34 traitors deprived of state awards, including Azarov, Medvedchuk, Zakharchenko, Lorak and Povalii
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree enacting the decision of the National Security and Defence Council to deprive 34 traitors of state awards.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported on the President's website.
Among them are former government officials, MPs, heads of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General's Office, prosecutors, artists, and Russian political, religious, and cultural figures. All of them have been deprived of state awards of Ukraine for life.
The maximum set of sanctions - 21 types - was applied to ten of them. These include not only the deprivation of Ukrainian state awards, but also the freezing of assets, the cancellation of licences and permits, and the complete cessation of trade operations:
- Oleksandr Yefremov, former first deputy leader of the "Party of Regions" and head of the relevant faction. He was awarded "the Order of Merit" of the I-III degrees and the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise of the V degree;
- former First Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Renat Kuzmin. He was awarded "the Order of Merit", II-III degrees, and the title of "Honoured Lawyer of Ukraine";
- former Minister of Internal Affairs Vitalii Zakharchenko. He received ‘the Order of Merit’, III degree, and the title "Honoured Lawyer of Ukraine".
- Vadym Kolisnychenko, former member of the Verkhovna Rada of the V-VII convocations from the Party of Regions. He was awarded the title of "Honoured Lawyer of Ukraine";
- Renat Kuzmin, former First Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine. He was awarded "the Order of Merit" of the II-III degrees and the title of "Honoured Lawyer of Ukraine";
- former Prosecutor General of Ukraine Kostiantyn Kulik;
- former Member of Parliament of Ukraine of the VII convocation Valentyn Ladnyk
- Volodymyr Oliinyk, former Member of Parliament of Ukraine of the VII convocation. He was awarded the title of "Honoured Lawyer of Ukraine";
- Vadym Rabinovych, co-chair of the banned political party "Opposition Platform - For Life". He was awarded "the Order of Merit" of the II-III degrees;
- Serhii Tulub, former head of the Cherkasy Regional State Administration. He was awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, V degree, and ‘the Order of Merit’, III degree. The title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the State, and "Honoured Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine";
- Oleksandr Yakymenko, former head of the Security Service of Ukraine (2013-2014), received the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, III degree.
Eight people who are already under other sanctions imposed by Ukraine were also deprived of state awards.
Former Member of Parliament of the II-IV and IX convocations Viktor Medvedchuk. He was awarded "the Order of Merit" of the I-III degrees and the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise of the V degree, and was named "Honoured Lawyer of Ukraine".
Former Minister of Education and Science (2010-2014) Dmytro Tabachnyk. He was awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, IV-V degrees, and the title of "Honoured Worker of Science and Technology".
Former Prime Minister of Ukraine (2010-2014) Mykola Azarov, who was awarded "the Order of Merit", I-III degrees, and the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, V degree, and also held the title of "Honoured Economist of Ukraine".
In addition, the former Prosecutor General of Ukraine (2010-2014) Viktor Pshonka was also deprived of the state award of Ukraine. He was a holder of "the Order of Merit", III degree.
Former MP of the III-IX convocations Andrii Derkach. He was awarded "the Order of Merit", III degree.
Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church and former KGB agent. He was awarded the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, I degree.
Russian singers Nikolay Baskov, Philip Kirkorov, Alexander Malinin, Russian composer Igor Krutoy, and singers Karolina Kuek (Ani Lorak) and Taisiia Povalii were stripped of the honorary title of "People's Artist of Ukraine", and the title of "Honoured Artist of Ukraine".
The day before, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported draft law No. 11410, which was initiated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This draft law provides for the deprivation of state awards of Ukraine to persons who have been convicted of grave or especially grave crimes, criminal offences against the foundations of national security of Ukraine, against peace, human security and international law and order, certain crimes against public safety; those who promote the aggressor state or justify the occupation of Ukraine.
