Former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko was charged with high treason.

This was announced at a briefing by the ex-secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexander Turchinov.

The information was also confirmed by the State Bureau of Investigations of Ukraine.

They clarified that the State Bureau employees, together with the SBU and the office of the Prosecutor General, are investigating a criminal case "on organizing a criminal scheme for supplying coal from the temporarily occupied territories and assisting terrorist organizations in the LPR and DPR with a group of Ukrainian citizens for a total of about 1.5 billion hryvnias."

The State Bureau said that Poroshenko was suspected of assisting the activities of the LPR and DPR, as well as purchasing coal for state funds in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which, according to the investigation, “made the energy sector dependent on the Russian Federation,” and allegedly provided RF "broader opportunities for further interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine."

Poroshenko himself left Ukraine a few days ago and went on a diplomatic tour to Turkey and Poland.

According to Turchynov, Poroshenko will return to Ukraine after the planned international meetings and a short vacation.

He also expressed the opinion that the case against Poroshenko "will turn into a farce, just like all the previous ones."

According to him, the authorities knew that Poroshenko was planning to leave.

“Considering this situation, they started a dirty show, which was called“ immediate delivery ”of another agenda to Petro Poroshenko for another interrogation,” Turchinov said.

He also called all the charges against Poroshenko untenable, and the criminal case fabricated.

“This looks especially cynical against the background of the fact that over the past two years in Ukraine, the energy security of our state has been completely destroyed, which was ensured by President Poroshenko and the government in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, when the country did not buy Russian coal, when the country did not buy Russian gas, ”Turchinov said.

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In turn, the ex-president's lawyer Ilya Novikov said that Poroshenko was summoned for interrogation on December 23.

“Two hours ago, a delegation from the prosecutor’s office came to Petro Poroshenko’s house, asked the guard if the fifth president was at home (he’s at a conference in Warsaw, but they probably didn’t know it themselves), and put the text of the signed suspicion“ in the case of coal supplies from the DPR "and a summons for interrogation on December 23," he wrote on Facebook.

At the same time, Anatoly Bunich, head of the main investigation department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), said that Poroshenko used his powers as head of state to break contracts for the supply of coal from South Africa and contributed to the signing of contracts for the supply of coal from the territories of Donbass.

"The specified person is suspected that during 2014-2015, while in office of the President of Ukraine, using the powers granted to him ... took illegal measures to sever the existing trade ties of Ukraine for the supply of badly needed coal from South Africa," he is quoted as saying TASS.

As specified, "at the same time, at the request of the representatives of Russia, he organized on behalf of Ukraine the signing of contracts for the supply of coal from Donbass."

According to Bunich, such actions are assistance from Russia, as well as the DPR and LPR "in subversive activities against Ukraine, which is one of the forms of treason."

Political analyst Ivan Mezyukho, in a conversation with RT, expressed the opinion that the West will protect Poroshenko "from real criminal prosecution." 

“He fulfilled the condition for the transit of power when Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected president of the country.

He did not introduce martial law, peacefully gave the presidential mace to his successor, and in this sense he justified the hopes of the West, which is still in contact with him, as well as with representatives of the current government in Ukraine, ”the expert said.

In turn, political scientist, economist Alexander Dudchak expressed the opinion that the accusation of Poroshenko is "a commercial interest, hiding behind political chatter."

“The current government is saddened not by the fact that there was a supply of coal from Donbass, but by the fact that Poroshenko was making money on it, not them.

And now they are trying to take revenge.

In fact, the point is not that they were supplied from Donbass.

It simply uses the pretext and the factor of Donbass as a pretext for accusing Poroshenko of treason, ”the expert said.

Let us remind you that the head of the political council of the Ukrainian party “Opposition Platform - For Life” Viktor Medvedchuk is also involved in this case.

According to the SBU, he was allegedly involved in a conspiracy to undermine Ukraine's energy security.

Medvedchuk himself stated that everything that happens to him "is a political reprisal" for his principled position.