DISINFO: EU is hypocritical: Medvedchuk’s arrest is equivalent to poisoning of Kremlin critics and annexation of Crimea
SUMMARY
Europe’s reaction to the charging of Viktor Medvedchuk is appalling and hypocritical. There is hysteria whenever Russia allegedly poisons someone or annexes territory, yet nothing is being said about the charging of Medvedchuk. The whole case against Medvedchuk is built on false pretences. He is becoming increasingly inconvenient for the authorities in Kyiv, which is why they are isolating him as much as possible.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin media consistently accuse the West of “hypocrisy” and having “double standards” by presenting a distorted version of events, in this case regarding the recent charging of a pro-Russian politician in Ukraine with treason.
Viktor Medvedchuk, leader of the pro-Russian party Opposition Platform - For Life, along with his associate Taras Kozak, were charged on 11 May 2021 with treason for reportedly abetting Russian forces in the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Two days after that Medvedchuk was placed under pre-trial house arrest by order of the Pechera district court. According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), there is “substantial evidence” that Medvedchuk cooperated with Russian forces in Crimea in 2014. Medvedchuk defended himself by claiming that he was authorized to act in an official capacity in Crimea by then Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov. However, this was staunchly denied by Turchynov soon after.
Notably, Medvedchuk is one of the most popular pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine and is known for his friendship with Putin, whom he has met numerous times. In fact, Putin is godfather to Medvedchuk’s daughter. Medvedchuk was placed on a sanctions list by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in March 2014 for his involvement in the annexation of Crimea by Russia that same month, referring to him as a “Crimea-based separatist leader” who “acted as a liaison between Yanukovych and Putin”. In a 2018 interview for a Western outlet, Medvedchuk repeated several disinformation narratives proliferated by the Kremlin, including the notions that the US is interfering in Ukraine’s internal affairs and that Russia is a belligerent actor in the War in Ukraine.
No equivalence can be drawn between Medvedchuk’s arrest and Russia’s aggressive foreign and domestic policy. The annexation of Crimea and the series of poisonings against prominent Kremlin opponents in the past decade, both in Russia and abroad, were conducted by Russian authorities in serious breach of international norms. Sergei Skripal and Alexei Navalny barely survived after being poisoned with Novichok, a Russian nerve agent, in 2018 and 2020 respectively.
In contrast, Medvedchuk will have a trial under Ukrainian law, which can be expected to be scrutinized by experts inside and outside Ukraine. The trial itself poses serious risks to Ukraine’s current administration due to fact that Ukraine’s judiciary is widely perceived as corrupt and Kremlin is already presenting the case as politically motivated. According to experts, this is a primary reason why the charges against Medvedchuk must be substantiated with strong evidence and through a fair trial.
Contrary to the claims made in the article, the EU does not stay silent when it has concerns over human rights abuses in Ukraine, regardless of who the affected party is. This was evidenced in February 2021, when the EU raised concerns over the seizing of three television stations belonging to Taras Kozak (Medvedchuk’s close ally), stressing that Ukrainian authorities need to act “in full respect of fundamental rights and freedoms”.
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