The SBU still has a few months to prevent Dobkin from running. One way to do this could be by charging him with treason, writes DS.
Mikhail Dobkin / UNIAN
A very interesting turn of events has occurred in Kharkiv. This could have implications not only for the city itself, where mayoral elections are scheduled for October 31, but for all of Ukraine.
"Titushki-seminarists"
On the morning of April 21, the SBU reported the detention of three buses carrying "titushki" (illegal prosecuted suspects) approaching Kharkiv, arriving from Donetsk, Dnipro, and Poltava. The buses were carrying over fifty people, all of whom reside in other regions of Ukraine and have no connection to the Kharkiv region.
"According to available information, these groups were sent to Kharkiv at the request of one of Ukraine's pro-Russian political forces to stage protests in the city, as well as to provoke public unrest and mass illegal actions during the regular session of the Kharkiv City Council," the SBU asserts. The purpose of these actions, it claims, was "to destabilize the socio-political situation in the region and create a favorable image for Russia's leadership to justify possible acts of aggression against Ukraine."
According to the National Police, officers held preventive talks with the detainees about the inadmissibility of committing offenses, after which they were released. This means that the "titushki" themselves had no time to commit any crimes. However, judging by what the SBU reported, the organizers could be charged with treason.
So who is this "one of the pro-Russian political forces" that ordered the buses carrying the "titushki"? "It was me," the Opposition Platform — For Life (OPZZh) frankly admitted. It reported on its website: "This morning, police and SBU officers illegally and groundlessly detained members of the public organization 'Patriots for Life,' who were traveling to Kharkiv to participate in events related to preparations for Victory Day celebrations."
What a ridiculous theory. Victory Day is May 9, but the buses arrived in Kharkiv on April 21. The "Patriots – For Life" organization is headed by Ilya Kiva, an Opposition Platform – For Life MP close to Viktor Medvedchuk. Essentially, they are the militants of Medvedchuk's wing of the Opposition Platform – For Life. And they are needed when a violent confrontation with the National Police is possible.
Kiva himself complained to the openly pro-Kremlin publication "Strana" about "systemic pressure from the nationalist authorities." He portrayed his fighters as seminarians. Literally. "We had previously scheduled a seminar in Kharkiv regarding preparations for the Victory Day celebrations on May 9th. Members of the Patriots for Life organization from three regions—Luhansk, Dnipro, and Poltava—were supposed to attend this seminar," Kiva recounted his story.
Did Dobkin want to invite Putin?
But there's another, more plausible version: Kiva's militants were traveling to Kharkiv to assist Mikhail Dobkin. Allegedly, it was he who wanted to create the "image favorable to the Russian leadership" to justify possible acts of aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, as described by the SBU.
At least, that's the version being reported by Telegram channels very close to Bankova: "Dobkin called Kiva and ordered OPZZh thugs to come to Kharkiv for a rally against Terekhov. He even prepared posters with flags depicting Ukraine and Russia shaking hands. All in time for Putin's address to the Federal Assembly today. But the SBU acted quickly and intercepted the thugs. The names of those who ordered the rally are already being investigated. Dobkin's separatist case at the SBU is accumulating new facts."
In this regard, it should be noted that the SBU began investigating Dobkin's separatist activities back in February 2014, immediately after the victory of the Revolution of Dignity. Specifically, the SBU was interested in his role in organizing the "separatist congress" in Kharkiv on February 22, 2014, which declared control over the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, and then in the attempt to create a "Kharkiv People's Republic."
Recently, following the National Security and Defense Council meeting on March 11, Dobkin became the subject of another SBU investigation—in connection with the Kharkiv Accords, signed on April 21, 2010, by then-presidents of Ukraine and Russia, Yanukovych and Medvedev. Dobkin, it should be noted, was then the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration. This means he was directly involved in organizing this meeting and signing this treacherous document.
Now the SBU has received new information concerning not past, but current separatist activity in Kharkiv.
