Former Ukrainian president denied permission to leave country amid concerns his trip could fuel Russian propaganda, says SBU

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was denied permission to leave the country for a foreign trip, says Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). According to the SBU, Russian intelligence had plans to use Poroshenko’s alleged future meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to promote a pro-Russian narrative, negatively influence the support Kyiv receives from its allies, and coerce Ukrainian politicians into entertaining negotiations with Moscow.

The Security Service added that the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) canceled Poroshenko’s trip after the SBU advised Ukrainian authorities to take information about Russia’s plans into account when organizing foreign trips.

On December 1, Poroshenko said he had not been allowed to leave the country. According to him, he had planned dozens of meetings in Poland and the U.S. He did not mention a meeting with Orbán.