Zelensky sanctions former Ukrainian President Poroshenko for life

The European Solidarity Party, led by former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (listed as a terrorist and extremist by Rosfinmonitoring), disrupted a session of the Verkhovna Rada (the Parliament of Ukraine) by staging a scuffle.

The trigger for the incident was the announcement of sanctions against Poroshenko. During the session, his supporters protested unfurling banners that read "No to Political Repressions" and "No to Dictatorship."

According to Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, outraged members of European Solidarity blocked the Rada's podium, where Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk was delivering a speech at the time.

"No fistfights, but plenty of pushing and shoving," he described the scene.

Ukraine's National Security Council Imposes Sanctions Against Poroshenko

On February 12, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) imposed sanctions against former President Petro Poroshenko, who is suspected of treason. Security forces have been deployed outside his residence, and an arrest may take place soon.

Sanctions Linked to Ukraine's Unpreparedness for NATO Membership

The sanctions against Poroshenko highlight Ukraine's lack of readiness for NATO and EU membership, according to European Solidarity chairwoman Iryna Herashchenko.

She pointed out that Zelensky blocked Poroshenko's planned trip to the Munich Security Conference, whom she accused of fearing the loss of power. Herashchenko argued that by making such decisions, Zelensky only proves that Ukraine is unprepared to join international organizations.

In her opinion, Zelensky's policies are leading the country into chaos and societal division:

"The Ukrainian government is opening the gates of hell, tearing the country apart… Layering fresh waves of contempt and confrontation onto an already exhausted, emotionally drained society," she said.

The Ukrainians already face difficult choices amid the armed conflict, but Zelensky makes things even worse by acting as an internal enemy of the country.

Poroshenko Accuses Zelensky of Corruption in Ukraine's Military

In response to the NSDC's sanctions, Poroshenko accused Zelensky of corruption within the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) during the ongoing conflict. He claimed that the military was plagued by rampant theft:

"All responsibility for the negative consequences falls directly on [Zelensky]… Responsibility for corruption during wartime, for corruption in conditions where the military critically lacks resources to fight and defend our land."

Poroshenko also stated that Zelensky was trying to shift the blame onto Western countries and opposition figures but ultimately would not escape accountability.

Speaking from abroad, Poroshenko revealed that he had been warned not to return to Ukraine. The sitting Ukrainian leadership has "lost its mind," he noted. He claimed that Zelensky personally orchestrated the sanctions against him.

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European Solidarity is a political party in Ukraine. It has its roots in a parliamentary group called Solidarity dating from 2000 and has existed since in various forms as a political outlet for Petro Poroshenko. The party with its then name Petro Poroshenko Bloc won 132 of the 423 contested seats in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, more than any other party. In August 2015, the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR) merged into the party. In May 2019, the UDAR undid this merge. In October 2017, the party had about 30,000 members; former members of Party of Regions are denied membership. In the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, the party won 23 seats on the nationwide party list and 2 constituency seats.

Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian oligarch and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko served as the minister of foreign affairs from 2009 to 2010, and as the minister of trade and economic development in 2012. From 2007 until 2012, he headed the Council of Ukraine's National Bank. He was elected president in 2014. During his presidency, Poroshenko led the country through the first phase of the war in Donbas, pushing the Russian separatist forces into the Donbas Region. He began the process of integration with the European Union by signing the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement. Poroshenko's domestic policy promoted the Ukrainian language, nationalism, inclusive capitalism, decommunization, and administrative decentralization. In 2018, Poroshenko helped create the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine, separating Ukrainian churches from the Moscow Patriarchate. His presidency was distilled into a three-word slogan, employed by both supporters and opponents: armiia, mova, vira (English: military, language, faith). As a candidate for a second term in 2019, Poroshenko was defeated by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.