U.S. Embassy warns Ukraine on justice system
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has expressed concerns about Ukraine’s justice system at a time when the State Bureau of Investigations (known by its Ukrainian acronym as DBR) and the Prosecutor General’s Office are considering arresting former President Petro Poroshenko amid a spate of investigations involving him. In a statement posted on Facebook on June 18, the Embassy wrote in a thinly veiled message that didn’t mention Mr. Poroshenko by name that all “citizens in a democracy deserve to be treated equally and fairly under the law” and that “The justice system should not be used for the purpose of settling political scores.” Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office and the DBR have said that Mr. Poroshenko was officially informed that he is a suspect in one of more than 20 cases implicating his possible involvement, adding that they are seeking Mr. Poroshenko’s pretrial arrest. However, on June 18, prosecutors said at the hearing on possible pretrial restrictions for Mr. Poroshenko at the Pechera District Court that they were not seeking the pretrial arrest of the former president, but other restrictions instead. The hearing was then adjourned until July 1. The U.S. Embassy post came a day after Donald Tusk, the president of the European People’s Party (EPP), expressed his party’s concerns over probes launched against Mr. Poroshenko after he lost a 2019 presidential election to the current Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “The EPP is very concerned by political cases against former President Poroshenko. The charges should not resemble politically motivated persecution, nor be politically motivated against select political opponents,” Mr. Tusk wrote on Twitter on June 17. Last week, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine issued a statement saying that any political motivation in the activities of law enforcement agencies and the initiation of criminal cases, in particular, against the former president is inexcusable. A billionaire confectioner, Mr. Poroshenko currently serves as a member of Parliament. His party ran on a pro-European, anti-Russian ticket in July 2019 parliamentary elections, winning 25 seats. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
EU extends Crimea sanctions by a year
The European Union has rolled over for another year sanctions imposed over Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. EU member states “decided to renew the sanctions introduced in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation until June 23, 2021,” the European Council said in a statement on June 18. The restrictive measures were introduced in 2014 as a response to Russia’s forcible seizure of Crimea in March 2014 after Moscow sent in troops and staged a referendum dismissed as illegal by at least 100 countries. The sanctions include prohibitions targeting the imports of products originating in Crimea into the EU, as well as infrastructural or financial investments and tourism services on the peninsula. Goods and technologies for the transport, telecommunications and energy sectors also cannot be exported to Crimean companies or for use on the peninsula. Separately, the EU has imposed a raft of economic sanctions related to Russia’s support for militants in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014. These sanctions targeting Russia are set to expire on July 31. Reuters quoted diplomatic sources and officials as saying that the 27 national EU leaders are expected on June 19 to back extending the restrictive measures for another six months – until the end of January 2021. In Moscow, the head of the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry’s European Cooperation Department, Nikolai Kobrinets, told Interfax that “life under sanctions can be hard, and they’re doing a lot of harm to our economy, yet we adapt.” (RFE/RL, with reporting by Reuters and Interfax)
Poroshenko blames Yanukovych for weak army
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says that only 20 percent of the country’s armed forces were combat-efficient when Russia annexed Crimea following the toppling of Russia-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in early 2014. Mr. Poroshenko told the Kyiv Court of Appeals on June 15 during his testimony at a hearing into an appeal by Mr. Yanukovych against his high-treason conviction that the Ukrainian Army at the time of the invasion was extremely weak, a state Mr. Poroshenko blamed on Mr. Yanukovych. “The army did not have enough gasoline, batteries, clothes, bulletproof vests,” Mr. Poroshenko said, adding that Mr. Yanukovych bears full responsibility for the situation in 2014. Mr. Yanukovych’s lawyers filed the appeal challenging a Kyiv court’s January 24 decision to sentence the former leader in absentia to 13 years in prison on a high-treason charge. In early February, they also filed a lawsuit against the State Bureau of Investigation, alleging crimes by government officials, including judges who took part in trials against Mr. Yanukovych. Mr. Yanukovych has called the sentence “illegal” and denied guilt in several other probes launched against him after he fled Ukraine for Moscow in late-February 2014 in the wake of deadly pro-European rallies known as the Euro-Maidan, during which more than 100 protesters were killed. Weeks after Mr. Yanukovych’s flight to Russia, Moscow seized and illegally annexed Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and fomented unrest and backed militants in Ukraine’s eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, where some 13,200 people have been killed in the ensuing conflict since April 2014. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
Canada’s PM speaks with Ukraine’s president
