Taras Romanovych Kozak ( uk, Тарас Романович Козак; born 6 April 1972, Sokilnyky,

Pustomyty Raion Pustomyty Raion ( uk, Пустомитівський район) was a raion in Lviv Oblast in western Ukraine. Its capital (political), administrative center was the city of Pustomyty. The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the admin ...

Lviv Oblast Lviv Oblast ( uk, Льві́вська о́бласть, translit=Lvivska oblast, ), also referred to as Lvivshchyna ( uk, Льві́вщина, ), ). The name of each oblast is a wikt:Appendix:Glossary#relational, relational adjective—in Englis ...

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

) is a Ukrainian politician, state servant, businessman and

media proprietor A media proprietor, media mogul or media tycoon refers to a entrepreneur who controls, through personal ownership or via a dominant position in any media-related company or enterprise, media consumed by many individuals. Those with significant co ...

, and a close associate of the pro-Russian oligarch

Viktor Medvedchuk Viktor Volodymyrovych Medvedchuk ( uk, Віктор Володимирович Медведчук, ; born 7 August 1954) is a Ukrainian lawyer, business oligarch, and politician who is since September 2022 living in exile after being handed over ...

. He was elected in the

2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election Snap elections to the Verkhovna Rada took place on 26 October 2014. Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, had pressed for early parliamentary elections since his victory in the presidential election in May.People's Deputy of the 8th convocation for the pro-Russian ''Opposition Bloc'' party. In 2019, he was elected a

People's Deputy of Ukraine People's, branded as ''People's Viennaline'' until May 2018, and legally ''Altenrhein Luftfahrt Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH'', is an Austrian airline headquartered in Vienna. It operates scheduled and charter passenger flights ma ...

of 9th convocation for the now banned pro-Russian ''

Opposition Platform — For Life The Opposition Platform – For Life ( uk, Опозиційна платформа – За життя; russian: Оппозиционная платформа – За жизнь, OPZZh) was a parliamentary and now banned pro-Russian and Eurosc ...

'' party. In June 2019, Kozak created Novyny Holdings (“News holding”), which includes the , and

112 Ukraine 112 Ukraine ( uk, 112 Україна) was a private Ukrainian TV channel which provided 24-hour news coverage. 112 Ukraine was available on satellites AMOS 2/3, via the DVB-T2 network, and was also available in packages of all major Ukrainian ca ...

TV channels, which have been shut down under accusations of hosting Russian propaganda. On 2 February 2021 the

National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC; uk, Рада національної безпеки і оборони України, RNBO or RNBOU) is the coordinating state body of the executive power under the President of Ukrai ...

imposed sanctions on Kozak, with the reason given for the sanctions being that according to the

Security Service of Ukraine The Security Service of Ukraine ( uk, Служба безпеки України, translit=Sluzhba bezpeky Ukrainy}) or SBU ( uk, СБУ, link=no) is the law enforcement authority and main intelligence and security agency of the Ukrainian ...

investigation, Kozak controlled a group of coal mines in the

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: Names of European cities in different languages (C–D), cities' alternat ...

and

Luhansk Luhansk (, ; uk, Луганськ, ), also known as Lugansk (, ; russian: Луганск, ), is a city in what is internationally recognised as Ukraine, although it is administered by Russia as capital of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). A ...

regions not under government control whose profits contributed to the financing of terrorism,Youtube blocked the broadcast of Medvedchuk's channel

Ukrayinska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' ( uk, Українська правда, lit=Ukrainian Truth) is a Ukrainian online newspaper founded by Georgiy Gongadze on 16 April 2000 (the day of the Ukrainian constitutional referendum). Published mainly in Ukraini ...

