"In the spring of 1994, Moscow did its best for ex-Premier Leonid Kuchma, then in disgrace, to become President of Ukraine... Kuchma's team received millions of US dollars through a Russian firm," claimed the article "Once a Liar..." carried by Pravda, a Russian communist organ, on February 18.
Soon thereafter, UNIAN distributed a brief summary of the article. Among other things, its author was chagrined by the fact that Mr. Kuchma "forgot about his promises once he stepped in the Mariyinsky Presidential Palace" and looked to the West and NATO, rather than to Russia. A strange allegation, considering the results of the last meeting with Boris Yeltsin as part of his "loose-tie" diplomacy. Then the Russian President declared that he wanted to see Kuchma reelected. His Ukrainian counterpart reciprocated by promising to help privatize the oil and gas industries for the benefit of Russian companies.
Now about Russia allegedly financing the last presidential campaign. The first publication to this effect appeared in Komsomolskaia Pravda in 1996. Ukrainian People's Deputy Serhiy Drahomaretsky spoke in Verkhovna Rada on May 13, 1996 and according to the minutes said, "As a citizen of Ukraine, I cannot remain calm reading publications carried by periodicals in Russia, a friendly country, which I think cast aspersions on our country, being directed against our government leaders. I am particularly referring to the allegation that Mr. Kuchma's campaign in Ukraine was financed... on instructions from [Premier] Chernomyrdin's Secretariat." The Deputy proposed that the Security Service of Ukraine and Central Elections Committee "verify the facts that may have caused the newspaper Komsomolskaia pravda which allege that government agencies and enterprises of the Russian Federation had materially supported certain measures taken in the course of Mr. Kuchma's presidential campaign."
Exactly two days after his speech in Parliament People's Deputy Drahomaretsky died in what the police claimed was an ordinary traffic accident on the St. Petersburg-Kyiv-Odesa highway. Drahomaretsky's mother was served notice that the criminal case had been closed as of December 26, 1996.
Today, the "Russian money case" has been reopened. In view of fresh evidence, Judge Yu. A. Vasylenko of the Kyiv City Court ruled to partially accommodate the complaint filed by Ivan Makar, former People's Deputy, and overruled the enactment of the public prosecutor at the legal supervision department, Kyiv Prosecutor's Office, terminating, as of June 12, 1997, criminal proceedings vs. President Leonid Kuchma. Makar's complaint is now to be forwarded to Verkhovna Rada for deliberation on a resolution with regard to Article III of the Constitution of Ukraine.
Mr. Makar's statement addressed in particular mentions that same Komsomolskaia Pravda article where it reads that Russia allocated 2.5 million tons of oil worth $100 million to finance the Ukrainian presidential campaign.
Was there Russian money? How will we ever know if President Kuchma refuses the court information?
Reuters Photo:
Was there an oily kiss?







