Latest news with #ViktorMedvedchuk
Russia Today
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
EU sanctions Ukraine's elected opposition leader
The EU has sanctioned exiled Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk as well as 20 other individuals and six entities on accusations of being involved in what it described as 'Russia's destabilizing actions abroad.' Moscow has repeatedly rejected claims of meddling in internal affairs of the bloc's member-states. Medvedchuk, who has been blacklisted by the EU since May 2024, was slapped with additional curbs on Tuesday when the European Council announced its 17th round of sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine conflict. The restrictions against the former leader of Ukraine's banned Opposition Platform – For Life party and the others included an assets freeze in the EU and a ban on entering the bloc or transiting its territory, the council said in a statement. The EU claims that Medvedchuk and his associates Artyom Marchevsky and Oleg Voloshin, who have also been sanctioned, 'controlled Ukrainian media outlets and used them to disseminate pro-Russian propaganda in Ukraine and beyond.' 'Through secret financing of the Voice of Europe media channel – also listed today – and his political platform Another Ukraine, Medvedchuk has promoted policies and actions intended to erode the legitimacy and credibility of the government of Ukraine, in direct support of the foreign policy interests of the Russian Federation and disseminating pro-Russian propaganda,' the statement read. German bloggers Thomas Roeper and Alina Lipp, as well as Turkish journalist Huseyin Dogru, the founder of AFA Medya company, are also among those added to the sanctions list. Medvedchuk used to be the head of the largest opposition faction in the Ukrainian parliament. But after the escalation between Moscow and Kiev, he was branded a traitor and arrested. The 70-year-old businessman and politician spent months in detention before being handed over to Moscow in a prisoner swap in September last year. He has remained in exile in Russia since then, with his Ukrainian citizenship revoked and his party branded illegal, along with a dozen groups that opposed the government of Vladimir Zelensky. Moscow has on many occasions denied accusations of interfering in the electoral processes and internal affairs of EU nations. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously accused the bloc of 'switching from propaganda to direct persecution of media outlets and journalists based on political, ethnic and cultural grounds.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EU Council reveals details of personal sanctions imposed in response to Russia's destabilising activities
The Council of the European Union has disclosed the details of additional personal sanctions imposed in response to Russia's hybrid destabilising activities targeting EU countries and partners. Source: Council of the EU in a press release on 20 May, as reported by European Pravda Details: The EU has imposed additional restrictions on 21 individuals and 6 legal entities linked to Russia's destabilising activities abroad. In addition, the EU Council has made it possible to apply measures against assets such as ships, aircraft, real estate and communication equipment, and financial institutions or companies involved in cryptocurrency, if they are directly or indirectly connected to Russia's destabilising activities. Quote: "In light of the systematic, international Russian campaign of media manipulation and distortion of facts aimed at destabilising neighbouring countries and the EU, the Council will now have the possibility to suspend the broadcasting licences of Russian media outlets under the control of the Russian leadership, and to prohibit them from broadcasting their content in the EU." Details: The measures do not, however, prohibit such media outlets from carrying out other activities in the EU, such as interviews. The sanctioned individuals include Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian businessman and pro-Russian politician to whose daughter Putin is godfather, and his associates Artem Marchevskyi and Oleh Voloshyn, who have promoted pro-Russian propaganda targeting EU countries and Ukraine. Notably, Medvedchuk and Marchevskyi, as well as the media outlet Voice of Europe, have been subject to EU sanctions since May 2024. The specific updates in the current measures are not yet known. The list also includes individuals believed to be involved in attempts to undermine the democratic political process in Estonia and Germany: Alik Khuchbarov and Ilya Bocharov, thought to be operatives from GRU, the Russian military intelligence agency; German blogger Thomas Röper; Russian blogger Alina Lipp; Turkish outlet AFA Medya and its founder Hüseyin Doğru; Elena Kolbasnikova; Yulia Prokhorova; Rostislav Teslyuk; and Andrei Kharkovsky (some of these individuals were previously mentioned in an investigative report by Reuters). Also listed are Viktor Lukovenko and the news company African Initiative, which promotes pro-Russian narratives to African audiences; Justin Blaise Tagouh, CEO of the press group International Africa Media; and Mikhail Prudnikov, also for systematically spreading pro-Russian and anti-Western narratives in Africa; as well as Sylvain Afoua, founder of the Black African Defense League (which France ordered to be disbanded in 2021 for inciting hatred and violence). Among the legal entities on the list is web hosting service Stark Industries, along with its CEO Iurie Neculiti and owner Ivan Neculiti. They are believed to have provided Russian-backed actors with the means to conduct various destabilising activities against the EU and third countries, ranging from disinformation to cyberattacks. Fishing companies Norebo JSC and Murman Sea Food have also been sanctioned, as they are believed to be involved in espionage and sabotage activities supported by Russia, including actions targeting undersea cables. Also on the list are the Main Radio Frequency Center and its director Ruslan Nesterenko, who is considered responsible for large-scale GPS signal jamming over the Baltic states, posing risks to civil aviation. The sanctioned individuals will be subject to an asset freeze and a ban on entering and transiting through the EU, and EU citizens and legal entities will be prohibited from providing them with any funds. Background: These sanctions are part of a series of packages prepared for approval on 20 May. The EU Council has approved the 17th package of EU sanctions against Russia for its war against Ukraine, along with separate sanctions for its use of chemical weapons against Ukraine. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's Media Movement calls for exchange of Russian propagandist Molchanov for Ukrainian journalist Khyliuk
