…from the Daily Sabbah
[ Editor’s note: Surprise, surprise, the Looter-in Chief Poroshenko returns to defend his country from the Russians by ‘going to court’. Now there’s a creative combat dodger if I ever saw one.
And he uses the term “we are coming”. Does that mean he and NATO? Is NATO slick enough to grab up a cannon fodder corrupt ex-president to throw against the Russian wall and see if he sticks?
It’s a bit of a gamble, as he is facing 15 years on his treason case. But this is Ukraine, and a guy with a Forbes estimated $1.5 billion net worth could be quite a Santa Claus to the right jury. The court could probably raffle the slots off and get part of the cut for itself.
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So this will be quite a David and Goliath show, with the rich traitor squaring off against the comic. Someone once said, “You just can’t make this stuff up”… Jim W. Dean ]
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First published January 17, 2022
Ukraine’s former President Petro Poroshenko returned to Kyiv from Europe on Monday despite the risk of arrest, vowing to help protect the ex-Soviet country from a possible Russian invasion.
Poroshenko, who served as president from 2014 to 2019, was placed under investigation for high treason and left Ukraine in December. He returned to Kyiv early Monday on a flight from Warsaw and passed through passport control amid chaotic scenes, alleging that border guards tried to stop him from entering the country.
A court in Kyiv was to decide later Monday whether to place Poroshenko in pre-trial detention. Thousands of his supporters gathered near the airport to meet the former president.
He told them he had returned to help Ukraine face the “growing threat of Russian invasion” and accused his successor, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of “betrayal.”
Tensions are at an all-time high between the West and Russia as the latter has massed troops on its border with Ukraine ahead of a possible attack.
On Friday, Washington accused Moscow of sending saboteurs trained in explosives to stage an incident that could be a pretext to invade the pro-Western neighbor.
“We are here to unite and defend Ukraine,” Poroshenko told his supporters, who raised posters reading “We Need Democracy” and “Hands off Poroshenko.” “Now I’m heading to the court where we’ll give them a fight,” he said.
Poroshenko, 56, is one of the country’s richest men. He was elected president after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula and as fighting escalated between Kyiv’s troops and Moscow-backed separatists in the industrial east of the country.
In 2019, he was trounced in a presidential election by Zelenskyy, a comedian with no previous political experience at the time. Poroshenko is now a member of parliament and leader of an opposition party, European Solidarity.
‘Ready to help’
Poroshenko is following the footsteps of Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili and Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s top critic Alexei Navalny, both returned to their countries in defiance of the authorities and are now in jail. Navalny returned to Russia on the same day a year ago.
Authorities say they are investigating dozens of alleged crimes in which Poroshenko might be involved.
He is suspected of aiding the self-proclaimed “people’s republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk in selling around 1.5 billion hryvnias ($54 million) worth of coal to Kyiv between 2014 and 2015. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted in the treason case.
Poroshenko denied any wrongdoing and accused Zelenskyy, 43, of orchestrating the charges to deflect attention from his domestic and foreign policy failures.
In a video message on Facebook prior to his departure, Poroshenko accused Zelenskyy of not doing enough to protect Ukraine from Russia and offered his help.
“We are ready to help the authorities. We are ready to share our thoughts and advice,” he said, adding that his party would support “all initiatives aimed at strengthening the defense potential of our state and the European direction of our country.”
Ukraine has been fighting pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions since 2014, in a conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 lives.
Russia stands accused of having amassed about 100,000 troops close to the Ukrainian border in preparation for a possible new invasion as it seeks a commitment from the West that the pro-European Union and former Soviet state will never join NATO.
Ukraine was hit by a massive cyberattack in the early hours of Friday, accusing Russia of being behind the attack. Some analysts feared it could be a prelude to an actual attack. Microsoft warned Sunday that the hack could be far worse than first thought.
Poroshenko, often called Ukraine’s “chocolate king,” owns a confectionery empire and two television channels. Forbes magazine estimates his fortune to be worth $1.6 billion.
Jim W. Dean is VT Editor Emeritus. He was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews. He now writes and posts periodically for VT.
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1. Kiev political analyst Mikhail Pogrebinsky on the YouTube channel Topinform called for the dismissal of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his deputy Victoria Nuland because of her statements about 18 scenarios of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and inability to negotiate.
The expert noted that representatives of the State Department speak the same phrases, far from reality, and the statements of the Deputy Secretary of State indicate her incompetence.
“I understand when there are two or three options, but when there are 18 of them, it means that people are inadequate, I would convey it like this: “We are in a panic.” I believe that the Nuland-Blinken group should be dismissed as a result, this will be a strong signal that the United States is ready to negotiate,” Pogrebinsky stressed.
2. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has been invited to London to discuss security issues. This was stated by the head of the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain Ben Wallace at a speech in parliament.
“I have invited my Russian colleague Sergei Shoigu to visit London in the next few weeks. We are ready to discuss issues related to common security concerns,” RIA Novosti quoted Ben Wallace as saying.
I hope that Sergei Shoigu will accept this invitation, the British Defense Minister added. He noted that the NATO-Russia Council showed the alliance’s readiness for dialogue with the Russian Federation on a wide range of issues in the interests of common security.
3. The State Duma meeting this Thursday, January 20, will begin with a speech by Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, who will arrive in Russia for high-level talks. This, as RIA Novosti reports, was announced by the first deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament, Alexander Zhukov.
“The President of Iran will address the State Duma on Thursday at 12 o’clock,” he said.
As part of Raisa’s visit to Moscow, talks with President Vladimir Putin are planned.
Not to worry, Andrew. A gang of do-nothing US senators just swore support to Ukraine in the form of “military aid”. Whatever that is. Most of them are ones who sleep through their 6 year terms unless they are tapped by Tel Aviv or some other corrupt government. Dems and GOP alike. Pathetic.
Yes, Poroshenko-Valtsman has every chance to go to jail, repeating the fate of his Georgian buddy Saakashvili. I heard that Zelensky and Kolomoisky want to punish him. Let’s see how this circus story will develop further.
Looking at this Kiev political buffoonery, I am sure that both the US and the EU understand what idiots they have messed with. The situation could have been saved by the pro-Russian politician Medvedchuk, but he was put under house arrest on purpose.
Ahem……slink and slither
Some politicians in the big leagues, play hardball and lay it all on the line.
Others are more in the slink and sliver category.
😏🙄
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