Politics
The “Putinization” of Ukraine’s security forces
Reading Time: 4 minutes The “Putinization of Ukraine’s media policy” is taking place at the same time in Ukraine’s siloviki (security forces).
by Taras Kuzio
The “Putinization of Ukraine’s media policy” is taking place at the same time in Ukraine’s siloviki (security forces). Both steps lead Ukraine closer to Kuchma’s semi-authoritarian regime and Vladimir Putin’s “managed/sovereign democracy” in Russia.
“Putinization” is occurring in both the Interior Ministry (MVS) and Security Service (SBU), following the return of Kuchma era discredited officials and those linked to the corrupt gas lobby (EDM, March 29, April 1). First Deputy Interior Minister, Sergei Popkov, headed MVS internal troops when they advanced on Kyiv on November 28, 2004 to suppress the Orange Revolution.
“Putinization” of the MVS comes after the Party of Regions repeatedly attacked its alleged politicization under “Orange” Interior Minister, Yuriy Lutsenko. After being elected, Yanukovych “demanded” that the MVS become “apolitical” and told Interior Minister, Anatoliy Mogiliov, that “de-politicization of your work” is the key to your success (Ukrayinska Pravda, March 11).
However, the MVS has become more politicized and is undergoing a “Putinization.” At his 100 days anniversary meeting with the media, Yanukovych was asked why the MVS prevented the opposition from protesting. He responded that this was untrue and that the MVS merely defended civic peace and halted attempts by a minority to prevent the majority from living in peace. As stated in Ukrayinska Pravda (June 5), “A few more such comments (from Yanukovych) and one could think that one was listening to an explanation by a Unified Russia party spokesman.”
Journalists pressed Yanukovych on why the MVS stood in excessive numbers in full riot gear between his supporters and the opposition? He replied that Berkut and Tytan Spetsnaz forces were there to prevent conflict between both sides.
Ukrayinska Pravda and other Ukrainian media ridiculed these official explanations saying there is a three-fold anti-opposition strategy in place.
1. Wherever Yanukovych travels in Ukraine a small group of his supporters are brought to the event.
2. Berkut/Tytan Spetsnaz are placed between the opposition and Yanukovych supporters in greater numbers than the opposition and in full riot gear with loaded weapons.
3. Spetsnaz block the opposition, surround them in a vice and prevent them moving.
The new policy nullifies the very purpose of the right to protest, “as those to whom it is addressed simply do not see it” (Ukrayinska Pravda, June 5). Yanukovych’s supporters are permitted to stand closest to him and receive the main television coverage.
The aim of the new policy is two-fold. First, to show that the opposition allegedly has little support. Second, to intimidate citizens thereby reducing the numbers of protestors.
This is accompanied by a strategy to prevent opposition protestors from travelling to Kyiv (www.maidan.org.ua, May 10-13), plus, a media policy that gives excessive, positive television coverage to the authorities and limited, negative coverage to the opposition.
The SBU is under the control of the president, according to the 1996 and 2006 constitutions, and has been considered by every president as his personal institution. A lack of civilian oversight coupled with its large size (30,000 officers compared to a combined 6,000 in the UK’s MI5 and MI6) has led to the misuse of the SBU by each president.
This includes SBU involvement under Chairman, Leonid Derkach, in the export of Soviet era arms to conflict zones such as Sierra Leone, the subject of the 2005 fictional Hollywood film “Lord of War” based on the exploits of arms dealer Yuri Orlov (played by Nicolas Cage). Mykola Melnychenko, a presidential guard in the Directorate on State Defense (UDO), which was separated from the SBU in the early 1990’s, illicitly taped Kuchma’s abuse of office including the abduction and murder of journalist, Georgi Gongadze. No SBU officers were ever prosecuted for the crime.
More importantly the SBU continues KGB-style political surveillance of opponents –not just separatists, which every intelligence agency would see as one of its areas of responsibility. Evidence provided to EDM points to President, Viktor Yushchenko, using the SBU against domestic opponents such as the Party of Regions and also Yulia Tymoshenko. These sources also point to SBU surveillance of foreign political visitors, including this author.
