Medvedchuk and Kozak under suspicion of treason

The Ukrainian government formally placed MPs Viktor
Medvedchuk and his business partner Taras Kozak under suspicion of treason on May
11, pravda.com.ua reported. Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova signed the
reports and announced it on Facebook on the same day.

The two are under investigation for having passed
information to the government of Russia regarding the location of a hidden
Ukrainian army unit as well as the re-registration of a business in
Russian-occupied Crimea to hide their ownership of the company. Kozak is
currently in Russia, while Medvedchuk is still in Ukraine.

On May 11, Medvedchuk published a press release through
the Opposition Platform – for Life party which he co-founded. Medvedchuk stated
that “everything that happens to me is a political massacre for my principled
political position.”

James Hydzik: The fact
that a prosecutor general can take such action shows how far Medvedchuk’s star
has fallen in Ukrainian politics. The cache of being the godfather of Putin’s
daughter was not enough to rally Russian-leaning voters away from President
Zelensky’s Servant of the People party, as the presidential and following
by-election have shown. Moreover, splits between Ukraine-focused and
Russia-focused oligarchs and voters further shortened his base.

Whether the case progresses from formal suspicion to
being indicted on charges or not, the move does continue to pressure and
marginalize the head of the most openly pro-Russian faction in Ukraine.
However, this is a domestic issue, as the Kremlin did little when Medvedchuk’s
TV channels were closed down and is unlikely to do more at this time. The U.S.
will note the event, but even convicting Medvedchuk would not be connected to
the quality of governance reform which Washington is expecting.