"Coal case" investigation completed, former Ukrainian president Poroshenko charged with treason

Former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko faces charges of treason following the completion of an investigation against him known as the "coal case". A decision is now being made on which court will hear the case.

Details: Ukrainska Pravda article What's happening with the investigations against Poroshenko?

Quote: "According to Ukrainska Pravda sources in the government, the motivation section of the sanctions decision mentioned Poroshenko’s 'involvement' in preparing the so-called Kharkiv Pact and his role, together with Viktor Medvedchuk, in organising the 'coal scheme'." [The Kharkiv Pact (2010) was an agreement between Ukraine and Russia that extended Russia’s lease on Sevastopol’s naval base in exchange for a gas discount. It was annulled in 2014 after Russia annexed Crimea. Medvedchuk is a former Ukrainian businessman and pro-Russian politician who is also known for his connections to Vladimir Putin – ed.]

More details: Under the coal scheme, which was first exposed by Ukrainska Pravda in 2016, coal from occupied mines in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts was supplied to Ukraine instead of being bought from South Africa.

It is telling that it was only after the National Security and Defence Council approved sanctions against Poroshenko that the investigation of the coal case, which had lain dormant for years, suddenly intensified.

In December 2021, Poroshenko was served a notice of suspicion of treason by Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). On 2 September 2022, after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the SBI announced that it had completed the investigation into the coal smuggling case.

From that point until spring 2025, there was no visible progress in the case. But following the imposition of sanctions, the Pechersk District Court in Kyiv set a deadline of 15 April for Poroshenko's legal team to review the case materials.

Illia Novikov, Poroshenko's lawyer, told Ukrainska Pravda that the court where the case will be tried is still being determined. He also pointed out that Medvedchuk and another defendant had their charges revised during the investigation, whereas any changes to the charges against Poroshenko, as a sitting MP, must be authorised by the prosecutor general. Ukraine currently has no acting prosecutor general following the dismissal of Andrii Kostin.

"The indictment therefore uses the original wording of the suspicion, ignoring any evidence provided by the defence, although after the charges were amended for the other suspects, this defies common sense," Ukrainska Pravda’s article states.

Moreover, one of the key suspects, Viktor Medvedchuk, was exchanged for 200 Ukrainian prisoners of war on 21 September 2022, and former energy minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn left Ukraine several years ago.

The Prosecutor General’s Office and the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) have stated that "Medvedchuk’s testimony against Poroshenko" has been documented, while Demchyshyn’s case has been split off into a separate incident and the case has been filed with the court without it. "So there’s little doubt who the primary culprit is meant to be," the article reads.

Quote: "Perhaps the most inconvenient aspect of the 'coal case' for the investigators is that this entire 'trading in blood' narrative involves no money. Poroshenko is not being accused of profiteering or corruption, but of treason and aiding terrorists from the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics."

Background:

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in an evening address on 12 February 2025 that the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) would impose new sanctions but did not name any names.
• Sources close to Ukraine's fifth president and current MP, Petro Poroshenko of the European Solidarity party, and the NSDC told Ukrainska Pravda that Poroshenko was among those targeted by the sanctions.
• Poroshenko called the sanctions against him "a colossal blow to internal unity".
• On 13 February, Zelenskyy approved the NSDC's decision to impose the sanctions.

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