Ukrainian journalists and media professionals, members of Mediarukh (Media Movement), have called on the authorities to exchange the detained Russian "political expert" Kirill Molchanov, a propagandist from the circle of Putin's close friend Viktor Medvedchuk [a former Ukrainian MP and businessman deprived of Ukrainian citizenship – ed.], for Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, who has been in Russian captivity for more than three years. Source: Detector Media with reference to the statement of Mediarukh Details: It is noted that Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khyliuk was abducted by the Russians on 3 March 2022 during the occupation of part of Kyiv Oblast. He was captured in the yard of his home in Kozarovychi near Kyiv. At first, he was held in occupied Dymer, then taken to a detention centre in Russia. The statement notes that Russia does not officially recognise the fact of his captivity, which complicates any attempts to release him. This is due to the fact that international humanitarian law prohibits the detention of civilians in captivity, and therefore there is no official mechanism for the exchange of such people – they must be released outside of the exchange process. Quote: "Since Ukraine already has experience of exchanging civilians in the interests of the state – Viktor Medvedchuk was exchanged for 215 captured Ukrainian defenders – we call on the President of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, and other state structures to release Dmytro Khyliuk from Russian captivity by exchanging him for the suspected collaborator Molchanov." Previously: On 1 April, the Security Service of Ukraine reported that a Russian agent, a "political expert" from the circle of Putin's close friend Viktor Medvedchuk, propagandist Kirill Molchanov, had been transferred to Ukraine. He was initially detained in Poland and is currently being held in a detention centre in Kyiv. Background: According to the Media Initiative for Human Rights, Ukraine is currently aware of 31 Ukrainian journalists abducted by Russian forces and held captive in Russia. Khyliuk was abducted by Russian forces on 3 March 2022 near his home in Kozarovychi, a village in Kyiv Oblast. He was sent through Belarusian territory to Novozybkov, Bryansk Oblast, Russia, which is where most of the citizens who were detained in Kyiv Oblast during the occupation were taken. On 9 July 2024, Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament's Commissioner for Human Rights, said at a briefing that Ukraine had unofficial information on the whereabouts of Dmytro Khyliuk, a correspondent for the UNIAN news agency abducted by the Russians. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poland confirms transfer of Russian agent to Ukraine
Poland has confirmed that it has handed over a Ukrainian citizen suspected of working for Russia to Ukraine. Source: Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak via Polish news agency PAP, as reported by European Pravda Details: The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) earlier announced that Poland had handed over a Russian agent belonging to the entourage of pro-Russian figure Viktor Medvedchuk, who is currently hiding in Russia. Ukrainian media reports suggest the person in question is Kyrylo Molchanov, a "political expert" and propagandist. Commenting on the reports, Siemoniak said that the transfer was a routine legal procedure and part of cooperation between rule-of-law states. Quote: "Suspects wanted for crimes are deported to Poland… and if we have a Ukrainian citizen wanted by Ukraine, we deport them there. This is normal cooperation between states governed by the rule of law… It's routine." More details: In 2022, Molchanov left Ukraine for Russia, where he became one of the key ideologues behind Kremlin-linked media projects. He also became a frequent guest on Russian propaganda television. It was also reported earlier that Polish internal security agency ABW had detained a 47-year-old Ukrainian citizen on suspicion of working for Russian intelligence services. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poland hands over Russian agent Molchanov to Ukraine
Propagandist Kyrylo Molchanov, a Russian agent and so-called "political expert" from Viktor Medvedchuk's media pool, has been handed over to Ukraine at the request from the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), the first such case since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. [Medvedchuk is a Ukrainian businessman and pro-Russian politician to whose daughter Putin is godfather – ed.] Source: SSU; Ukrainska Pravda source in law enforcement Quote from the SSU: "He was initially detained in Poland and is now in one of Kyiv's pre-trial detention centres. The case involves a 'political expert' from the media pool of Viktor Medvedchuk, who is suspected of treason. According to case materials, the individual was recruited and worked simultaneously for two intelligence agencies of the aggressor state: the FSB and Russia's Foreign Intelligence. Under the occupiers' instructions, he was engaged in discrediting Ukraine on the international stage and destabilising the situation in partner countries." Details: The SSU did not name the propagandist, but Ukrainska Pravda has information that it is Molchanov. In 2022, Molchanov left for Russia, where he became one of the key ideologists behind Kremlin-aligned media projects – The Other Ukraine and Voice of Europe. Molchanov was also a frequent guest on talk shows hosted by Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, appearing 35 times in 2023 alone, where he justified Russia's armed aggression and spread disinformation about Ukraine. Additionally, Molchanov organised street protests in the EU to promote Kremlin interests, calling for an end to international support for Ukraine. He publicly called for orchestrating targeted terrorist attacks in Ukraine, using his Telegram channel to regularly share Russian intelligence chatbots that collect reconnaissance data on Ukraine's defence forces. Molchanov was served a notice of suspicion under Article 436-2.3 and Article 111-1.6 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (justification, recognition as legitimate, denial of armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, glorification of its participants and engaging in collaborationist activities). Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
