law enforcement authorities of Bulgaria initiated criminal proceedings against a citizen of Bulgaria George Bliznakov. Similar materials are considering in relation to other Bulgarian citizens.[29][30]

According to the head of the Centre in the file cabinet in October 2014 was 4.5 thousand people; December 16 – 7.5 thousand; January 2015 – 9000; April 13–30 thousand; In October of that year – 45 thousand people; March 21, 2016 – 57775 people.[31] The most complete database are from residents of the Crimea[10]

Controversy

In April 2015, Myrotvorets published the home addresses of Ukrainian writer Oles Buzina and former Verkhovna Rada parliamentarian Oleg Kalashnikov just days before they were assassinated.[3]

After the site published the data of various journalists, Valeriya Lutkovska, Ukrainian lawyer and Ombudswoman of Ukraine since April 2012, demanded both the website and the Centre be shut down.[32] Ukrainian editor and journalist Vitaly Portnikov and Ukrainian military expert and blogger Dmytro Tymchuk have compared accreditation of a Ukrainian journalist in Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic to accreditation of an Israeli journalist with the Hamas "Ministry of Information" in Gaza.[33][34]

On the 2nd of June 2016 G7 ambassadors to Kyiv released a conjoint statement expressing deep concern about disclosures of journalists’ personal data on the Myrotvorets website and called the Myrotvorets team to withdraw personal data from the public access.[35] Next day President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko at his press-conference condemned publication of journalists' personal data, but stressed that he is extremely limited in terms of the means of influence on the independent informational web-source which "Myrotvorets" is; thus he is not going to press for the change of its policy.[36]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "TASS: World – Ukraine's Security Council promises not to prosecute journalists accredited in Donbass". TASS. 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  2. 1 2 "Ukrainian Activists Leak Personal Information of Thousands of War Reporters in the Donbas – Global Voices Advocacy". Global Voices Advocacy. 2016-05-11. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Outrage as Ukrainian witch-hunt site leaks personal info of 'terrorist-collaborating journalists' — RT News". RT. 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  4. ↑ "Center "Myrotvorets" invites to cooperation of law enforcement agencies of foreign States". Myrotvorets. 2016-11-07.
  5. ↑ "George Tuka post about webcite" (in Russian). Facebook. 2014-12-15. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
  6. 1 2 "Volunteers run the Internet site of the traitors and mercenaries fighting against Ukraine" (in Ukrainian). iPress.ua. 2014-12-15. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  7. 1 2 "Luhansk Governor Tuka dismissed – media : UNIAN news" (in Ukrainian). UNIAN. 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  8. 1 2 "Poroshenko appoints member of parliament Harbuz as governor of Luhansk Oblast instead of Tuka". 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  9. 1 2 "Poroshenko appoints new Luhansk governor – read on – uatoday.tv". Ukraine Today. 2016-04-30.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Roman Zaitsev: For the Kremlin, we are a bone in the throat. Enormous efforts and resources are left to our destruction." (in Russian). Fakty i Kommentarii. 2015-04-11. Retrieved 2016-05-15.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Ukrainian hackers leak personal information of thousands of journalists". International Business Times. 2015-05-13. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  12. 1 2 3 "Russian Investigative Committee Opens Criminal Case Against Putin Accuser". The Moscow Times. 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  13. ↑ "Ukraine merged the personal data of Russian pilots to terrorists ISIS" (in Russian). Moskovsky Komsomolets. 2015-10-28. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  14. 1 2 3 "Top Ukraine official backs idea 'to help ISIS take revenge on Russian soldiers in Syria' — RT News". RT. 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  15. 1 2 "Украинский депутат Геращенко предложил избирателям помочь террористам" (in Russian). Komsomolskaya Pravda. 2015-10-07. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  16. 1 2 "'Extremism in Ukraine has risen to staggering level' — RT Op-Edge". RT. 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  17. 1 2 "Ukraine Tries to Terrify Journalists Who Cover the War". The Daily Beast. 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  18. ↑ "OSCE Concerned Of Journalists' Security in Ukraine". Sputnik International. 2016-05-11. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  19. ↑ "OSCE Representative Mijatović expresses concern about journalists' safety in Ukraine". Interfax. 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  20. ↑ "Myrotvorets website leaks personal data of journalists accredited in "DPR": intl scandal brewing : UNIAN news". UNIAN. 2016-05-11. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  21. ↑ "Kyiv prosecutors investigating case of publishing personal data of journalists who were accredited in DPR, LPR". Interfax Ukraine. 2015-10-07. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  22. ↑ "Ukrainian hackers publish info on thousands of journalists". The Washington Post. 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  23. ↑ "Ukrainian Hackers Leak Personal Data Of Thousands Of Journalists Who Worked In Donbas". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. 2016-05-11.
  24. ↑ "The creators of the website "Peacemaker" not violated the law of Ukraine – SBU : UNIAN news" (in Ukrainian). UNIAN. 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  25. ↑ "Activists again publish the names of Russian pilots who are fighting in Syria" (in Russian). Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2015-10-19. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  26. ↑ "Russia steps up Syria air campaign: Jets raise daily action to 88 strikes6" (in Ukrainian). RT. 14 Oct 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  27. ↑ "RF IC opened a case against a deputy of the Parliament of Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko". RIA Novosti. 2015-10-07. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  28. ↑ "TSN 28 Feb 2016" (in Ukrainian). TSN Ukraine. 28 Feb 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  29. ↑ "Ukraine can sue another Bulgarian mercenary" (in Bulgarian). club ″Z″. 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  30. ↑ "Ukraine may seek to sue not one but four Bulgarians" (in Bulgarian). bTV (Bulgaria). 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  31. ↑ "Center "Peacemaker" cease its activities in the current format." (in Russian). censor.net. 2014-03-16. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  32. ↑ "Lutkovska recommends Natspolice and SBU block access to the site "Peacemaker" in Ukraine" (in Ukrainian). Interfax. 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  33. ↑ "Portnikov: Imagine Israeli journalists accredited with the "Ministry of Information" Hamas in Gaza" (in Ukrainian). expres.ua. 2016-05-11. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  34. ↑ "Journalist in "hot spots": no accreditation or step" (in Ukrainian). Deutsche Welle. 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  35. ↑ G7 Ambassadors are deeply concerned by recent massive disclosures of journalists’ personal data on the Myrotvorets websiteв(English)
  36. ↑ Fragment of Mr. Poroshenko's press-conference on 03.06.2016(English)
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