More activists are fleeing Ukraine amid the anti-government EuroMaidan protests, joining a crowd who left the country since Viktor Yanukovych took power as president in 2010.
Some of the more recent examples include Oleksandr Danylyuk, a longtime protest leader who is now in London, and Dmytro Bulatov, the AutoMaidan leader who was evacuated to Vilnius, Lithuania after being kidnapped and tortured by his abductors.
In many of the earlier cases, various European countries have acknowledged political persecution exists in Ukraine and granted refugee status to Ukrainian former politicians and activists.
Here’s the Kyiv Post list of some of the people who have fled Ukrain since Yanukovych took power:
Oleksandr Danylyuk, head of the NGO Spilna Sprava, Great Britain
Oleksandr Danylyuk led anti-government protests until he organized the controversial activities of occupying three national government buildings in late January. His Spilna Sprava group vacated the premises after Justice Minister Olena Lukash threatened to ask Yanukovych to declare a state of emergency. Opposition leaders also criticized his tactics. Police issued a warrant for his arrest on Jan. 24, saying he is suspected of “organizing riots that caused the death of people or their serious injury.” Danylyuk soon went missing and, on Feb. 4, wrote on his Facebook page that he had relocated to London with his wife, a United Kingdom citizen. “I did not emigrate, I temporarily left Ukraine,” he added.
Dmytro Bulatov,
leader of AutoMaidan, Lithuania
Dmytro Bulatov went missing on Jan. 22 and a criminal case was opened against him for “organizing riots that caused the death of people or their serious injury.” He was found on Jan. 30 near Boryspil in Kyiv Oblast. He gave gruesome details of his abduction. According to Bulatov, he was kept hostage and tortured by unknown men. Bulatov said his abduction was revenge for his role in organizing car caravans to protest outside the luxury homes of Ukrainian officials, including Yanukovych’s Mezhyhiriya estate. On Feb. 2, with the help of diplomats internationally, Bulatov was flown to Lithuania for medical treatment.
Sergiy Koba, leader of AutoMaidan, Germany
Dmytro Bulatov’s fellow AutoMaidan activist, Sergiy Koba, fled the country in late January after a criminal case was opened against him for “organizing riots that caused the death of people or their serious injury.” On Jan. 23, Koba spoke to journalists from Germany, confirming that he fled because he feared arrest. Since then, Koba has been organizing pro-EuroMaidan rallies in Davos, Switzerland, as well as in Germany and Austria.
Hennadiy Korban and Borys Filatov, businessmen, Israel
On Jan. 25, one of Dnipropetrovk’s biggest shopping malls switched from running advertising on a large outdoor screen to broadcasting Channel 5, one of the few news stations that dares to criticize the government and cover the EuroMaidan protests. The broadcast lasted for several hours until the electricity went off. Later the mall was also cut off from central heating. Prior to the incident, Borys Filatov and his business partners were known for supporting EuroMaidan and helping victims injured in clashes with police. On Jan. 29, Filatov wrote on his Facebook page that he and Hennadiy Korban were warned about their possible arrest and fled the country. “We will come back, very soon, and to a renewed country,” Filatov wrote.
Dmytro Korchynsky, leader of Bratstvo; whereabouts unknown
A controversial leader for the far-right Bratstvo organization, Dmytro Korchynsky, was accused of organizing unrest and clashes with the police near the Presidential Administration on Dec. 1. He was also believed to be behind commandeering a front-end loader to drive into police lines. Political opposition leaders accused Korchynsky of staging a provocation and working for the government, which he denied. According to a 1+1 TV channel investigation, Korchynsky fled to Russia immediately after the Dec. 1 events. He denied fleeing to Russia, but never revealed his whereabouts. Despite Ukrainian law enforcement’s claim that Korchynsky is wanted by Interpol, there is no information about him on Interpol’s official website.
