The Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office has charged MP Oleksandr Dubinsky and former MP Andriy Derkach, along with ex-prosecutor Konstantin Kulik, with treason and forming a criminal group to undermine Ukraine and assist Russia.
They allegedly received more than $10m from the General Staff of the Russian Ministry of Defense to spread propaganda and discredit a 2019 US presidential candidate. Additionally, they’re accused of funding private security firms in Ukraine that were pre-assigned to assist a Russian invasion when needed.
The belief that there has been treason at the highest levels of the state has characterized Ukraine’s politics for some time. Indeed, just weeks before Russia’s all-out war of aggression was launched in February 2022, the British government published intelligence naming a number of Ukrainians with links to Russian intelligence. The FSB was credibly reported to have very significant and extensive networks of Ukrainians across the country, especially in local government.
The three men charged on November 13 are of some interest.
For two decades, Dubinsky was a political journalist and a blogger until he was elected to parliament in 2019 for the pro-Zelenskyy party, Servant of the People. Former deputy Derkach, the son of the country’s former Security Service (SBU) head, Leonid Derkach, was a member of several parties, including the banned pro-Russian “Party of the Regions”. He and Kulyk, the former military prosecutor of the anti-terrorist operation in the East of Ukraine, fled the country after the launch of the full-scale invasion.
All three are already sanctioned by the United States for spreading fake news with the aim of interfering in the 2020 US presidential elections. Their activities sought to undermine the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the US. According to a 2019 New York Times report, it was Kulyk who presented a document that formed the basis of corruption allegations against President Biden’s son, Hunter.
The suspects face up to 15 years in prison under two articles of the Criminal Code — treason, and the creation and management of a criminal community or criminal organization, as well as participation in it. The investigation revealed that the alleged criminal organization was created by the deputy head of the Russian GRU, Volodymyr Alekseev, and managed by his deputy, Oleksiy Savin, from Russian territory.
The investigation details personal meetings of the Ukrainian politicians with officials of Russia’s General Staff and a Ukrainian intermediary, who was previously an associate of the Soviet Union’s Ministry of Defense Main Intelligence Directorate. The latter individual has already been imprisoned and is cooperating with Ukrainian law enforcement.
Earlier this year another MP Olexandr Ponomaryov, was also accused of treason. The politician managed to come to an understanding with the Russian special services to allow the continuing work of his enterprises in occupied Berdyansk, where he spent several months. Another case is ex-MP Yevhen Murayev, owner of TV channels NASH and NewsOne that were spreading Russian narratives. Murayev was one of those named by British intelligence just before the Russian invasion as a Kremlin ally.
The CHESNO Movement has created an online register called “Z state traitors”. The civil society initiative works with the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, the DEJURE Foundation, and the NGO Anti-Corruption Headquarters. It includes a contributor button marked “To surrender a traitor.”
As of now, the register contains around 1,200 alleged collaborators with the Russian Federation. All suspects are divided into categories — politicians, judges and lawyers, media professionals, law enforcement representatives, clergy, and celebrities. Among politicians there are 19 former and eight current MPs. Several have been already indicted for treason, including Nestor Shufrych, Viktor Medvedchuk, Renat Kuzmin, and Oleg Voloshyn.
Such work supports state efforts on national security protection. In March 2022, the Ukrainian parliament adopted the law on collaboration. It lists actions that may be considered collaboration. Among other things, it includes denial of the Russian aggression and the establishment and approval of the temporary occupation of Ukrainian territory. Other possible charges include appeals to support the decisions and/or actions of the aggressor state, transfer of material resources to illegal armed or paramilitary formations, pro-Russian propaganda, and other offenses.
The government plans a state register of those committing treason, but this will require a court ruling. According to National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danylov, the President urged its compilation once names had been vetted by the SBU. All regional military-civilian administrations, ministries, and other bodies were requested to provide the Council with information.
But whatever measures are taken, Russia will continue its relentless espionage campaign against Ukraine. It needs a similarly relentless campaign to root them out.
Elena Davlikanova is a Democracy Fellow with the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA.) She is an experienced researcher, who in 2022 conducted the studies ‘The Work of the Ukrainian Parliament in Wartime’ and ‘The War of Narratives: The Image of Ukraine in Media.’
Iurii Bystro is an intern at CEPA.
Europe’s Edge is CEPA’s online journal covering critical topics on the foreign policy docket across Europe and North America. All opinions expressed on Europe’s Edge are those of the author alone and may not represent those of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis. CEPA maintains a strict intellectual independence policy across all its projects and publications.
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