Prosecutors on March 26 charged three members of pro-Kremlin lawmaker Viktor Medvedchuk’s political movement Ukrainian Choice with treason and infringing on Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Their names were not disclosed.
Medvedchuk, who has not been charged yet, is a close ally of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Medvedchuk has openly touted his ties to the Russian president, and his Ukrainian Choice group has espoused the most radical pro-Kremlin agenda among Ukrainian parties, including the promotion of pro-Russian separatism by turning Ukraine into a federation.
In 2004, Putin became the godfather of Medvedchuk’s daughter. Putin was also filmed dining with Medvedchuk’s family in their residence in Crimea in 2012.
Medvedchuk is also one of the leaders of the Opposition Platform-For Life, a pro-Russian party with 44 seats in parliament. The party reacted to the treason investigation of Medvedchuk by arguing that the case was “an attempt to intimidate opposition politicians that represent Ukraine’s most influential and popular (opposition) party.”
Two of the suspects were members of Sevastopol’s so-called “self-defense” group, a Russian proxy group that acted during the annexation of Crimea in 2014, according to the prosecutor’s office of Crimea, a Ukrainian prosecution unit in exile.
They also took part in the organization of the rigged referendum on the annexation, the prosecutors said. The third one took part in rallies in support of the annexation in Sevastopol.
The three suspects were awarded medals by Russia for their role in the annexation.
The Ukrainian Choice’s offices and one of Medvedchuk’s residences were searched by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on March 25. Medvedchuk was interrogated by the SBU on March 9.
On Feb. 2, Zelensky signed a decree issuing personal sanctions against pro-Russian lawmaker Taras Kozak, a Medvedchuk ally, and his three nationwide TV channels – NewsOne, Channel 112, and ZIK. As a result of Zelensky’s decree, the channels were immediately shut down.
The sanctions mean a five-year restriction on financial operations, freezing of assets, the nullification of all permits and licenses issued to Kozak and to companies he officially owns.
On Feb. 19, the National Security and Defense Council also imposed sanctions on Medvedchuk himself.
The High Anti-Corruption Court on Feb. 23 also ordered the seizure of an oil product pipeline that is allegedly controlled by Medvedchuk. The politician denies owning it.
