25 September 2023

UKRAINE: Checks ordered on Russian links

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UKRAINE

The President of Ukraine has instructed the country’s Security Service to check on all Public Servants who have relatives with Russian citizenship.

The President, Petro Poroshenko said special attention should be paid to law enforcements officers with Russian relatives.

“We have a large number of Civil Servants, including in law enforcement Agencies, who have relatives in Crimea,” Mr Poroshenko said.

He said he was appealing to the Chair of the Security Service of Ukraine for Ukrainian Counterintelligence to check the information of these PS employees.

“As soon as the inspection is completed and I have grounds, I will act,” Mr Poroshenko said.

This comes after the Counterintelligence Agency confirmed that First Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, Serhiy Semochko (pictured) had a Russian wife.

After investigations by journalists revealed that Mr Semochko owned luxury homes in the city of Kozyn and had recently acquired an expensive Land Cruiser vehicle, criminal proceeding against him were initiated.

A source within the Agency said investigations were continuing, but it was “suspicious” that Mr Semochko had acquired these assets, which seemed to be outside the scope of his Foreign Service salary.

The source said that given the once close relations between Ukraine and areas that now formed part of the Russian Federation, it was pertinent that officials in sensitive positions should be investigated for Russian ties.

Kiev, 9 January 2019

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