An international scandal followed the attempted intimidation of the Catholic University in Lviv, where the dean was asked to sign a statement agreeing he would not permit students to become involved in protests (Kyiv Post, May 28). The US State Department and Canadian parliamentarian Boryz Wrzesnewskyj condemned the SBU’s interference in May 28 and June 2 statements (Kyiv Post, June 3).
American-Ukrainian Rector of Ukrainian Catholic University, Borys Gudziak, described the SBU’s demands as a return to KGB tactics (Kyiv Post, May 28). SBU Chairman, Valeriy Khoroshkovsky, ridiculed the complaints as “political technology” used by “opponents of the stabilization processes taking place in the state” (Komersant-Ukraina, May 31). Evidence of surveillance of communications was found in the press conference held by President Yanukovych on his 100th day in office. The Stop Censorship NGO, signed by 502 journalists and 132 NGO’s, planned to undertake a protest during the press conference (http://5.ua/newsline/242/0/66534/).
As Ukraynska Pravda (June 5) journalist Serhiy Leshchenko noted, only a few Stop Censorship leaders knew in advance of the planned event. Yet, from his reactions, Yanukovych had clearly been pre-prepared to expect the protest and the plan to give him a Stop Censorship t-shirt and petition. The only explanation for his knowledge of the protest is that Stop Censorship NGO’s telephones are being monitored.
Khoroshkovsky is both a billionaire oligarch and media magnate. This has meant he has always been criticized by Anatoliy Grytsenko, head of the parliament’s committee on national security and defence, as unsuitable because of his conflict of interests.
Ukraine’s most viewed television channel, Inter, the general director of which is Khoroshkovsky’s spouse, Olena, is mainly watched in Russophone Eastern-Southern Ukraine. Valeriy Khoroshkovsky, “is in charge of contacting other media owners to ensure a favorable TV coverage of the new leadership” (Kyiv Post, May 7). Khoroshkovsky was accused of taking control of the National Council on Television and Radio which controls the distribution of licenses (Ukrayinska Pravda, April 2). A June 7 appeal to President Yanukovych by Channel 5 journalists claimed that Khoroshkovsky is aiming to take over its license and remove their channel (http://5.ua/newsline/184//66570/).
Censorship has a long-term connection to the Putin regime. Igor Shuvalov (a Russian citizen), coordinates the news policies of Inter and State Channel 1 on behalf of the presidential administration. Shuvalov was the main author of temnyky censorship instructions sent by the presidential administration in 2002-2004 to television channels.
“Putinization” of Ukraine’s siloviki is an outcome of the Yanukovych administration learning the lessons of how the Orange Revolution was permitted, neo-Soviet political culture that permeates the administration, and inspiration from one party rule in Donetsk and Russia.
A new football club has earned a leading place in the UEFA Champions League groups and starred in the headlines of worldwide football news yesterday. The Football Club Sheriff Tiraspol claimed a win with the score 2-1 against Real Madrid on the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. That made Sheriff Tiraspol the leader in Group D of the Champions League, including the football club in the groups of the most important European interclub competition for the first time ever.
International media outlets called it a miracle, a shock and a historic event, while strongly emphasizing the origin of the team and the existing political conflict between the two banks of the Dniester. “Football club from a pro-Russian separatist enclave in Moldova pulls off one of the greatest upsets in Champions League history,” claimed the news portals. “Sheriff crushed Real!” they said.
Moldovans made a big fuss out of it on social media, splitting into two groups: those who praised the team and the Republic of Moldova for making history and those who declared that the football club and their merits belong to Transnistria – a problematic breakaway region that claims to be a separate country.
Both groups are right and not right at the same time, as there is a bunch of ethical, political, social and practical matters that need to be considered.
Is it Moldova?
First of all, every Moldovan either from the right or left bank of Dniester (Transnistria) is free to identify himself with this achievement or not to do so, said Vitalie Spranceana, a sociologist, blogger, journalist and urban activist. According to him, boycotting the football club for being a separatist team is wrong.
