President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration has finally broken silence regarding the news that the U.S. imposed sanctions on seven Ukrainians and four media organizations for attempting to interfere in its 2020 presidential election.
When the sanctions were announced on Jan. 11, eyes were on Zelensky’s administration because the list of sanctioned individuals included Oleksandr Dubinsky, a lawmaker from the president’s Servant of the People party.
Two days later, on Jan. 13, Zelensky’s Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Twitter that the administration will “do everything” to hold responsible the Ukrainians who meddled in the U.S. presidential election.
“For the sake of clarity – regardless of party affiliation, this administration will do everything in its power to hold those responsible for meddling in US elections,” Yermak tweeted.
Earlier, the administration’s advisor in charge of communications, Mykhailo Podoliak, said that the administration doesn’t have to comment on the issue, since it’s the prerogative of the Servant of the People party to do so. However, deputy head of the party’s faction, MP Yevhenia Kravchuk, also refused to comment, saying it was Dubinsky’s “private affair” and he should “answer for himself.”
Dubinsky denied he ever meddled in the U.S. elections. However, in November 2019, Dubinsky and another MP Andriy Derkach held a press conference about the alleged international corruption that involved then-presidential candidate Joseph Biden and his son.
Derkach was sanctioned in September. The U.S. accused him of acting in Russia’s interests and attempting to interfere in the 2020 presidential election in the U.S., which he denied.
Dubinsky said that he will legally challenge the U.S. sanctions.
Dubinsky has long been known for his anti-Western stance, connections to oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, and smear campaigns against pro-Western politicians and anti-corruption activists.
Other Ukrainians included in the U.S. Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List haven’t responded. Among them are former prosecutor Kostyantyn Kulyk, former diplomat Andriy Telizhenko, fugitive lawmaker Oleksandr Onyshchenko and other Derkach’s allies, including Dmytro Kovalchuk, Anton Simonenko and Petro Zhuravel.
Also on the list are Ukrainian websites Era-Media, Only News, Nabuleaks, and Skeptik, who are accused of being fake media sites, spreading disinformation about the U.S. and pro-Western Ukrainian officials.
Read more: Dubinsky, Onyshchenko, Telizhenko sanctioned by US over election interference.
