(Tony Sifert, Headline USA) A Ukrainian court has permanently banned and seized the assets of the country’s chief opposition party, Opposition Platform for Life, according to a report from Summit News citing the Facebook page of Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice.
The move—part of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s ongoing attempt to de-Russify the country on America’s dime—comes one month after Zelenskyy suspended 11 opposition parties for their alleged ties to Russia.
“The activities of those politicians aimed at division or collusion will not succeed, but will receive a harsh response,” Zelenskyy said at the time.
“The most democratic president of modern Ukraine has taken another step towards the western ideals of democracy,” former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev responded. “By decision of the Council for National Defence and Security, he completely banned any activity of opposition parties in Ukraine.”
The Opposition Platform for Life is unique among those parties because it has 44 seats in the 450-seat Ukrainian parliament, according to The Guardian, and it is said to be led by Viktor Medvedchuk, purportedly an ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Medvedchuk was arrested last year in Ukraine and charted with treason and financing terrorism, Radio Free Europe reported.
While acting under the guise of democracy, and with the support of Western allies, Ukraine has been sharply criticized for its own authoritarian crackdowns on dissent—and for offering safe-harbor to corrupt figures like President Joe Biden and his son Hunter to launder their influence-peddling schemes.
AP accompanies Zelensky’s SBU thugs as they kidnap Ukrainians who speak out against the regime. This is an obvious propaganda piece designed to normalize crushing dissent. Imagine how they act when cameras aren’t on. https://t.co/8YjRbQXDqT pic.twitter.com/o55SwvhvIH
— Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) April 30, 2022
The Biden family’s quid-pro-quo operations were central to US Democrats’ first effort to impeach then-President Donald Trump after he called on Zelenskyy to reopen a dormant investigation into the political corruption of the Burisma natural gas company.
While Hunter Biden sat on the company’s board as a “consultant,” Joe Biden, then serving as vice president in the Obama administration, threatened to withdraw a billion-dollar loan guarantee if the prosecutor leading the corruption probe was not fired.
As president, Biden has since pledged more than $40 billion in US taxpayer dollars to Ukraine’s war effort, which includes funding to cover the pensions and salaries of its government officials.
News of the ban of Opposition Platform for Life arrived as US Attorney General Merrick Garland was making an “unannounced” visit to Ukraine, perhaps in search of some pre-democracy tips on how to deal with recalcitrant opposition.
One day our democracy will be as pure as that of the glorious state of Ukraine
— Auron MacIntyre (@AuronMacintyre) June 20, 2022
“The United States is sending an unmistakable message: There is no place to hide,” Garland told reporters, according to ABC. “We and our partners will pursue every avenue available to ensure that those who are responsible for these atrocities are held accountable.”
Perhaps Garland will run into Hollywood actor Ben Stiller, who is also visiting his “hero,” President Zelenskyy in Ukraine on behalf of the United Nations, Bloomberg reported.
“You are my hero,” @BenStiller, a UNHCR goodwill ambassador, told Ukraine’s Zelenskiy while meeting in Kyiv after visiting other parts of the region in recent days #WorldRefugeeDay2022 https://t.co/3rlDO0wn5e pic.twitter.com/PfrwhgO0Qb
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) June 20, 2022