At the same time, “it’s an illusion to think that territory matters when it comes to football clubs,” Spranceana claimed. “Big teams, the ones included in the Champions League, have long lost their connection both with the countries in which they operate, and with the cities in which they appeared and to which they linked their history. […] In the age of globalized commercial football, teams, including the so-called local ones, are nothing more than global traveling commercial circuses, incidentally linked to cities, but more closely linked to all sorts of dirty, semi-dirty and cleaner cash flows.”
What is more important in this case is the consistency, not so much of citizens, as of politicians from the government who have “no right to celebrate the success of separatism,” as they represent “the national interests, not the personal or collective pleasures of certain segments of the population,” believes the political expert Dionis Cenusa. The victory of FC Sheriff encourages Transnistrian separatism, which receives validation now, he also stated.
“I don’t know how it happens that the “proud Moldovans who chose democracy”, in their enthusiasm for Sheriff Tiraspol’s victory over Real Madrid, forget the need for total and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria!” declared the journalist Vitalie Ciobanu.
Nowadays, FC Sheriff Tiraspol has no other choice than to represent Moldova internationally. For many years, the team used the Moldovan Football Federation in order to be able to participate in championships, including international ones. That is because the region remains unrecognised by the international community. However, the club’s victory is presented as that of Transnistria within the region, without any reference to the Republic of Moldova, its separatist character being applied in this case especially.
Is it a victory?
In fact, FC Sheriff Tiraspol joining the Champions League is a huge image breakthrough for the Transnistrian region, as the journalist Madalin Necsutu claimed. It is the success of the Tiraspol Club oligarchic patrons. From the practical point of view, FC Sheriff Tiraspol is a sports entity that serves its own interests and the interests of its owners, being dependent on the money invested by Tiraspol (but not only) oligarchs.
Here comes the real dilemma: the Transnistrian team, which is generously funded by money received from corruption schemes and money laundering, is waging an unequal fight with the rest of the Moldovan football clubs, the journalist also declared. The Tiraspol team is about to raise 15.6 million euro for reaching the Champions League groups and the amounts increase depending on their future performance. According to Necsutu, these money will go directly on the account of the club, not to the Moldovan Football Federation, creating an even bigger gab between FC Sheriff and other football clubs from Moldova who have much more modest financial possibilities.
“I do not see anything useful for Moldovan football, not a single Moldovan player is part of FC Sheriff Tiraspol. I do not see anything beneficial for the Moldovan Football Federation or any national team.”
Is it only about football?
FC Sheriff Tiraspol, with a total estimated value of 12.8 million euros, is controlled by Victor Gusan and Ilya Kazmala, being part of Sheriff Holding – a company that controls the trade of wholesale, retail food, fuels and medicine by having monopolies on these markets in Transnistria. The holding carries out car trading activities, but also operates in the field of construction and real estate. Gusan’s people also hold all of the main leadership offices in the breakaway region, from Parliament to the Prime Minister’s seat or the Presidency.
The football club is supported by a holding alleged of smuggling, corruption, money laundering and organised crime. Moldovan media outlets published investigations about the signals regarding the Sheriff’s holding involvement in the vote mobilization and remuneration of citizens on the left bank of the Dniester who participated in the snap parliamentary elections this summer and who were eager to vote for the pro-Russian socialist-communist bloc.
Considering the above, there is a great probability that the Republic of Moldova will still be represented by a football club that is not identified as being Moldovan, being funded from obscure money, growing in power and promoting the Transnistrian conflict in the future as well.
Photo: unknown
Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Natalia Gavrilita, together with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicu Popescu, pay an official visit to Brussels, between September 27-28, being invited by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles.
Today, Prime Minister had a meeting with Charles Michel, President of the European Council. The Moldovan PM thanked the senior European official for the support of the institution in strengthening democratic processes, reforming the judiciary and state institutions, economic recovery and job creation, as well as increasing citizens’ welfare. Natalia Gavrilita expressed her confidence that the current visit laid the foundations for boosting relations between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, so that, in the next period, it would be possible to advance high-level dialogues on security, justice and energy. Officials also exchanged views on priorities for the Eastern Partnership Summit, to be held in December.
