The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York sat down with author, historian, and Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9, which mark the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, are one of the country’s biggest public events of the year. President of the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland Andrej Lushnycky who sheds some light on the things Putin would rather you didn’t know about World War II.
Washington’s involvement may also help mitigate political opposition in Europe, while giving the U.S. strategic visibility over future Russian energy flows, sources told Reuters.
The agreement, signed on April 30, establishes a joint investment fund between Kyiv and Washington and grants the U.S. special access to projects developing Ukraine's natural resources.
Pro-Kremlin lawmaker Viktor Medvedchuk (L) and ex-President Petro Poroshenko. (Courtesy)
The State Investigation Bureau tried to hand a summons to ex-President Petro Poroshenko in a case into treason and aiding terrorist groups in Russian-occupied areas of the Donbas.
The bureau said detectives had attempted to give him the summons in front of the Verkhovna Rada on Dec. 17 but he fled. The bureau posted a video in which its detectives approach Poroshenko’s car and tell him “take the summons, please.” Poroshenko can be heard shouting from inside the car “let’s f*cking go!” and the car drives away.
Poroshenko's European Solidarity party said he had left Ukraine for an official visit to Turkey.
The case concerns the organization of coal supplies to Ukraine's state-owned enterprises from Russian-occupied areas in the coal-rich Donbas in 2014-2015. The key suspect in the case is Viktor Medvedchuk, co-leader of the pro-Kremlin Opposition Platform - For Life party and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's right-hand man in Ukraine. Medvedchuk denied the allegations.
Sources cited by several Ukrainian media and Viktor Trepak, an ex-deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), have claimed that Poroshenko may soon be charged in the coal supplies case.
The State Investigation Bureau tried to hand a summons to ex-President Petro Poroshenko in a case into treason and aiding terrorist groups in Russian-occupied areas of the Donbas outside of the Verkhovna Rada on Dec. 17, 2021. As he fled in a car, Poroshenko was heard shouting “let’s f*cking go!”
Poroshenko’s European Solidarity party lambasted the case as political and fabricated.
"We know very well that the organizer (of the case) is (President) Volodymyr Zelensky, who is constantly pressuring the heads of law enforcement agencies," the party said. "Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have publicly responded to all arguments regarding the politically motivated 'coal supplies case' and proved that is absolutely unfounded."
Previous developments
In September-November, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the State Investigation Bureau charged businessman Serhiy Kuzyara, Medvedchuk and Volodymyr Demchyshyn, who was energy minister in 2014-2016 under Poroshenko, in the coal supplies case.
Medvedchuk allegedly held negotiations with Russia and its proxies, as well as with the Poroshenko administration on the coal supplies, according to the investigators.
Ex-lawmaker Oleksandr Onyshchenko, a former ally of Poroshenko, claimed in 2016 that the former president's top associate and lawmaker Ihor Kononenko had been getting $20 per ton from coal supplies coming from the Russian-occupied Donbas. Kononenko did not respond to requests for comment.
Medvedchuk and Poroshenko previously denied wrongdoing.
Poroshenko-Medvedchuk alliance
Tapes released by the Bihus.info investigative journalism project in June revealed new information on relations between Poroshenko and Medvedchuk.
Specifically, Medvedchuk has allegedly discussed introducing an intermediary company, believed to be controlled by Poroshenko, into Ukrainian power supplies to the Russian-annexed Crimea. Medvedchuk has also allegedly delayed a prisoner of war exchange with Russia and its proxies in order to help Poroshenko stage a publicity stunt with a Ukrainian prisoner, Bihus.info reported.
Moreover, Medvedchuk held negotiations on natural gas supplies with Russia on Poroshenko’s behalf, according to the tapes.
Crackdown on Medvedchuk and Poroshenko
Dozens of investigations were opened against Poroshenko since Zelensky came to power in 2019.
However, he was officially charged only in one case in June 2020: Poroshenko is suspected of abusing his power by appointing Serhiy Semochko as deputy head of the Foreign Intelligence Service in violation of procedure. Since then, the case has seen no progress.
In February, the National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions on Medvedchuk and his ally Taras Kozak. The council also blocked three TV channels officially owned by Kozak but believed to be actually owned by Medvedchuk, which he denies.
Medvedchuk and Kozak were charged with high treason in May in a case separate from the coal supplies investigation. They were suspected of colluding with the Russian government to extract natural resources in Russian-annexed Crimea.
Oleg Sukhov is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He is a former editor and reporter at the Moscow Times. He has a master's degree in history from the Moscow State University. He moved to Ukraine in 2014 due to the crackdown on independent media in Russia and covered war, corruption, reforms and law enforcement for the Kyiv Post.
