Zelenskyy imposes sanctions on former head of Ukrainian President's Office

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has imposed sanctions on Andrii Bohdan, former head of the Office of the President.

Source: Zelenskyy's official website

Details: By a decree dated 2 May, Zelenskyy enacted a decision of the National Security and Defence Council to impose sanctions.

The sanctions list includes five individuals, among them Andrii Yosypovych Bohdan, born on 3 December 1976, a Ukrainian citizen. These details match those of the former head of the President's Office.

According to a statement on Zelenskyy's website, the actions of the listed individuals "threaten Ukraine's national interests, security, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"The sanctions apply to Ukrainian lawyer Andrii Bohdan; Ukrainian businessman and associate and partner of sanctioned Viktor Medvedchuk, Bohdan Pukish; Russian businessman Alan Kiriukhin, a key manager of the sanctioned A7A5 payment system used to circumvent sanctions; as well as functionaries and propagandists of Russian Olympic sport, Stanislav Pozdniakov and Mikhail Mamiashvili," the press service explained.

The restrictive measures include deprivation of Ukrainian state awards, asset freezes, suspension of trade operations, prevention of capital outflows from Ukraine, suspension or revocation of licences and permits and a ban on participation in the privatisation or lease of state property.

The sanctions are imposed for 10 years, except for the indefinite deprivation of state awards.

Background:

• On 21 May 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Andrii Bohdan, his legal adviser and lawyer for oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi, as head of the President's Office.
• On 11 February 2020, Zelenskyy dismissed Bohdan from the post and appointed Andrii Yermak as his successor.
• In June 2020, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda, Zelenskyy said he had initially considered appointing Bohdan as Prosecutor General but later decided that the position of head of the President's Office had made him more conflict-prone. He eventually dismissed him and cut off communication.
• At the time, Bohdan said that Zelenskyy had "traded dreams of a happy country for the cheap whims of unprofessional people who manipulate him."
• Later, Bohdan claimed that MPs from the ruling Servant of the People party were receiving thousands of dollars in envelopes in exchange for "necessary" votes in parliament.

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