What, in your opinion, is behind the attack against the NSDC secretary by media organs close to Mr. Derkach?
Leonid KRAVCHUK, first president of Ukraine:
It stands to logic that Yevhen Kyrylovych [Marchuk] should come under fire from the mass media controlled by Andriy Derkach who is honorary president of the Telegraph information and publishing group. The attackers are raising issues which in their view could discredit Marchuk, but these same issues can simultaneously hurt the image of Ukraine.
Take the arms trade, for example. I remember the developments as clearly as if they were taking place now. When I was president I was approached by a firm headed by Mr. Streshynsky, saying this firm had received appropriate official authority to buy arms for Nigeria. In my resolution on the firm’s proposal to Mr. Antonov (the then minister for the military-industrial complex and conversion —Ed.) I asked him to consider the proposal jointly with the appropriate government commission, because the times were hard and Ukraine was strapped for cash. Mr. Antonov and the commission duly considered the issue. However, Mr. Marchuk, the then chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine, after screening Mr. Streshynsky informed me that it was not desirable to have any dealings with him. Accordingly, I changed my mind. Mr. Marchuk and the SBU did their utmost to revoke Streshynsky’s license and ban his organization from dealing in arms. Let me stress that we officially banned the arms sales, even the sales executed by other countries via Ukraine’s territory. Now, let me ask: are Marchuk and Kravchuk to blame for anything? We clarified our positions and revoked all documents allowing such arms sales. There were no secret deals.
Now, everything has been turned upside down. These individuals are out to prove that Ukraine was selling arms to countries at war. Some have a grudge against Marchuk and they want to implicate each and all, from Kravchuk to Kuchma. But their arguments are easily dismissed by documents that are unfortunately not public. If they are such dedicated fighters for the truth as they want to look, let them submit the appropriate information to the Prosecutor General. Even if the sales of arms are confirmed, the case must be investigated in camera because serious issues are involved. Supposedly supporting Kuchma, these forces are in fact doing everything to compromise all presidents and Marchuk and, most importantly, Ukraine in the eyes of the world community.
Earlier, the perpetrators did not give me any ink, changing their minds all of a sudden. The reason is that I had been approached by representatives of the Odesa-based Eksimnaftoprodukt (Export Import Oil Products) Company asking to protect the national interests of Ukraine, as big property worth about $1 billion by international yardsticks was going to be sold actually for a song, at a mere $3 million. Who is behind the deal, do you think? The same persons that are behind this whole campaign. I agreed to intervene in the proposed sale with one purpose in mind, to protect the interests of the country, unaware that I was stepping on Derkach’s toes. Accordingly, I filed an appeal with the Prosecutor General’s Office and the court passed a verdict favorable for the state. Mr. Marchuk also submitted an appeal, notifying me that Eksimnaftoprodukt stock was being illegally transferred to foreign corporations. All this proves that the business and career considerations of perpetrators are behind the whole issue. Let me stress again: money and careers.
Vadym KARASIOV, political scientist:
This is not a policy of facts, but a fact of our policy, indicating the onset of negative political campaigns aimed at damaging the profiles of individuals and organizations. Based on this specific case, I think that the style of aggressive journalists from the Telegraph group, as, incidentally, that of the Ukrainian mass media, is more politically biased and subjective than their foreign counterparts.
Let me offer one more observation which might be stretching this topic. It deals with the nature of contemporary politics that becomes more and more volatile, relying on various kinds of hit-and-run campaigns, special scenarios, and PR technologies. Classical political science, which emerged at the crossroads of sociology and philosophy, has now fallen prey to strategic analysis, planing, and targeted special operations. Such new politics is especially strongly manifested in the post-Soviet states, due to their institutional instability and lack of code of ethics in politics. Proof of this is the year-old cassette scandal. Perhaps, the scandal inertia and the kick-off of election political special operations lie at the bottom of the Derkach-related media attacks.
Viktor MEDVEDCHUK, former First Vice Speaker of Verkhovna Rada:
The campaign to discredit the NSDC secretary has revealed the traditional dimension of Ukrainian politics: attempts to solve personal problems and air personal grudges at the expense of smearing the reputation of the state and executive. Understandably, the resurfacing of such an issue as arms trade and the way that it was done significantly hurts the image of our country. If the tactics of those behind the campaign are quite clear and predictable, the silence of their party and bloc colleagues cannot be understood.
Public and precise assessment of such political tricks, especially on the eve of the parliamentary elections, could indicate their readiness for honest and transparent election and serve as a warning to those who want to plunge Ukraine into information wars and black PR scenarios.
Mykola TOMENKO, Director of the Institute of Politics:
There could be several explanations of this situation. First, there is a pre-election political scene which has triggered many lesser conflicts between political teams of the For A United Ukraine bloc and the SDPU(o). It is obvious that all political players will compete for voters on the same electoral turf and the present wrangling between Akhmetov-Surkis and Marchuk- Derkach will not be an exception but the rule for the next three months.
