February 3, 2021
Ukrainian opposition begins impeachment proceedings against Zelensky

President accused of trying to usurp power

The reason for the impeachment was the sanctions against Ukrainian TV channels
The Ukrainian party "Opposition Platform - For Life" (OLLP), which enjoys a reputation as a pro-Russian force, is initiating the impeachment procedure of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The reason was the sanctions against the opposition TV channels "112 Ukraine", ZIK and NewsOne and the MP Taras Kozak, who owns them. For five years he will not be able to freely dispose of his property. These channels have been deprived of their licenses and have already stopped broadcasting.

Party member, head of the Verkhovna Rada's committee on freedom of speech, Nestor Shufrich, convenes an emergency meeting of the committee and hopes to initiate a broad discussion of the issue in parliament at the level of factions. He points out that the restrictions violate the Ukrainian law on sanctions, which allows them to be imposed only in relation to foreign citizens and foreign companies, as well as in relation to companies owned by foreign citizens.

In the statement, which was published on the website of the PLO, the sanctions against Ukrainian TV channels and deputy Kozak are called an attempt to usurp power: "The decree of the President of Ukraine is an act of usurpation of power, outright censorship, a mechanism for establishing dictatorship and tyranny in the country, a violation of all international principles and norms of democracy."


112 Ukraine, ZIK and NewsOne accused of Russian propaganda

Sanctions against opposition TV channels were imposed by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), which was supported by all its members, except for the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Dmitry Razumkov. The head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Ivan Bakanov explained the Council's decision by the fight against Russian propaganda, which was allegedly distributed by TV channels. According to the intelligence services, their activities are financed from Russia.

This decision has already been greeted by the Minister of Culture and Information Policy Alexander Tkachenko, who called the activities of TV channels terrorism. Zelenskiy said that the adoption of the sanctions was a difficult decision, but he does not support "propaganda funded by the aggressor country, which undermines Ukraine on the path to the EU and Euro-Atlantic integration."


Previously, TV channels were deprived of licenses for using the Russian language

In September 2019 NewsOne channels and "112 Ukraine" is already deprived of licenses for digital broadcasting. The reason was the use of the Russian language on the air, which violates the law on the state language. At the same time, Deputy Taras Kozak was interrogated on suspicion of terrorism, but in the end no specific charges were brought.

Then the channel challenged the actions of the authorities, and a month later the Verkhovna Rada created the Temporary Investigative Commission (VSK) to ensure counteraction to the information influence of Russia. The investigation concerned the legality of the change of ownership of the NewsOne, 112 Ukraine and ZIK TV channels after they were bought by Taras Kozak.

In November 2020, the main intelligence department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced that Russia, with the help of its agents of influence on the territory of the republic, including the media, is trying to spoil the reputation of Zelensky and the entire top leadership of the country, including the military. This comes against the backdrop of Zelensky's attempts to implement NATO standards in the army and resolve the conflict in Donbass.


Impeachment law appeared in Ukraine only under Zelensky

For a long time, the former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko refused to accept the bill regulating the possibility of impeachment of the president. This was done only after Zelensky took office in 2019 and the change of the ruling coalition in the Verkhovna Rada.

According to the law, the basis for initiating impeachment is a written submission, which must be signed by the majority of the deputies. For this, the Rada should create a special VSK to investigate the circumstances of the president's crime. The head of state has the right to use the services of defenders. Hearings should be held in open mode, if their materials do not relate to state secrets.

After the written submission is formulated and signed, MPs must apply to the Constitutional and Supreme Courts to obtain a legal qualification of the president's actions. If the authorities establish that the head of state has committed a crime, the Rada decides to remove him from office. This requires the consent of 3/4 of the parliament members. Now the constitutional ruling majority in the Rada is the presidential party "Servant of the People" - 244 seats in parliament out of 450. The "Opposition Platform - For Life" has only 44 mandates.

Украинская оппозиция начала процедуру импичмента Зеленского: Украина: Бывший СССР: Lenta.ru