A group of men viciously attacked and beat prominent Ukrainian journalist and civic activist Tetyana Chornovol outside Kyiv about 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 25. Later in the day, police say they identified three suspects and took two of them into custody over the brazen crime, the latest in a string of attacks against journalists and civic activists who have criticized the government.

Сhornovol was undergoing surgery, opposition Batkivshchyna Party member of parliament Serhiy Pasynsky said earlier in the day. “According to

doctors’ estimations it will need at least three operations, if all goes

optimistically,” he said to hromadske.tv.