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EU envoy: Donbass accredited journalists personal info leak to harm Ukraine

Jan Tombinski said that "friendly" to Kiev reporters were on the list among others

KIEV, May 21. /TASS/. Kiev might face negative consequences after the Mirotvorets (Peacekeeper) website leaked personal data of journalists accredited by self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s (DPR and LPR), EU envoy to Ukraine Jan Tombinski said on Saturday.

"What has happened to Mirotvorets is an event that may become a negative consequence for Ukraine," the UNIAN news agency said quoting Tombinski.

The diplomat said that "friendly" to Kiev reporters were on the list among others.

"They (the journalists - eds. TASS) are embarrassed that the personal information leak poses a threat to safety," he said. "Thus, you will be losing your friends."

Earlier, the Ukrainian Mirotvorets website uploaded personal data of journalists who work for TASS, the BBC, Reuters, AFP, CNN, Bloomberg, Al-Jazeera, AP, and the Independent and Liberation newspapers and other media outlets as well. The data include first names and surnames, the names of media outlets they work for, positions, countries of origin, mobile phone numbers, email addresses and dates of stay in the territory not controlled by the Ukrainian government. The portal accuses those journalists of "complicity to terrorist organizations."

The leak has caused enormous public outcry. The US Department of State reminded that the working conditions for journalists in the conflict zones are extreme. Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova dismissed the publication as the abuse of declared freedoms in favor of political ambitions. OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic also expressed deep concerns over the leak.

Earlier on Saturday, Yury Tandit, an aide to the Ukrainian Security Service’s head, said Ukraine’s Security Service looked into personal data of journalists from various countries accredited in Donbass. "We are checking the information and we are studying those lists," he said warning of responsibility for those who "disguise themselves behind mass media IDs.".