On 27 August 2026, Gwara Media journalist Anna Veklych by Kharkiv City Council official Bohdan Hladkykh while she was working at the site of a Russian drone strike on an Epicentr hypermarket in Kharkiv, according to the Institute of Mass Information.
Veklych had arrived at the scene with other media workers to document the consequences of the attack. According to her, she was standing nearby and observing the situation when it became known that a man who had been in an ambulance had died.
Veklych said that, after Hladkykh noticed her standing nearby, he began ordering her to leave, telling her to 鈥渕ove away鈥� because officials were discussing 鈥渋mportant information鈥� and that anything she heard would 鈥渋mmediately go to the media鈥�. She said she tried to respond calmly, explaining that she had approached him properly and respectfully, but he continued telling her to move away until she left.
After the incident, Veklych felt unwell and received medical assistance from emergency doctors at the scene. According to Veklych, her blood pressure was elevated and her oxygen level was reduced, but she refused hospitalisation.
Gwara Media chief editor Serhiy Prokopenko described the situation as obstruction of journalistic activity. He filed a police complaint the same evening, after which investigators questioned him and Veklych.
Hladkykh confirmed to IMI that Veklych had approached him for comment, but said he refused because officials had not yet agreed who would comment on the attack and because of a possible threat of a repeat strike. He denied obstructing the journalist鈥檚 work, saying that all journalists present at the site, including Gwara Media, had been able to film their material.