Ukraine regional official says paramilitaries engaged in organized crime

The fighters of Praviy Sektor, Ukraine’s leading paramilitary organization, will face criminal charges of banditry for the July 11 gunfight in Mukacheve that killed three and injured more than a dozen, said on July 20 Hennadiy Moskal, the head of the Zakarpattia regional administration. He said 13 suspects are being pursued, most of which are still hiding in the Carpathian Mountains. They face five to 15 years in prison.

The fighters also stand accused by local residents of kidnapping and torture, extortion, theft, and possession of illegal firearms, Moskal said. “This was practically a crime racket, simple earning of money and the worst is that it was all done under the guise of patriotic slogans,” he said. Local police have a pile of complaints from victims who were afraid to turn to law enforcement bodies or didn’t believe the criminals would be prosecuted, he said.

Zenon Zawada: Moskal’s actions and statements confirm the Ukrainian government, led by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, sees the nation’s leading paramilitary organization as an enemy that needs to be liquidated, or brought under its control. Moskal’s statements are intended to deconstruct the image of Praviy Sektor as modern-day Robin Hoods fighting a corrupt establishment. Whether these claims are true or not is unclear, and we have no doubt that Praviy Sektor’s leadership will deny the accusations of crime.

The bigger picture here is whether the government will be effective in its newly launched campaign to eliminate the influence of paramilitaries. In our view, the radicals still enjoy solid public support, which was also confirmed in a poll released on July 20, in which Praviy Sektor’s party could qualify for parliament (meeting the 5% threshold). So the government is better off improving its own work – with reforms, fighting corruption and fighting the war – to earn the public trust, rather than going after radicals that could gain even more public sympathy as victims of political persecution.