Secondly, there is an old professional conflict related to the concept and strategies of work of the SBU. It is no secret that Yevhen Marchuk and Leonid Derkach [both former heads of the SBU] take different views of the system of security for Ukraine and structure of its security service. It is clear that Marchuk and Radchenko, on the one hand, and Derkach, Derkach Junior, or Vadym Rabinovych, on the other, represent totally different approaches to how the cassette scandal or other issues should be dealt with. This kinds of confrontation has always been present, fading into the background from time to time.
Third is a situational problem. In my opinion, many young and energetic oligarchs act in the same way: as soon as they get word of any demand to discredit this or that politician (especially when they hear that the president is inclined to dismiss him) they try to bend over backwards to be helpful. In other words, Andriy Derkach wants to show the president that he will stop at nothing [to prove his loyalty to the incumbent]. Consequently, rough handling of the NSDC by the said media is viewed by its authors as something that will accelerate what they think is inevitable.
Fourth, I believe there is one issue which can change the present political landscape and affect the political life of Ukraine – illegal arms trafficking. The issue has been picked up because of the high profile it acquired in the aftermath of September 11 terrorist attacks. That is why it provides the best breeding ground for any kind of discrediting campaigns. The present one is merely a prelude of the battle which will apparently break loose after the New Year.
Zynovy KULYK, political scientist:
In my view, this is a clear example of political mudslinging in the election campaign. On the surface, this information scandal has nothing to do with the elections, but the confrontations among political parties typically reach their peak before election day. In Ukraine this confrontation also involves various political and financial clans. The information barrage against NSDC Secretary Yevhen Marchuk is evidence of just one thing: Mr. Marchuk was and continues to be an important player on our political field. Quite a few political parties or blocs cannot shape up a top five attractive to the voters on their party lists. The fact that Mr. Marchuk has not declared his decision to run for a seat in Verkhovna Rada or stay away from the race does not indicate that political forces have lost any interest in him. There have been reports in some media outlets that talks with Marchuk are under way. Quite obviously, this is bad news for Andriy Derkach and his team and they are out to kick a potential opponent out before he makes a decision which political regiment he will head in the election attack.
On the other hand, I am perplexed, as this information attack is playing into the hands of Ukraine’s critics. We have repeatedly heard allegations by domestic media as well as by such Russia’s prominent political figure as Duma member Illiukhin that Ukraine sales weapons to the Chechens and Taliban. Repeated with a two-year regularity, such allegations are aimed at creating what is apparently meant to become yet another sensation. But these allegations carry little ammunition and the names mentioned in such publications have been known for about five or seven years. Incidentally, if such information had been known and its bearers failed to report it to law enforcement, they must be held accountable for withholding information on a serious crime.
Obviously, for close observers there is nothing new in the whole saga. But the electorate could perceive it as an attempt to get a scoop by cashing in on bygones and discrediting a political heavyweight. This is why the president is still fence-sitting. I can give you a similar example: Mr. Pustovoitenko told recently that he has new information on the death of Gongadze, with President Kuchma explicitly calling it a canard and empty political declaration without any substance. As a person with unlimited access to information, I believe, he is similarly aware that there is nothing behind the attack on Marchuk.
Yevhen MARCHUK
Last Tuesday, Yevhen Marchuk, who was attending a conference on Sociopolis, was interviewed by The Day on the information attack issue:
The attack came in the aftermath of the revelations by the NSDC staff and me personally on a mechanism of inflicting heavy losses on the country. This provocation has several stages and will flounder as many before. On a number of occasions, attacks against me were launched at times when, on the instructions from the president, the NSDC was investigating complicated cases, very often rife with corruption, involving state holding companies and joint ventures, or chaos in the railway and aviation sectors, to name a few. The same old scenario is now at work and the present attack follows my personal intervention in a case where several joint ventures made use of legal loopholes, with the courts unfortunately assisting them. In total, these entities could have evaded paying UAH 890 million in taxes for ten months alone. The NSDC also disrupted the sale of the strategically important entity, Eksimnaftoprodukt, literally for pennies while its actual cost, according to foreign experts, comes to $1 billion.
I don’t want to repeat that that the Era Company failed to pay several million hryvnias in lease payments. This and several similar examples are enough to realize that we are bringing in the public limelight much of the wrongdoing done in the shadow sector. I am in no way surprised that the attack against me brought together young and old adventurers. They quickly flocked together to start this provocation and to test my nerves. The perpetrators of this provocation do not seem to have a moral right to run for parliament now, not even with the bloc headed by Lytvyn. In line with their scenario, the campaign started against me one week before party conventions was aimed to discredit me and create political problems for me at the de facto start of the election race.
It’s all quite simple. Aware that their illegal activities are being disclosed, some power structures and groups are fighting. Besides, this provocation is aimed at distracting attention from their own problems in the wake of a court action against a bunch of adventurers in Italy. It is also aimed to serve as a smoke screen for their Italian accomplices. We have seen this all before.