“The EU is open to continue to support the Republic of Moldova and the ambitious reform agenda it proposes. Moldova is an important and priority partner for us,” said Charles Michel.
Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita also met with Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for Economy, expressing her gratitude for the support received through the OMNIBUS macro-financial assistance program. The two officials discussed the need to advance the recovery of money from bank fraud, to strengthen sustainable mechanisms for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in Moldova, and to standardize the customs and taxes as one of the main conditions for deepening cooperation with the EU in this field.
Additionally, Prime Minister spoke about the importance of the Eastern Partnership and the Deep Free Trade Agreement, noting that the Government’s policies are aimed at developing an economic model aligned with the European economic model, focused on digitalization, energy efficiency and the green economy.
A common press release of the Moldovan Prime Minister with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, Josep Borrell Fontelles, took place today, where the agenda of Moldova’s reforms and the main priorities to focus on in the coming months were presented: judiciary reform; fighting COVID-19 pandemic; promoting economic recovery and conditions for growth and job creation; strengthening state institutions and resilience of the country.
“I am here to relaunch the dialogue between my country and the European Union. Our partnership is strong, but I believe there is room for even deeper cooperation and stronger political, economic and sectoral ties. I am convinced that this partnership is the key to the prosperity of our country and I hope that we will continue to strengthen cooperation.”
The Moldovan delegation met Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice. Tomorrow, there are scheduled common meetings with Oliver Varhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Adina Valean, European Commissioner for Transport and Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy.
Prime Minister will also attend a public event, along with Katarina Mathernova, Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations.
Photo: gov.md
Politics
Promo-LEX about Maia Sandu’s UN speech: The president must insist on appointing a rapporteur to monitor the situation of human rights in Transnistria
The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, pays an official visit to New York, USA, between September 21-22. There, she participates in the work of the United Nations General Assembly. According to a press release of the President’s Office, the official will deliver a speech at the tribune of the United Nations.
In this context, the Promo-LEX Association suggested the president to request the appointment of a special rapporteur in order to monitor the situation of human rights in the Transnistrian region. According to Promo-LEX, the responsibility for human rights violations in the Transnistrian region arises as a result of the Russian Federation’s military, economic and political control over the Tiraspol regime.
“We consider it imperative to insist on the observance of the international commitments assumed by the Russian Federation regarding the withdrawal of the armed forces and ammunition from the territory of the country,” the representatives of Promo-LEX stated. They consider the speech before the UN an opportunity “to demand the observance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Russian Federation with reference to this territory which is in its full control.”
“It is important to remember about the numerous cases of murder, torture, ill-treatment, forced enlistment in illegal military structures, the application of pseudo-justice in the Transnistrian region, all carried out under the tacit agreement of the Russian Federation. These findings stem from dozens of rulings and decisions issued by the European Court of Human Rights, which found that Russia is responsible for human rights violations in the region.”
The association representatives expressed their hope that the president of the country would give priority to issues related to the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region and would call on relevant international actors to contribute to guaranteeing fundamental human rights and freedoms throughout Moldova.
They asked Maia Sandu to insist on the observance of the obligation to evacuate the ammunition and the military units of the Russian Federation from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, to publicly support the need for the Russian Federation to implement the ECtHR rulings on human rights violations in the Transnistrian region, and to request the appointment of an UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur to monitor the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova.
**
The Promo-LEX Association concluded that 14 out of 25 actions planned within the National Action Plan for the years 2018–2022 concerning respecting human rights in Transnistria were not carried out by the responsible authorities.
The association expressed its concern and mentioned that there are a large number of delays in the planned results. “There is a lack of communication and coordination between the designated institutions, which do not yet have a common vision of interaction for the implementation of the plan.”
Promo-LEX requested the Government of the Republic of Moldova to re-assess the reported activities and to take urgent measures, “which would exclude superficial implementation of future activities and increase the level of accountability of the authorities.”
Photo: peacekeeping.un.org
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