Two Khmelnytskyi journalists targeted in SMS bombing attack after their media outlets report on NABU, SAPO protests

Two Khmelnytskyi journalists were targeted in an SMS bombing attack on July 26 and 27. The online media outlets they represent covered the day-long protests in Khmelnytskyi demanding the independence of NABU and SAPO be restored.

Linza journalist Kateryna Vovk and ZHAR.INFO founder and journalist Alyona Bereza reported the attack in respective Facebook posts and elaborated in comments to the Institute of Mass Information.

Alyona Bereza received a flood of messages and Viber texts with codes to restore access to various websites starting late on July 26.

“At first I thought it was the work of those invested in the construction projects in Khmelnytskyi city which I posted about critically on the evening of July 25. That is why I wrote a post tagging the mayor. And the next morning (July 26. – Ed.) another journalist, whose media outlet, like ZHAR.INFO, covered the protests in Khmelnytskyi, faced a similar attack. That was when I realized what exactly this SMS bombing had to do with,” Alyona Bereza told IMI.

According to the journalist, the attack lasted almost four hours.

Codes received by Alyona Bereza. Photos by Alyona Bereza on Facebook

The attack on Kateryna Vovk's mobile number began early on July 27 and lasted five hours.

“Spam messages with access codes to various sites arrived to my phone number continuously for five hours (07:30 – 12:30) on July 27. There was also an attempt to access my Telegram account. In between these, there were several calls from unknown numbers,” Kateryna Vovk told IMI.

The journalist says that the targeted phone number was the one she last shared while talking with the police (July 22, 2025) when she notified them of a peaceful action protesting the dismantling of NABU and SAPO's independence.

“That is, this phone number is not my primary one, and I do not use it often. In particular, when creating accounts on various websites, I always list a different number. Such attacks have never happened before,” the journalist added.

Codes received by Kateryna Vovk. Photos by Kateryna Vovk on Facebook

The journalists remark that the same websites being featured in both spam attacks confirms that the two incidents are connected.

SMS bombing is a mass messaging tactic. It is an aggressive one, as it involves many similar messages being sent to the same number in quick succession. That is, it is an intense and targeted attack using special software, script, or service.

It is important to understand that a flood of SMS with authentication codes does not mean that your accounts have been hacked. Attackers simply enter your phone number in a mobile application or on a website, and the service sends you a login code; the attackers then repeat the process over and over again for many services, resulting in you receiving a stream of SMS with codes.

On July 22, the Verkhovna Rada adopted draft bill No. 12414, which, according to Transparency International Ukraine and many other expert organizations, threatens the independence of the SAPO and NABU. It was signed by the President of Ukraine on the same day, and the document was published on the website Voice of Ukraine. Protests against interference in the anti-corruption infrastructure took place in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv, and several other cities on July 22 and continued on other days.