Ukraine prosecutors ignite public outrage after commander’s arrest

A Kyiv district court placed under two months’ arrest on July 1 Valentyn Lykholit, the former director of the Aidar volunteer battalion headquarters. He was arrested by military prosecutors at the request of the former mayor and deputies of Severodonetsk, who allege Lykholit was involved in the theft of their property in late July 2014, alleged on July 1 Self-Reliance MP Yegor Sobolyev, as reported by pravda.com.ua. The accusers were supporters of the separatist forces when the war in Donbas erupted, Sobolyev alleged.

Numerous protests and fights erupted following Lykholit’s appearance in court, prompting the direct involvement of newly appointed Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko. The investigation in the accusations against him weren’t conducted in full and his detention conditions should be changed in view of his honors from the president, Lutsenko said on July 2. Later that day, the court ruled to release Lykholit under the guaranty of several MPs. That weekend, Lutsenko said that laws should be approved to excuse fighters from civilian crimes committed in a time of war.

Criminal charges have been filed against the former director of a fictitious firm that cooperated with the former leadership of the prosecutor general’s office in embezzling UAH 69 mln in 2013 (USD 8.6 mln at that time), the Prosecutor General’s website reported on July 2. The charges include imposing large material damages to the state, complicity in usurping property in exceptionally large amounts and abuse of authority, among others.

Zenon Zawada: It’s good to see criminal charges filed against the Yanukovych entourage after the arrest of Lykholit, a commander of a volunteer battalion that played a valuable role in the country’s defense against Russian-backed forces at a time when the Ukrainian military was impotent. Lykholit’s defenders – including numerous MPs – say he committed his crimes in defending Ukrainian territory from Russian-backed forces.

Yet the publicity surrounding Lykholit’s arrest, far overshadowing the criminal charges involving the former prosecutors, is the latest black eye for the president. Though not having authority over the military prosecutor’s office, Lutsenko was responsible for doing damage control, showing up for the arraignment and making statements that assured the outraged public that those who risked their lives in the summer of 2014 to protect the country wouldn’t be punished for their actions. The damage control was effective, but only to a limited extent.

Ukraine’s prosecutors must have a systemic and strategic approach to addressing all the various categories of crimes, including those committed by the Yanukovych administration, those committed during the EuroMaidan, those committed during the war and those committed by the post-EuroMaidan state officials. Unfortunately, no systemic approach has yet to be adopted, resulting in the current legal disarray. The Ukrainian public will react sharply to any prosecutions of activists and volunteer battalion fighters, given that no high-ranking officials have yet to be convicted.