The Office of Canada’s Prime Minister reported on June 15: “Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Prime Minister Trudeau and President Zelenskyy discussed the COVID-19 situation in Canada and Ukraine, and the significant measures being taken to protect the health and well-being of their citizens. President Zelenskyy thanked Prime Minister Trudeau for the humanitarian support Canada has provided to assist Ukraine in fighting the disease. The two leaders spoke about the deep and strong bonds shared by Canada and Ukraine. Prime Minister Trudeau reaffirmed Canada’s ongoing commitment to Ukraine’s prosperity, security and territorial integrity. They agreed on the importance of Operation UNIFIER and the good news that Canadian Armed Forces personnel are returning to Ukraine this month to resume training in support of the Security Forces of Ukraine. The Office of the Prime Minister also noted that Messrs. Trudeau and Zelenskyy look forward “to continuing Canada and Ukraine’s strong partnership – at the United Nations, at NATO, and in other international organizations – in order to advance shared priorities.” (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
Canadian troops to leave for Ukraine
The Canadian Press reported on June 14 that the Canadian Armed Forces are deploying military trainers back to Ukraine as it looks to restart some of the many missions and exercises temporarily suspended or scaled back because of COVID-19. Canada first deployed around 200 troops to Ukraine to train local forces in the basics of soldiering in 2015, but that mission and several others were suspended in early April as COVID-19 forced countries around the world into lockdown. While a skeleton force of about 60 service members has been holding the fort for the past two months, Forces spokesperson Capt. Leah Campbell said another 90 soldiers will soon join them with an eye to resuming the mission. “Following a reassessment of the situation, including an analysis of force health protection measures and the risk posed by COVID-19, the decision was made to deploy another 90 of these members,” Capt. Campbell said in an e-mail on June 15. “These personnel will deploy in June 2020, and observe a 14-day isolation period on arrival in Ukraine. On completion of this isolation period, they will be prepared to resume their mission of supporting the Security Forces of Ukraine.” Another 50 troops will remain in Canada for now, she added, “and will deploy to engage in training as soon as conditions permit.” The decision to restart the Ukraine mission represents the latest move by the Armed Forces to resume some of the many activities that were suspended because of the pandemic, The Canadian Press noted. (Ukrainian Canadian Congress Daily Briefing)
Sternenko placed under house arrest
A court in Kyiv has placed under house arrest the controversial former leader of a far-right Ukrainian paramilitary group suspected of premeditated murder and possession of an illegal bladed weapon in the killing of a man he claims was self-defense. After violent protests by his supporters outside, the Shevchenko district court ruled late on June 15 that Serhiy Sternenko, who once led the Right Sector group in the city of Odesa, will remain under house arrest for 60 days as investigations into the high-profile case continue. Police said that five demonstrators were detained. Lawmaker Roman Lozynsky, who came to the site of the protests, said the police did not allow him to meet with detained individuals and assaulted him. After photos and videos appeared online showing police beating the demonstrators, Kyiv police officials said on June 15 they had launched an internal investigation. Mr. Sternenko was attacked by two men late in the evening on May 26, 2018, while walking with his girlfriend. He fought off the attackers, suffering numerous head injuries and a cut to his arm in the process. Mr. Sternenko injured one of the assailants who later died in hospital. Mr. Sternenko and his supporters have insisted that it was self-defense. But investigators say that after Mr. Sternenko defended himself using his knife, the attackers fled the scene. Mr. Sternenko, whose life and health were no longer in danger, then reportedly chased one of them and stabbed him several times, inflicting wounds that led to the man’s death, investigators say. The attack was the third against Mr. Sternenko in three months. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
Clash with Pro-Russian activists in Kyiv
Hundreds of activists supporting the pro-Russian Party of Shariy have clashed with Ukrainian nationalist groups in Kyiv near the office of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Some 500 activists from the Party of Shariy, which was founded by the controversial pro-Russian Ukrainian blogger Anatoliy Shariy, rallied in front of the president’s office on June 17, urging him to stop police brutality toward protesters. Some 200 activists of the radical nationalist group Democratic Ax had also gathered at the site for what they called for “a moralizing talk on the theme Kyiv – the Ukrainian city.” Reports say activists from the nationalist group started throwing firecrackers and smoke grenades at the activists from the Party of Shariy after they began marching toward the Internal Affairs Ministry, which led to clashes between the two groups. Police intervened to restore order. The pro-Russian group was upset about what happened on June 15 outside a court in Kyiv, when a former leader of a far-right Ukrainian paramilitary group in Odesa, Serhiy Sternenko, was placed under house arrest. After the June 15 demonstration, photos and videos appeared online showing police beating the demonstrators. Kyiv police officials say they have launched an internal investigation into the incident. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
McDonald’s says ‘no’ to Russian language
