Treason Charges Brought Against MPs Medvedchuk and Kozak

Ukrainian MPs Viktor Medvedchuk and Taras Kozak were served with the notices of charges based on the case files of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

Chief of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov and Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova made a corresponding statement at a briefing.

As both defendants were absent at their place of residence and written notices of charges could not be served personally, they were sent (pursuant to Chapters 6 and 11 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine) to the last known places of residence and the administration of their place of work, i.e., to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

In particular, Medvedchuk and Kozak are suspected of treason and attempted plunder of national resources in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea (Part 1 of Article 111, Part 3 of Article 15, and Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the investigation, in 2015, the defendants entered into a preliminary conspiracy with a high-ranking Russian government official with the purpose of mineral production on the Black Sea shelf (in the maritime economic zone of Ukraine, which is temporarily occupied by Russia).

“I will explain what we are talking about: after the annexation of the peninsula, the occupiers began a kind of ‘nationalisation’ of enterprises, resources, and other property. The process of illegal re-registration of legal entities started. And Ukrainian politicians joined the development of a deposit in the occupied territory and actually help the aggressor state, which took the field away!” said SBU chief Bakanov outlining the details.

The briefing participants made public the audio recordings of conversations, in which the details of re-registering Kyiv’s “Novi Proyekty” LLC in Russia and obtaining agreements and licenses under Russian law were discussed.

The SBU chief stressed that the results of expert examinations confirmed the authenticity of Viktor Medvedchuk’s voice and his handwriting in the revised letter addressed to Putin on behalf of the company.

Thus, the damage to the economic security of Ukraine, plunder of national possessions in the occupied territories, and assistance to a foreign state are evident.

Another episode of the criminal proceedings concerns the transfer of information containing a state secret to the special services of the Russian Federation.

“This episode happened in August 2020. Mr. Medvedchuk sent Kozak, who was then on Russian territory, secret information about the location of a hidden military unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, its personnel, and combat training. The information was provided for the special services of the Russian Federation,” Bakanov said.

The Security Service of Ukraine is also investigating subversive activities against Ukraine, in particular in the context of development of the anti-Ukrainian project “Promin.”

“At first glance, the project is related to the creation of an organisation that will take care of Ukrainians who go to work and study in Russia. However, the real goal is to create an infrastructure of influence in favour of the Russian Federation. The mechanisms of the ‘Promin’ project aimed to help collect personal data of Ukrainians, to recruit them, to influence the domestic policy of our state, to disseminate propaganda. Thus, it is an anti-Ukrainian project,” Bakanov noted.

Earlier, the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine imposed economic sanctions on Viktor Medvedchuk, Taras Kozak, and a number of companies affiliated with them.

Natalia Tolub