Inna Shevchenko,
FEMEN activist, France
Inna Shevchenko, a member of the FEMEN brigade of topless female protesters, was granted asylum in France in July after she fled Ukraine following a criminal case opened against her. She was accused of hooliganism for cutting down a wooden cross in central Kyiv in August 2012, an act of solidarity with the then-jailed members of Pussy Riot, a Russian band. She could face four years in prison if found guilty in Ukraine.
Oleksandr Omelchuk, husband of an opposition member of parliament, whereabouts unknown
Oleksandr Omelchuk fled Ukraine in June 2013, fearing that he might be arrested because of a criminal case pending against him. The State Tax Service of Ukraine has accused investment company Phoenix Capital, where Omelchuk is founder and chairman of the board, of evading Hr 4 million in taxes and falsifying documents. Tax police raided Phoenix Capital’s Kyiv office on Nov. 13, 2012, shattering the glass doors of the office. The opposition, however, has called the case politically motivated to target his wife, Lesya Orobets. She confirmed to the Kyiv Post that her husband is still on the run, but would not reveal his whereabouts.
Denys Oleinikov, businessman, Croatia
Denys Oleinikov was the owner of the ProstoPrint company that made t-shirts in 2011 mocking President Yanukovych. In September 2011, police raided his company and confiscated equipment, computers and documents. Soon afterwards, Oleinikov fled Ukraine with his family, citing his impending arrest. Oleinikov and his family were granted political asylum in Croatia in December 2012.
Oleksandr Tymoshenko, husband of imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Czech Republic
Oleksandr Tymoshenko, the husband of imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko fled Ukraine in January 2012 and has since been granted asylum in the Czech Republic. He explained that he fled because of “enormous pressure and persecution carried out by the Ukrainian government and the authoritarian regime of President (Viktor) Yanukovych.” His wife is considered by Russia and the West to be a political prisoner.
Bohdan Danylyshyn,
former economy minister in Yulia Tymoshenko’s government, the Czech Republic
Prosecutors launched a criminal case against Bohdan Danylyshyn in August 2010, implicating him in alleged fraud that occurred through the notoriously corrupt state procurement service. Danylyshyn fled the country and was granted political asylum in the Czech Republic. Speaking to the Kyiv Post in 2010, he strongly denied allegations of corruption. “None of the documents about which they are speaking have ever come my way,” he then told the Kyiv Post.
Valeriy Ivashchenko, former acting defense minister in Yulia Tymoshenko’s government, Denmark
Valeriy Ivashchenko was arrested in August 2010 over his alleged involvement in the illegal privatization of a shipbuilding plant in the Crimean port of Feodosiya. In 2012, he was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. Ivashchenko denied any wrongdoing. The verdict and lengthy pre-trial detention of Ivashchenko were criticized by Western governments and human rights groups. On Aug. 14, 2012, a Kyiv appeals court changed the verdict to a suspended prison sentence but, according to Ivashchenko, the general prosecutor tried to cancel the ruling. Fearing another imprisonment, Ivashchenko fled to Denmark, where he was soon granted political asylum.
Mykhailo Pozhyvanov, former official in Yulia Tymoshenko’s government, Austria
The Prosecutor General’s Office issued an arrest warrant for Mykhailo Pozhyvanov, alleging that he embezzled more than $3 million. Pozhyvanov denied any wrongdoing. He fled to Austria, where he currently resides.
Andriy Shkil, former opposition member of parliament, France
Andriy Shkil fled Ukraine in 2012, shortly after the old 2001 criminal case against him was renewed by prosecutors. In 2001, Shkil was accused of organizing mass protests against then-President Leonid Kuchma. Shkil was arrested and spent one year in pre-trial detention, then freed after winning a seat in parliament. The case was renewed in 2012, however, when Shkil lost re-election and lost his legal immunity. Despite the Interior Ministry’s claim that the criminal case against Shkil is closed, he said his property in Kyiv has been seized and it is too dangerous for him to return to Ukraine.
Svitlana Tuchynska is a former Kyiv Post staff writer and can be reached at [email protected].
