” I’m back. » In front of a jubilant crowd, Petro Poroshenko returned to Ukraine on January 17, welcomed as a hero by his supporters at Kiev airport during a skilfully orchestrated publicity stunt. The former Ukrainian president, elected following Viktor Yanukovych fled during the 2014 revolution, left the country on December 20, when the prosecution opened proceedings once morest him. He is notably charged with high treason and “support for a terrorist organization”, in this case to the self-proclaimed separatist republics that have controlled part of eastern Ukraine since 2014.
Charge of high treason
Prosecutors thus assure that Petro Poroshenko, a veteran of local politics but also a wealthy businessman, would have, between 2014 and 2015, facilitated the purchase of coal from companies controlled by pro-Russian insurgents supported by Moscow. To produce its electricity, Kiev depends on 40% of coal-fired power stations, which were supplied before the war from mines now partly in the hands of the separatists. According to the prosecution, the 56-year-old billionaire would have worked with the oligarch and pro-Russian deputy Viktor Medvetchuk, also in the sights of the Ukrainian authorities.
At the beginning of January, a court in Kiev ordered the freezing of the assets of Petro Poroshenko, who notably owns a famous confectionery company in the country, and two influential television channels. Now a member of parliament, the “chocolate king” has been targeted since his defeat in the presidential election in 2019 by dozens of court cases. “Power is confused and weak. Instead of fighting Putin, he is trying to fight us,” launched the ex-president in front of a thousand of his supporters at the airport. Clearly targeting Volodymyr Zelensky, this former political novice comedian who took the presidency in 2019.
Petro Poroshenko and some political observers believe the accusation “politically motivated”. The former president is the main political opponent of Volodymyr Zelensky, and currently second in the opinion polls.
A tense international context
The prosecution requested a few hours following the return of Petro Poroshenko the wearing of the electronic bracelet and a deposit of one billion hryvnias (31 million euros) to avoid the deputy being placed in pre-trial detention. But specialists believe that the case will not be judged for at least a year.
“January 17 is unlikely to be the culmination of the relationship between Poroshenko’s teams and Zelensky, rather it will be an intermediate confrontation, both legal and political,” estimated the political scientist Volodymyr Fessenko just before the return of the ex-president. “Paradoxically, both sides need each other to be the main enemy. »
The showdown between the current and former Ukrainian president comes as Kiev last week watched a week of international talks between Russia and the West over Ukraine end with no progress. Since November, Russia has been amassing its troops and military equipment on the Ukrainian border, raising fears of an offensive. A situation that Petro Poroshenko did not hesitate to integrate into the story of his return: he thus declared to return to his country “to fight for Ukraine and not once morest Zelensky”, whom he accuses of treason once morest Moscow. ” I think that [ces poursuites sont, NDLR] a very irresponsible action by the current leadership to disintegrate the country and ruin its unity,” added the ex-president, referring to the sounds of Russian boots.
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