The price of the issue is Kharkov
The question is whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy, through the SBU, will have time to put Dobkin in jail (at least in a pretrial detention center) before the Kharkiv mayoral elections on October 31. It's no secret that Dobkin is currently considered the number one contender for the mayor's seat, a position he held from 2006 to 2010 (before Yanukovych appointed him head of the regional state administration). According to various sociologists, he appears to be ahead of the current acting mayor, City Council Secretary Ihor Terekhov.
It's also no secret that Zelenskyy is now seriously terrified of the possibility of separatism in Kharkiv, given the growing concentration of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. Kharkiv is 40 kilometers by road from the Russian border. And when the SBU claims that fifty militants in central Kharkiv wanted to "invite" Putin there right during his address to the Russian Federal Assembly, such news likely only increased Zelenskyy's fears.
Therefore, Dobkin could be in for a serious run of trouble. Even more serious than Medvedchuk's. After all, Medvedchuk himself poses no threat to Zelenskyy—he's just an ordinary MP. But if Dobkin were to become mayor of Kharkiv, a border city with a population of 1.5 million, he would pose a constant threat to the entire government. This is especially true given Dobkin's unpredictability, guaranteed by his peculiar logic. And Dobkin would be doubly dangerous as mayor if Putin and his godfather Medvedchuk controlled him.
In short, Zelenskyy may be desperate to prevent Dobkin from running in the mayoral elections by any means necessary. Incidentally, this task is made easier by the fact that Dobkin is formally a nobody right now; he's merely the head of the marginal Christian Socialists party, which doesn't even have its own deputies in the Kharkiv City Council (it didn't even put forward its list). Therefore, it's crucial for Bankova to prevent an alliance between Dobkin and the Opposition Platform - For Life party.
It's worth noting that the Opposition Platform - For Life party has its own candidate for Kharkiv mayor, MP Oleksandr Feldman. He has already effectively launched his campaign in the city. Feldman is a more favorable opponent for Terekhov than Dobkin. And even if Feldman were to defeat Terekhov, it would be better for Bankova than a Dobkin victory.
Reasons for Dobkin's imprisonment
The official nomination of mayoral candidates is scheduled for September. So the SBU still has several months to prevent Dobkin from running. One way to do this would be to charge him with treason. If Dobkin ignores this warning and runs independently, the SBU will be able to paralyze his campaign under the pretext of fighting separatism.
However, preventing Dobkin from becoming mayor isn't the only reason for his imprisonment. The authorities have several more, affecting not only Kharkiv but all of Ukraine.
One of the main reasons is to strike at the separatists. So they'll be truly afraid to stick their noses out. For almost two years, Zelenskyy ignored the separatist threat, but now it's truly frightening him, after Putin's graphic demonstration of the threat at the border.
A compelling reason is to strike a new blow at Medvedchuk. More precisely, now Medvedchuk will be joined by a major target like Dobkin. This is important because Zelenskyy is counting on the sympathies of the patriotic electorate. And patriotic sympathies need regular nourishment. Dobkin in pretrial detention—such an attractive image could help bolster the government's approval ratings.
And there's an additional reason—to further split the Opposition Platform — For Life party. Levochkin will become even stronger within the Opposition Platform — For Life party, weakening Medvedchuk's influence, and the party itself will become even more loyal to Bankova, despite its ostensible opposition.
Of course, Dobkin will shout that this is a political case and that they want to jail him to prevent him from becoming mayor. Therefore, if the authorities decide to jail Dobkin, they will be the first to shout that this is a political case, a case of separatism and treason. And that this will happen to every separatist.
However, knowing the creative potential of our government, it's impossible to rule out the possibility that it will squander all its opportunities. And everything will turn out exactly the opposite: instead of going to jail, Dobkin will get free PR, which will only help him become mayor.
Yuri Vishnevsky
FILE: Mikhail Dobkin: Dopa is on Gepa's hook
In topic: True to Kernes's legacy. How Dobkin and Terekhov are starting the race for Kharkiv mayor.
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