Pointing the Finger: Yanukovich & his Euromaidan Commission

Leaping into the last wagon of the departing train of his political career, Viktor Yanukovich, the former Ukrainian president, hopes to rehabilitate himself.

Politicians who are "former" tend to become very sincere people. Yanukovich’s calling on European leaders to create a special commission of the Council of Europe to investigate the events in Euromaidan looks much like an attempt to avoid the trial which the team of Petro Poroshenko is preparing today. At the same time, it can be seen as an attempt to siphon off the degree of responsibility for what happened during Euromaidan.

Yet the EU is unlikely to show much, if any, interest in such a proposal, since it would mean indirect recognition of their own guilt for what happened to the Ukrainian people. This applies, in particular, to the failure of the agreements with President Yanukovych on the eve of the coup d'état. Agreements guaranteed by EU foreign ministers.

Such a commission can clarify some nuances of the post-maidan situation in Ukraine, especially the fact that the Verkhovna Rada de Jure “deprived” the authority of Yanukovych long after the "revolutionary election" of Poroshenko. It turns out that all this time Yanukovych was the legitimate president of the country. The question remains, then, who was Peter Poroshenko, who shook hands with all those European and American partners?

It looks like it’s time to really assess the actions / inactions of the EU prior to, during and after Euromaidan. The second wave of European leader responsibility for what happened in Kiev and Donbass came soon after the creation of the "Normandy format" (a diplomatic group of senior representatives created to resolve the situation in the East of Ukraine) and the conclusion of the Minsk Agreements - 2.

Yanukovych’s participation in various exposing processes for the EU and the US is dangerous, though. He represents a living witness to the behavior of Western leaders and the victim of the circumstances that developed as a consequence of their decisions. The departure of Obama and, in the long-term, François Hollande from the political scene smooths the corners, meaning their involvement in said political responsibility is unlikely to be punished.

That is why Kiev forced the initiative to organize a trial for Yanukovych and his associates, a trial which is intended to achieve final justice for themselves.

I doubt anyone pities Yanukovich. Frankly speaking, he made a huge number of mistakes and must pay for them. And the commission he asks for would serve as a trigger for a process that will lead the world community to full and clear understanding of what happened during the Ukrainian Euromaidan and after.

Dimitri Dolaberidze