Ukraine police investigating interference with Yatsenyuk’s political activity

Ukraine’s National
Police has opened a criminal case investigating interference into the political
activity of Arseniy Yatsenyuk when he served as prime minister in 2014-2016,
including working towards forcing his resignation, the Interior Ministry
announced on May 11. The investigation is considering a possible “conspiracy of
a group of individuals to fulfill this criminal plan,” the statement said.
Among the evidence being considered is recordings and documents gathered by
former MP Oleksandr Onyshchenko, who claims he communicated actively with the
Poroshenko administration and has leaked much alleged evidence of corruption to
the mass media.

In a 2016 interview
with the independent.co.uk news site, Onyshchenko alleged Poroshenko sent him
funds to organize a discreditation campaign – including protests and bribes of
the mass media – against Yatsenyuk. Onyshchenko himself fled Ukraine in 2016 on
criminal charges, including alleged theft from the extraction and sale of
natural gas. He campaigned for parliament as an independent and was elected by
a single-mandate district.

Zenon Zawada: The activities referred to in the
criminal case – hiring workers to engage in political interference, organizing
paid protests, and spreading false and discrediting information in the mass
media – are all standard political tactics that are employed in many countries.
What’s significant about this criminal case is that it’s being filed by the
leaders of the People’s Front – which include Interior Minister Arsen Avakov –
against what is likely to be members of the president’s party and entourage.

So in our view,
either People’s Front leaders are pressuring the Poroshenko Bloc for more
concessions to conduct a political merger (with this criminal case), or they
are already rivals for next year’s elections. The People’s Front party has no
chance to qualify for parliament next year, according to numerous polls. So
this criminal case also means that the People’s Front could merge with the
Fatherland party of leading presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko, or they
are already working in tandem.

The decision of the People’s Front will greatly influence the outcome of
the March presidential elections, largely because Avakov controls the national
police force that will be able to limit or permit the president’s possible
abuse of government resources.