Halyna Tereshchuk, a journalist working for the U.S.-funded news outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was the victim of an arson attack on her car shortly after midnight in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, according to a post on Tereshchuk’s Facebook page. There were no casualties.

“Immediately after midnight, my husband and I heard our car alarm go off, and when my husband glanced out the window, he saw that the car was already on fire,” explained the journalist in a comment to Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

Tereshchuk – who has been working for RFE/RL since 2000 – further elaborated that her neighbors had later explained that prior to the arson, a man, his face covered, approached the vehicle. He placed a bag under the windshield wipers of the car, lit it and ran.

“My neighbor had asked him what he was planning to do, and he replied that he was going to set this car on fire, then did so and left,” added Tereshchuk.

The journalist noted that she had not received any threats recently and does not know what this arson attack was connected to. She denies that the attack was caused by a domestic dispute of some sort.



“What this is – whether [the arsonist] didn’t like some article or was trying to scare me – I don’t know, and I would like an answer,” she said.

Tereshchuk has filed a report with the police, who are conducting a criminal investigation into the matter.