Press Secretary of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Larysa Sargan has said the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) opened a criminal case against leader of the Ukrainian Choice organization Viktor Medvedchuk, who is known for his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, on charges of treason and encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The case was initiated due to Medvedchuk's notorious statement at the party congress about the need to create the so-called "Donbas autonomous region" with the formation of its own parliament and government, as well as to enshrine this status in the Constitution of Ukraine.
Read alsoPutin's crony Medvedchuk seeks to create Donbas Autonomous Region, amend Constitution
"Considering that under Article 1 of the Ukrainian Constitution, Ukraine is a unitary state, its territorial structure is enshrined in Article 133 of this Law, as well as the fact that Russia by providing self-proclaimed 'Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics' ('DPR,' 'LPR') with soldiers, weapons and other materials conducts aggressive actions against Ukraine, the proclamation of the concept of creating the 'Donbas Autonomous Region' contributes to the legislative consolidation of the temporarily occupied territory, contrary to the Fundamental Law and provides the foreign state with assistance in subversive activities against Ukraine, including information warfare," Sargan wrote on Facebook.
Thus, Medvedchuk's actions have signs of crimes under Part 1 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine) and Part 1 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason).
"There is presently a real threat that the temporarily occupied areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions could violently be torn apart from Ukraine. Therefore, the calls proclaimed at the party congress is an ideal combination when the same person's actions constitute responsibility under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, two offenses. In this case, the calls were voiced to redraw the boundaries of Ukraine while the Russian Federation assists in subversive activities against Ukraine, as well as supports aggression and separatism," she added.
The materials of the criminal cases will be transferred to the SBU Security Service of Ukraine.
