Ukraine ex-president returns to Kiev for treason trial

Politics 16:00 17.01.2022
Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday returned to Ukraine to face court on treason charges he believes are politically motivated.
 
At the Kyiv airport, where he arrived on a flight from Warsaw on Monday morning, Poroshenko was greeted by several thousand cheering supporters. Some carried banners reading "We need democracy," and "Stop repressions."
 
From the airport, Poroshenko headed straight to court, which will rule on whether to remand him in custody pending investigation and trial.
 
A prosecutor has alleged that Poroshenko, owner of the Roshen confectionery empire and one of Ukraine's richest businessmen, was involved in the sale of large amounts of coal that helped finance Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014-15.
 
Poroshenko's assets have been frozen as part of its investigation into the allegations of high treason. The former leader of Ukraine faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
 
Poroshenko insists that he is innocent. He accuses his successor, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of seeking to discredit him politically to distract from Ukraine's widespread problems, including economic woes and rising deaths from COVID-19.
 
The charges are the latest in a string of accusations leveled against Poroshenko since he was defeated by Zelenskyy in 2019. The allegations have generated concerns of undemocratic score-settling in Ukraine and also alarmed Ukraine's allies. They come as Russia has built up troops along the Ukraine border and the United States has voiced concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be planning an invasion of Ukraine.
 
Poroshenko was defeated by voters following a corruption scandal and a mixed record on reforms, but he emerged with strong patriotic credentials for his work in rebuilding the Ukrainian army as it fought Russian-backed insurgent fighters in the east.
 
Zelenskyy says he is waging a fight against oligarchs that is aimed at reducing their influence in Ukraine's political and economic life.
 
Poroshenko has been outside of Ukraine for weeks, meeting with leaders in Brussels, Berlin and other European capitals.
 
Outside the Kyiv airport on Monday, the ex-president greeted a large crowd of his supporters and delivered an elaborate speech, urging them to follow him to the courthouse. He called the charges against him "a challenge to all of us."
 
"(The authorities) are setting us back 10 years. We're here not to defend Poroshenko, we're here to join forces and defend Ukraine," Poroshenko said. "United Ukraine is strong, and a strong Ukraine is capable of pushing back (against) Putin."
 
His supporters also viewed charges against him as politically motivated. "It is a revenge of the authorities and an attempt by Zelenskyy to eliminate his biggest rival in Ukraine's politics," Anton Ivashchenko, 42, told The Associated Press at the airport. "Persecution of Poroshenko sows animosity and discord among those who push for ... Ukraine's closer ties with the West."

 

IEPF issued a statement regarding Azerbaijani children at the UN Human Rights Council

News line

Nearly 6,000 former IDPs to return to Azerbaijan's Khojaly, Aghdara
17:45 09.07.2025
Ankara declared tourism capital of Turkic world
17:30 09.07.2025
Zakharova: Moscow maintains contacts with Baku through law enforcement agencies
17:15 09.07.2025
Erdogan: Türkiye to hold presidential elections in 2028
17:00 09.07.2025
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan hold Tarlan-2025 exercise
16:45 09.07.2025
Russian foreign minister to pay 3-day visit to North Korea
16:30 09.07.2025
President Aliyev Arrives in UAE for Official Meetings
16:15 09.07.2025
MFA: Allegations by Iranian ambassador on Khankendi Communiqué are unacceptable
16:00 09.07.2025
Date for PKK disarmament in northern Iraq revealed
15:45 09.07.2025
Turkish foreign, defense ministers hold talks in Pakistan
15:30 09.07.2025
Bridge collapse kills 9 in India's Gujarat state
15:15 09.07.2025
Azerbaijani, UAE presidents to meet in Abu Dhabi
15:00 09.07.2025
Latest Red Sea attack on Greek ship kills four crew, wounds two
14:45 09.07.2025
Death toll in Kenya from anti-government protests rises to 31
14:30 09.07.2025
Tunisian court sentences opposition leader to 14 years in prison
14:15 09.07.2025
South Korean defense minister nominee calls for restoration of inter-Korean military pact
14:00 09.07.2025
Father to Bury Son, Three Decades After 1995 Srebrenica Genocide
13:45 09.07.2025
Tashir Group of Companies: Searches in office of Electric Networks of Armenia CJSC politically motivated
13:30 09.07.2025
20 Individuals Still Missing Following Landslip at China–Nepal Border Port
13:15 09.07.2025
Kazakhstan, China agree to contribute to Middle Corridor dev’t
13:15 09.07.2025
Massive Russian Drone–Missile Blitz Strikes Ukraine—Air Defenses Scramble
13:00 09.07.2025
Iran Orders Millions of Afghans to Leave by July 6 or Risk Arrest
12:45 09.07.2025
Tomorrow in Abu Dhabi: Aliyev and Pashinyan Hold Crucial Peace Process Talks
12:30 09.07.2025
Heavy rainfall hits SW China, 5 missing in Sichuan
12:15 09.07.2025
U.S. Detaining Individuals from Three Continents at Guantanamo Immigration Facilities
12:00 09.07.2025
Israel eliminates Hamas commander in Lebanon — IDF
11:45 09.07.2025
South Korea sends 6 rescued North Koreans back across sea border
11:30 09.07.2025
US condemns Houthi attacks on cargo ships in Red Sea
11:15 09.07.2025
Trump says he considers agreeing to more sanctions on Russia
11:00 09.07.2025
Today is a Day of Diplomacy in Azerbaijan
10:45 09.07.2025
Mexico probes former president for allegedly taking millions in bribes from Israeli businessmen
10:30 09.07.2025
Trump, Israel’s Netanyahu meet for a second time about a ceasefire in Gaza
10:15 09.07.2025
Death toll surpasses 100, at least 160 missing in Texas
10:00 09.07.2025
Mediators move closer to securing Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza
09:45 09.07.2025
FBI launches probes into former FBI, CIA directors
09:30 09.07.2025
Trump's envoy says US 'hopeful' 60-day Gaza ceasefire agreed upon 'by end of this week'
09:15 09.07.2025
Azerbaijan hosts official reception at Gulustan Palace on occasion of professional holiday of diplomats
09:00 09.07.2025
Organisation of Turkic States, TURKPA congratulate Azerbaijani diplomats on professional holiday
08:45 09.07.2025
Rubio: US waiting for signing of Azerbaijan-Armenia peace treaty
08:30 09.07.2025
Russia charges former deputy defense minister with fraud, illegal arms trafficking
20:45 08.07.2025
Hamısı