Journalists reveal names of 13 figures who have joined Viktor Medvedchuk's new political project

Journalists from Radio Liberty have learned the names of 13 public figures who have joined a new political initiative launched by Viktor Medvedchuk, the pro-Kremlin politician who was stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship in January after being sent to Russia in a prisoner swap last year.

The list includes political commentators from Ukrainian pro-Russian TV channels that have now been shuttered, city council deputies from the now-banned pro-Russian political party Opposition Platform — For Life, and multiple people who stand accused of committing state treason and political separatism.

All of the participants journalists identified have left Ukraine. Political scientist Andrey Mishin, who has a long history of working with Medvedchuk, left as recently as January 2023, while Denis Zharkikh, a journalist who was under investigation by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, left in September 2022. Both men managed to evade martial law restrictions on men exiting the country.

Journalist Vladimir Skachko, who has been wanted by the Ukrainian Security Service for allegedly violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity since 2019, and political commentator Yury Dudkin, who was charged in 2021 with state treason and violating the equality of citizens, have also signed on to Medvedchuk’s new project.

Radio Liberty noted that the initiative, called Another Ukraine, has not been registered officially either as a party or a brand. Journalists noted that the project is likely a virtual one whose participants will spread information online that will be re-shared by the pro-Kremlin media.