A move by McDonald’s in Ukraine to say “nyet” to the Russian language on its electronic kiosks has left a bad taste in the mouths of some of its customers. McDonald’s new language policy quietly took effect over the weekend until it was noticed by noted Ukrainian blogger Anatoliy Shariy, who is well-known for his strong pro-Russia stance. Some defended the decision by McDonald’s, while Mr. Shariy and others criticized the fast-food chain, claiming that the policy discriminates against Ukraine’s Russian-speaking population. For its part, McDonald’s said in a statement that the move was made in accordance with the law, which establishes Ukrainian as the main language of communication in the country. “All official documentation, advertising communication, communication on social networks, information on the website and in the consumer’s corners are conducted in the state (Ukrainian) language,” McDonald’s said, adding that Ukrainian is also a priority in communicating with customers but that “employees are always ready to switch to Russian if asked.” Ukraine’s Embassy in the United States found the move to its liking, thanking McDonald’s for giving priority to Ukrainian: “We totally understand @McDonalds, names of food in Ukrainian sound much yummier. Many thanks to the company for their firm position regarding Ukrainian language in the menus of McDonald’s stores in Ukraine. Now we can say: Learn Ukrainian with McDonald’s.” (RFE/RL, with reporting by Hromadske and the BBC)
Official ‘detained’ over fatal acid attack
Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officers have reportedly detained the head of the regional council in Kherson and are bringing him to Kyiv, where his pretrial arrest will be decided in a case where he is suspected of ordering a deadly attack on anti-corruption activist Kateryna Handzyuk in 2018. A member of Kherson’s Dnipro District Council, Oleksandr Vlasov, said on June 16 that Vladyslav Manher was detained while at a hospital early in the morning and is being transported to Kyiv. Mr. Manher, who has denied any involvement in the attack, has failed to show up at the Pechera district court in Kyiv twice since last week, citing his own health problems, as well as those of his daughter. On June 15, after Mr. Manher’s representatives told the court that he was at a Kherson hospital and therefore unable to attend the hearing, the court ruled that he must be brought by force. Handzyuk, a 33-year-old civil activist and adviser to the mayor of the Black Sea port city of Kherson, died in November 2018, three months after she was severely injured in an acid attack. Prosecutors arrested Mr. Manher in February 2019 and charged him with ordering the attack. Mr. Manher was later released on bail. In June 2019, five men were sentenced to prison terms of between three and six and a half years for organizing and executing the attack, after they made plea deals with investigators. Human rights activists have accused Ukrainian law enforcement agencies of failing to thoroughly investigate the growing number of attacks on activists, and even of collusion with the perpetrators in some cases. (RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service)
Ruling in favor of government in PrivatBank case
Ukraine’s Supreme Court has reversed a lower-court decision in favor of the government in a landmark case related to state-owned PrivatBank. The top court’s ruling on June 15 means the government does not have to pay back more than 1 billion hrv ($37 million U.S.) to two brothers who lost their savings in the 2016 nationalization of Ukraine’s largest lender. The victory came days after Ukraine struck a $5 billion agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that was partly contingent on its handling of the PrivatBank issue. Resolving lingering issues over PrivatBank and securing the IMF deal are viewed as key tests for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to deliver on promised reforms and tackling deep-rooted vested interests. Ukraine’s central bank had recognized the tycoon brothers, Ihor and Hryhoriy Surkis, as related parties and included money from their deposits at PrivatBank in a bail-in. The Surkis brothers, known as associates of the former owner of PrivatBank, Ihor Kolomoisky, challenged that decision in court, forcing the central bank to defend its actions. Mr. Kolomoisky lost control over PrivatBank in 2016, when the central bank took it over after it failed stress tests and was deemed to be undercapitalized. An independent audit later concluded that PrivatBank had conducted “large-scale and coordinated fraud” for at least 10 years before its takeover by the state. U.S.-based corporate investigative firm Kroll and attorneys at AlixPartners also found a hole of at least $5.5 billion in the bank’s balance sheet. Mr. Kolomoisky has denied wrongdoing and maintains that he is the rightful owner of the bank, which he has vowed to regain control over. The central bank and PrivatBank had worried that a victory for the Surkis brothers would have opened up other claims, particularly from Mr. Kolomoisky. (RFE/RL, with reporting by RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service and Reuters)
Officials offered $6 million to drop probe
Ukrainian officials say they were offered $6 million in bribes to end a criminal investigation into the head of a gas company where the son of former U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden served on the board. Ukraine’s anti-corruption prosecutor, Nazar Kholodnitskiy, told a press conference in Kyiv on June 13 that neither of the Bidens was connected to the alleged bribe attempt. The Burisma natural gas company was at the center of a scandal leading to U.S. President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Joe Biden is Mr. Trump’s Democratic challenger in the November presidential election. “The total confiscated was $6 million. This a record amount for a bribe in Ukraine, as far as I remember,” said Artem Sytnyk, the head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, during the news conference. Messrs. Kholodnitskiy and Sytnyk said the bribe was intended to encourage their offices to drop a probe into Mykola Zlochevsky, the head of Burisma and a former minister of ecology. Mr. Zlochevsky is suspected of using his ministerial position for personal gain. In a statement, Burisma said the company had nothing to do with the bribe attempt. (RFE/RL, based on reporting by AP and Reuters)