(5 March 2021) as well as being implicated in the use of profits from the Samara-Western Direction oil product pipeline to fund the

Donetsk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic ( rus, Донецкая Народная Республика, Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, dɐˈnʲetskəjə nɐˈrodnəjə rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə; abbreviated as DPR or DNR, rus, ДНР) is a Territorial ...

and the

Luhansk People's Republic The Luhansk or Lugansk People's Republic (russian: Луга́нская Наро́дная Респу́блика, Luganskaya Narodnaya Respublika, ; abbreviated as LPR or LNR, rus, ЛНР) is a disputed entity created by Russian-backed ...

. On 11 May 2021 the

Prosecutor General of Ukraine The prosecutor general of Ukraine (also procurator general of Ukraine, uk, Генеральний прокурор України) heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General ( uk, Офіс ...

accused Kozak of treason and attempted looting of national resources in ( Russian annexed, but internationally recognised as Ukrainian)

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

; he is believed to be in

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

and the

received permission to detain Kozak on 20 May 2021. On 20 January 2022, the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...

sanctioned Kozak for acting under the direction of Russian

Federal Security Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...

(FSB) agents and helping “to prepare to take over the government of Ukraine and to control Ukraine’s critical infrastructure with an occupying Russian force."

Biography

In 1993–2003, Kozak worked in the State Tax Administration and in 2003-2010 he worked in the State Customs Service.People's Deputy Taras Kozak received as a gift Audi A8 (Нардеп Тарас Козак отримав у подарунок Audi A8)
Nashi Groshi. 13 December 2016 One of Kozak's colleagues in the Lviv tax office was Serhiy Medvedchuk ,

's brother.Medvedchuk's Cossack. Where did Putin's godfather's ally get the money for TV channels?

(11 February 2021) In 2005 Kozak was a member of political party Russko-Ukrainskiy Soyuz that ran for parliament as part of the Natalia Vitrenko Bloc. In 2010 he became a deputy in the Lviv Oblast council The same year he became deputy head of the

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

"Legal State Center", this organization was headed by Viktor Medvedchuk. As a

nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

candidate he took part in the

2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election The Ukrainian parliamentary election of 2012 took place on 28 October 2012.Ukraine's 122nd electoral district Ukraine's 122nd electoral district is a Verkhovna Rada constituency in Lviv Oblast, Western Ukraine. Established in its current form in 2012, it includes Yavoriv Raion and Zhovkva Raion. The district is home to 178,460 registered voters, and has ...

, around the city of

Yavoriv Yavoriv ( uk, Яворів, ; pl, Jaworów; yi, יאַוואָראָוו , translit=Yavorov; german: Jaworiw) is a city in the Lviv region of western Ukraine which is around 15 kilometers from the Polish border. It is the administrative centre o ...

. He finished second, with 36.55% of the vote (the winner, of

Fatherland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethn ...

, received 55.87%). In the

2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election Snap elections to the Verkhovna Rada took place on 26 October 2014. Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, had pressed for early parliamentary elections since his victory in the presidential election in May.Opposition Bloc russian: Оппозиционный блок , colorcode = , logo = Opposition Bloc.png , logo_size = 240px , leader1_title = Chairman , leader1_name = Rinat Akhmetov (one wing)Dmytro Firtash & Yuriy Boyko ( ...

(he was number 14 on its election list). And after the

2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election Snap elections to the Ukrainian parliament were held on 21 July 2019. Originally scheduled to be held at the end of October, these elections were brought forward after newly inaugurated President of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dissolv ...

for

(this time as number 10 of its election list, in the same election Medvedchuk was elected to parliament for the same party).Security Service questions owner of NewsOne, 112.Ukraine TV channels on terrorism counts

Interfax-Ukraine The Interfax-Ukraine ( uk, Інтерфакс-Україна) is a Kyiv-based Ukraine, Ukrainian independent news agency founded in 1992. The company does not belong to the Russian news corporation Interfax Information Services. The company pub ...

