Former Education and Science Minister Vasylenko, who ridiculed Ukraine’s independence in publication, will be tried for humiliating national honor and dignity of Ukrainians
An indictment against a former employee of the Ministry of Education and Science, Andrii Vasylenko, has been sent to court on the fact of committing intentional actions aimed at humiliating national honor and dignity. He faces up to 3 years in prison.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press service of the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office.
What led to the investigation?
The pre-trial investigation established that the accused, who was working in the Ministry at the time, posted a post on his Facebook page with the headline "On the withdrawal of Ukraine and the Baltic Republics from the USSR. Long read".
In particular, he noted that "not all former Soviet countries benefited from independence". He also called Ukraine's independence a "fool's bargain" and criticized leaflets that campaigned for Ukraine's secession from the USSR on December 1, 1991, claiming that people voted not for independence but for promises of quick enrichment.
What is Vasylenko accused of?
Thus, the accused shared opinions, views and beliefs, the content of which is offensive to the Ukrainian people, humiliating their national honor and dignity on the grounds of nationality, political and ideological beliefs.
The sanction of the article provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 3 years.
As a reminder, Andrii Vasylenko, who was then a state expert at the Ministry of Education and Science, got into a scandal in late August 2023 when he ridiculed the independence of Ukraine and the Baltic states and questioned the desire of Ukrainians to secede from the USSR in the early 1990s. Oksen Lisovyi, as Minister of Education, reacted to his colleague's remarks, and Vasylenko was fired from the ministry.
