Criminal proceedings against Viktor Medvedchuk opened over high treason, encroachment on Ukraine’s territorial integrity

"On February 5, 2019, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, at the request of MP Andriy Teteruk, entered the information about the commission of criminal offenses by leader of organization "Ukrainian Choice - People's Right" Viktor Medvedchuk under Part 1 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Trespass against territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine) and Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (High treason) into the unified register of pre-trial investigations," Spokesperson for the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine Larysa Sarhan posted on Facebook.

According to her, leader of the pro-Russian organization "Ukrainian Choice - People's Right" and head of the political council of the party “Opposition platform - for life" Viktor Medvedchuk made a bold statement at the party congress on January 29, 2019 in Kyiv, underscoring the need for creation of the so-called "autonomous Donbas region"with the formation of its own parliament and government and enshrinement of such a status in the Constitution of Ukraine.

Sarhan argued that Medvedchuk's plan-concept envisaged the creation of the autonomous region “Donbas” as part of Ukraine. Medvedchuk believes that such agreements on the status of Donbas may be achieved in the quadrangle Kyiv-Donetsk-Luhansk-Moscow.

"Taking into account the fact that Ukraine is a unitary state in accordance with Article 1 of the Constitution of Ukraine and its territorial division is enshrined in Article 133, as well as the fact that the Russian Federation provides the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics (“DPR”, “LPR”) with personnel, weapons and other equipment and carries out aggressive actions against Ukraine, the proclamation of the concept of formation of an autonomous region Donbas promotes the idea of legislative enshrinement of the temporarily occupied territory contrary to the Basic Law and provides assistance to a foreign state in conducting subversive activities against Ukraine, including information support," the spokersperson noted.

Under these circumstances, she underscored, there are signs of crimes, stipulated in Part 1 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Trespass against territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine) and Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (High treason), in the actions of Viktor Medvedchuk. The Constitution of Ukraine legislatively enshrines the territorial division of Ukraine (Article 133), stipulating Donetsk and Luhansk regions as the administrative and territorial units within the state.

Sarhan stresses that now there is a real threat of the forced alienation of the temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions from Ukraine.

"In this case, the calls have been made for the change in the borders of the territory of Ukraine," Sarhan wrote.

In particular, she noted, Medvedchuk's actions contain the component elements of the crimes stipulated in Part 1 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - willful actions committed to change the territorial boundaries or national borders of Ukraine in violation of the order provided for in the Constitution of Ukraine, i.e. public appeals; as well as Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - high treason in form of providing assistance to a foreign state in conducting subversive activities against Ukraine.

The files of the criminal proceedings will be submitted to the Security Service of Ukraine, the spokesperson for the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine added.