(3 October 2019) Taras Kozak is a member of political organization " Ukrainskiy vybor" led by Viktor Medvedchuk. In 2018 Kozak voted against the Law on Recognition of Ukrainian Sovereignty over the Occupied Territories of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. At the end of 2018 Kozak official acquired several important Ukrainian television media such as (from

Yevhen Muraev Yevheniy Volodymyrovych Murayev ( uk, Євгеній Володимирович Мураєв; born 2 December 1976) is a pro-Russian Ukrainian politician and media owner. He is the current leader of the political party Nashi. Murayev has been ...

) and

. In June 2019 Kozak also bought television channel . After acquiring of ZIK by Kozak, journalists en masse left the company in protest. After the acquisition of ZIK TV channel, the CEO left and most of the other employees resigned. The reason was the person of the new owner. The activities and rhetoric of the deputy, the party and the media holding are considered to be very biased and pro-Russian. In July 2019, employees of the ZIK TV channel, a number of newspapers, NGOs and institutions, a coalition of NGOs "Reanimation Package of Reforms" (more than 70 organizations), as well as public figures, journalists and public

opinion leaders Opinion leadership is leadership by an active media user who interprets the meaning of media messages or content for lower-end media users. Typically opinion leaders are held in high esteem by those who accept their opinions. Opinion leadership com ...

called on the state to take measures to prevent monopolization of media space by pro-Russian forces. In October 2019 Kozak was questioned by the

because of a July 2019 proposed TV linkup between NewsOne and the Russian TV channel

Rossiya 1 Russia-1 (russian: Россия-1) is a state-owned Russian television channel, first aired on 14 February 1956 as Programme Two in the Soviet Union. It was relaunched as RTR on 13 May 1991, and is known today as Russia-1. It is the flagship cha ...

, which is banned in Ukraine. According to ewsOne the linkup was cancelled "because of direct threats of physical reprisals leveled at the channel, journalists, and their families." Kozak took part in a fraudulent scheme to sell anthracite from the

and

under the guise of coal from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. In a 2020 electronic declaration, Kozak hid his wife's oil business in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. The People's Deputy is also involved in the case of tax evasion by Tedis company. On 2 February 2021 the

imposed sanctions on Kozak. The reason for the sanctions against Kozak were an investigation by the Security Service of Ukraine that found that coal supply schemes from the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic helped finance terrorism. As part of these sanctions the television channel owned by him (NewsOne, 112 Ukraine and ZIK) were forbidden to broadcast in Ukraine.Ukraine Sanctions 'Russian Trojan Horse' Media Assets Associated With Putin Friend

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...

(3 February 2021)Zelensky imposed sanctions on Medvedchuk's ally and his TV channels for five years

Ukrinform The National News Agency of Ukraine ( uk, Українське національне інформаційне агентство), or Ukrinform ( uk, Укрінформ), is a state information and news agency, and international broadcaster of ...

(2 February 2021) The channels were immediately shut down but continued to

livestream Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...

their content on the

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

Ukrainian President The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, condu ...

Volodymyr Zelensky Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...

stated that banning the channels had been a difficult decision and that Ukraine supported

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

but not "propaganda financed by the aggressor country." Adviser of the

Office of the President of Ukraine The Office of the President of Ukraine ('' uk, Офіс Президента України'') (formerly ''Administration of the President of Ukraine'', uk, Адміністрація Президента) is a standing advisory body set up by ...

Mykhailo Podolyak stated in Ukrainian media that the channels were “quite actively and often openly used as tools of foreign

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

in Ukraine.” In a joint statement 112 Ukraine, NewsOne and ZiK commented on their banning: "We regard this decision...as a political reprisal against objectionable media."

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for

United Russia United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...

