Ukraine law enforcement conduct searches of rival politicians

The Security Service
of Ukraine (SBU) is conducting searches of the residence of Kostiantyn
Bondarev, the head of the Kyiv organization of the Fatherland party, the party
said in a Sept. 13 release. “About 30 unknown individuals in camouflage with
SBU patches burst” in Bondarev’s suburban Kyiv home, the statement said. They
were also preventing lawyers from meeting with Bondarev. The SBU confirmed with
the pravda.com.ua news site that it’s
investigating Bondarev’s home as part of a criminal case opened on fraud charges.

The same day,
military prosecutors announced they are conducting searches of property
belonging to Oleksandr Bereznikov, a Kyiv city council member with the
Fatherland party. The investigations are in relation to a criminal case
examining tax shelters he created and are unrelated to his political activity,
reported the Prosecutor General’s Office press service.

That evening,
Fatherland party head and founder Yulia Tymoshenko told a television interview
that President Poroshenko is conducting a campaign of political persecution
against her party in order to undermine the campaigns for the 2019 elections.
The pro-EU Fatherland party leads the polls for the parliamentary vote, ahead
of the president’s Poroshenko Bloc. Tymoshenko, who also leads polls for the
presidential elections, ahead of President Poroshenko.

Zenon Zawada: We are confident these actions are
directed by the president in applying pressure against his political rivals, as
he has been doing this year against Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi and former Odesa
regional administration head, Mikheil Saakashvili. Tymoshenko’s support for
Saakashvili’s antics on Sunday has drawn even more wrath from the president, as
we saw yesterday.