Party of Regions leader Victor Yanukovych condemns the decision of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) to bring a criminal case on the fact of committing genocide in Ukraine in 1932-33, because, in his opinion, the Ukrainian authorities should not worsen relations with the Russian Federation.

According to Victor Yanukovych’s comments, forwarded to UNIAN by the Party of Regions press-service, he believes that the move is “provocative and irresponsible”.

Victor Yanukovych pointed out that, as early as in July of 2008, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Oleksander Medvedko sent to that-time acting SBU head Valentyn Nalyvaychnko a legal conclusion of the Prosecutor’s General Office, which stated that the UN Convention of 1948 “On Preventing the Crime of Genocide and Punishment for It” does not have any effect on the developments of 1932-33 in Ukraine. The PGO conclusion reads that the UN Convention may be used only to give a historical estimate to the developments of that time, and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has already done it with a respective Law. The document also reads that in case if persons, who were guilty with this crime and were not punished, are established, they must be released from criminal responsibility due to the termination of the time limitation.

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“However, in our country, where, unfortunately, political reasons prevail over the law, the PGO’s conclusion is not taken into account. As a result, the society faces the risk of being dragged into an internal conflict, caused by the difference in estimates of the reasons and consequences of the tragic developments in 1932-33. Under conditions of the serious social-economic crisis in the country, a responsible power should better think how to unite the nation and not how to stir up brother against brother”, the Party of Regions leader stressed.

Victor Yanukovych emphasized that the current authorities need to keep constant tension around the Holodomor issue in order to continue worsening the relations with the Russian Federation, which are already bad. “It is known that this topic is particularly sensitive for Russia as for the USSR legal successor”, Yanukovych’s statement reads.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on May 25, The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) brought a criminal case on the fact of committing a genocide, which caused death of millions, in Ukraine in 1932-33. SBU head Valentyn Nalyvaychenko claimed this on Monday at a meeting with representatives of the World Congress of Ukrainians, the SBU press-service disclosed to UNIAN. “Ukraine has collected enough evidence to bring a criminal case on the fact of the famine, which was artificially created by the Bolshevik regime and caused mass death of citizens”, the SBU head stressed. Through the World Congress of Ukrainians, he turned to leading foreign lawyers with a request to help find out all the circumstances connected with preparing and committing the genocide in 1932-33.