Aleksey Pushkov Aleksey Konstantinovich Pushkov ( rus, Алексе́й Константи́нович Пушко́в; born 10 August 1954) is a Russian politician who has been Senator from Perm Krai since 29 September 2016. He is also a former Deputy of the Sta ...

claimed that "By shutting down opposition television channels, Zelensky acknowledged his inability to withstand political competition." In a written statement the spokesperson of EU's Foreign Affairs High Representative

Josep Borrell Josep Borrell Fontelles (; born 24 April 1947) is a Spanish politician serving as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy since 1 December 2019. A member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), he served ...

stated "while Ukraine's efforts to protect its territorial integrity and national security, as well as to defend itself from information manipulation are legitimate" it added that "any measures taken should be proportional to the aim". The

U.S. Embassy in Ukraine The Embassy of the United States of America in Kyiv is the diplomatic mission of the United States to Ukraine. History The United States recognized the independence of Ukraine on December 26, 1991, and opened an embassy in its capital, Kyiv, on ...

released a statement on 3 February 2020 that stated "The

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

supports Ukraine’s efforts yesterday to counter Russia’s malign influence, in line with Ukrainian law, in defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity." Medvedchuk and Kozak were reported to keep funds in

ian banks controlled by business associates of

President of Belarus The president of the Republic of Belarus ( be, Прэзідэнт Рэспублікі Беларусь; russian: Президент Республики Беларусь) is the head of state and head of government of Belarus. The office was cre ...

Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian language, Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian language, Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лука� ...

, Aliaksei Aleksin and Mikalai Varabei. They also have common business interests.Ukrainian businessman Medvedchuk and his Belarusian connections
Euroradio.fm (10 February 2021)

Criminal prosecution and sanctions

On 11 May 2021, Kozak and Medvedchuk were named as suspects for

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

and the illegal exploitation of natural resources in Ukraine's Russian-annexed

. Two days later Medvedchuk claimed in court that Kozak could not have accompanied him (in court) because he (Kozak) was receiving medical treatment in Belarus. On 20 May 2021 the

received permission to detain Kozak.The court gave permission to detain Kozak

(20 May 2021) On 20 January 2022, against the backdrop of mounting tensions over Ukraine, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on Kozak along with three other Ukrainian nationals. The statement released by the

U.S. Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...

said, "Russia has directed its intelligence services to recruit current and former Ukrainian government officials to prepare to take over the government of Ukraine and to control Ukraine’s critical infrastructure with an occupying Russian force. At the heart of this effort are Taras Kozak (Kozak) and Oleh Voloshyn (Voloshyn), two current Ukrainian Members of Parliament from the party led by Victor Medvedchuk (Medvedchuk), who is already subject to U.S. sanctions for his role in undermining Ukrainian sovereignty in 2014. Medvedchuk maintains close ties with the Kremlin, and also took part in directing these activities. .. Kozak, who controls several news channels in Ukraine, supported the FSB’s plan to denigrate senior members of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s inner circle, falsely accusing them of mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, Kozak used his news platforms to amplify false narratives around the 2020 U.S. elections first espoused by U.S.-designated Andrii Leonidovych Derkach (Derkach). Kozak has attempted to legitimatize Derkach’s claims by rebroadcasting Derkach’s false assertions about U.S. political candidates. Throughout 2020, Kozak worked alongside FSB intelligence agents.”

Awards

In 2002 Kozak was awarded the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

, 3rd degree.Presidential ukase.
About distinguishing officials of Tax Service of Ukraine with state awards of Ukraine (Про відзначення державними нагородами України працівників податкової служби України)

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

. 31 October 2002.

References

External links

*
"For life", for Rabinovych, for Medvedchuk. For FSB! («За життя», за Рабіновича, за Медведчука. За ФСБ!)
Argumentua. 12 October 2018. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kozak, Taras 1972 births Living people People from Lviv Oblast Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united) politicians Opposition Bloc politicians Opposition Platform — For Life politicians Eighth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada Ninth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada Recipients of the Order of Merit (Ukraine), 3rd class Fugitives wanted by Ukraine

Biography

Criminal prosecution and sanctions

Awards

See also

References

External links