Law enforcement authorities conduct search of EuroMaidan museum

Law enforcement authorities conducted a search of the
Museum of the Revolution of Dignity on Nov. 19 that it said was part of an
investigation of alleged misappropriation of budget funds of about UAH 110 mln,
the pravda.com.ua news site said. The search occurred just as the museum was
hosting an international academic forum and preparing for the six-year
anniversary of the EuroMaidan revolt, a museum official wrote on its Facebook
page. A spokeswoman for a Kyiv prosecutor’s office said the search was not
related to commemorations, but the failure of a subcontractor to carry out work
for the museum, despite having receiving an advanced payment of about UAH 110
mln, or 80% of the contract’s value. The EuroMaidan revolts began on Nov. 21,
2013, having started as a peaceful protest.

Renat Kuzmin, an MP with the pro-Putin Opposition
Platform For Life party, submitted in recent weeks a criminal complaint of
state overthrow against the leaders of the EuroMaidan protest with the
Prosecutor General’s Office. Since then, a court has required the complaint to
undergo pretrial investigation, including questioning those accused and Kuzmin
himself, prosecutor Oleksiy Donskiy told the pravda.com.ua news site on Nov.
19. He stressed that changes need to be made to the law that will enable
investigators and prosecutors to filter similar complaints and avoid conducting
pretrial investigations, owing to an absence of justified information of an
alleged crime. Among those accused are former acting President Oleksandr
Turchynov, former PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk, former Parliamentary Speaker Andriy
Parubiy, and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Zenon Zawada: We believe both the search of the museum, and Renat Kuzmin’s
complaint, are certainly part of a Russian disinformation campaign in Ukraine.
It is aimed at promoting the narrative that the EuroMaidan revolt was illegal,
and all those involved organized it merely to get to power, take advantage and
steal budget funds, having merely used the pretext of pursuing some kind of
ideals. The news of the search, as well as Kuzmin’s complaint, will likely be
replayed by Ukraine’s Russian-oriented television networks throughout the
weekend to discredit the EuroMaidan in the minds of the public. The goal of
such disinformation is to prepare the public psychologically for the emergence
of a pro-Russian government once President Zelensky departs.