A 2012 recording of former Belarusian KGB chief suggests President Alexander Lukashenko sanctioned assassinations of opponents abroad. Specifically mentioned is Belarus-born journalist Pavel Sheremet, who was killed by a car bomb in central Kyiv, Ukraine, in July 2016.
Tape doesn't prove Belarus killed Sheremet but adds new wrinkle to unsolved case & weight to one of 3 "tracks" of investigation: organized & carried out by Russians; ...Ukrainians; ...Belarusians. Details about how KGB wanted Sheremet killed also similar to what really happened.
Ukraine arrested and is currently trying 3 suspects in Kyiv for Sheremet's murder. All have denied involvement and much of Ukrainian civil society has sided with them. Legal experts also say authorities' case is built upon weak evidence. I wrote about it: cpj.org/2020/09/doubts…
I've covered the Sheremet murder from day one. I wrote a lengthy investigation about it for @pressfreedom in 2016-17: cpj.org/reports/2017/0… I found many failings on the part of Ukrainian authorities, who made their preference clear from the beginning: that Russia was behind it.
Another investigation into Sheremet's murder by @OCCRP and @Slidstvo_info also found failings in the official investigation as well as possible links to Ukrainian security service involvement. occrp.org/en/documentari…
The Belarusian "track" has been the least investigated. To some, it seemed the least plausible. Belarusian KGB doesn't have a strong track record of assassinating opponents abroad; Sheremet's citizenship was stripped years earlier; and he'd long lived in Russia and Ukraine.
Nevertheless, the new audio recording raises serious questions about Minsk's involvement in Sheremet's killing. It also puts pressure on authorities in Kyiv. Will they follow up on this lead? Or will they pursue the current, problematic case against three Ukrainian suspects?
Ukraine's National Police said in a statement today that it has the audio recording published today in its possession and will look into it. It also says that prosecutors will push ahead with the current case in court. facebook.com/UA.National.Po…
Wow! Intl Criminal Court “has concluded that there is a reasonable basis at this time to believe that a broad range of conduct constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity within the jurisdiction of the Court have been committed in the context of the situation in Ukraine.”
Continued: “These findings... include three broad clusters of victimisation: (i) crimes committed in the context of the conduct of hostilities; (ii) crimes committed during detentions; and (iii) crimes committed in Crimea.”
This is really a big deal for Ukraine. The ICC is talking about full investigations of "alleged crimes committed on the territory of Ukraine from 20 February 2014 onwards." That includes Maidan massacre, potentially crimes against Crimean Tatars, crimes committed in Donbas, etc.
In Ukraine, where past elections have been tainted by fraud and poisonings and colored by bizarre livestreamed drug screenings, an official inside President Zelensky’s administration described the US election as “crazy” and “totally toxic.” buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
Ever the diplomat, Lithuanian FM @LinkeviciusL told me the political unrest in the US “looks very unusual.”
“We’re not used to this sight. We hope and expect the United States will solve this, not only for the sake of the US, but for others,” he said.
No, @thedailybeast, this is NOT new. The laptop Derkach is discussing does NOT include any evidence to support accusations against the Bidens. It was presented last month during a press conference in Kyiv. I’ve seen the info he claims it holds; nothing verifiable there.
Here’s Derkach just this week again telling me about his laptop. (And yes, even though we chat and speak in Russian he has an aide translate things into English from time to time.)
“We are heartbroken to report the death of an American member of the @USEmbassyKyiv community. Officials from U.S. Embassy Kyiv are currently working with authorities to determine the circumstances of the death,” the embassy told @BuzzFeedNews. buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
@USEmbassyKyiv@BuzzFeedNews Where the American woman was found is less than a mile west of the US embassy. The below map will give you a sense of how close it is. (Location found on the left; embassy right of the park edge) The embassy is a heavily guarded compound with guards and police around 24/7.
American woman working for @USEmbassyKyiv was found unconscious with head wound today; she was rushed to hospital but died, Ukrainian police sources tell me. Investigation underway; unclear if accident or attack. She was wearing jogging clothes, earbuds, found near train tracks.
@USEmbassyKyiv Kyiv police have released a statement saying they're looking for a person of interest: a man with dark hair, 30-40 years old, around 6 feet tall, dressed in black shorts, dark blue sneakers and a T-shirt. kyiv.npu.gov.ua/news/novini/po…
The US Embassy declined to comment. I've reached out to the State Department for information.
For Donbas watchers: This has many in Ukraine worried. "I haven't seen a single confirmation that Russia is waging a war against Ukraine," says Vitold Fokin, newly appointed dep head of Ukraine delegation to Minsk group meant to facilitate end to the war. pravda.com.ua/news/2020/09/2…
Fokin's comments have been widely condemned in Ukraine. Russia's direct involvement in the war in the Donbas has been documented in great detail. Now a group of MPs wants Zelensky to condemn Fokin's remarks and fire him. en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/6…
Now Zelensky's own chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and Ukraine's powerful interior minister, Arsen Avakov, are calling for Fokin, who served as the country's first PM, to be fired. Avakov went so far as to call him an "idiot" and said he should be put into retirement again.