Ex-President Petro Poroshenko based his entire electoral strategy on presenting himself as the only bulwark against Russian aggression and the only true patriot among Ukrainian politicians.
Yet leaked recordings published by the Bihus.Info investigative journalism project in May-June reveal that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s main Ukrainian ally, Viktor Medvedchuk, was a key business and political partner of Poroshenko.
Medvedchuk has allegedly discussed introducing an intermediary company, believed to be controlled by Poroshenko, into Ukrainian power supplies to the Russian-annexed Crimea, according to the tapes. Medvedchuk has also allegedly delayed a prisoner of war exchange with Russia and its proxies in order to help Poroshenko stage a publicity stunt.
There’s nothing new here: This newspaper and other independent media have reported on the Poroshenko-Medvedchuk alliance for years. The tapes just confirm a well-known fact.
Poroshenko’s fan club is in denial. After portraying all of the former president’s critics as Kremlin agents for years, now they find the tables turned against them.
But “Medvedchukgate” is entirely logical. Many knew that Poroshenko used pseudo-patriotic rhetoric as a façade for a kleptocratic regime ready to sell out to anyone, including the aggressor country.
Poroshenko’s successor, Volodymyr Zelensky, has tried to show that he’s different and sanctioned Medvedchuk. Zelensky’s loyal prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova, has charged Medvedchuk with high treason.
This is a good beginning but there is a cause for concern: Medvedchuk has connections that he can use to fight off the attack.
Lawyer Maksym Yakubovsky, a former employee of Medvedchuk, is still one of Venediktova’s deputies.
Andriy Kholodov, who is still a lawmaker from Zelensky’s party, is also linked to Medvedchuk. Oksana Marchenko, Medvedchuk’s wife, became the godmother of Kholodov’s son in 2018.
Zelensky’s friend Ivan Bakanov, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, attended a birthday party of Medvedchuk’s business associate, oligarch Grigory Surkis in 2019, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Given this, we’re anxious to see if the Medvedchuk case is a real thing or a PR stunt that will result in nothing.
Meanwhile, Poroshenko was charged with abuse of power in 2020. However, the case is dubious and has stalled for a year. So far, there is no indication that Poroshenko will be successfully prosecuted for corruption.
We are rooting with equal enthusiasm for a fair investigation and prosecution of both — Medvedchuk and Poroshenko.
