February 7, 2021
Detector Media
Natalia Lavrenyuk, the civilian wife of Taras Kozak, a People’s Deputy from OPZZh, and the owner of the 112 Ukraine, NewsOne and ZIK channels, was added to the database of the Myrotvorets website. In early February, the National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions on Kozak , and his channels stopped broadcasting.
The Peacemaker (Myrotvorets) website states that Natalia Lavreniuk is an “accomplice of the Russian occupiers” and is allegedly involved in their financing. She is also accused of dual citizenship – Ukrainian and Russian (since 2015).
Based on media reports, Myrotvorets also indicates that she is the beneficial owner of NZNP Trade LLC, which carries out geological exploration, exploration and oil production in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug in the Russian Federation.
As DM wrote, “Schemes” found out that Taras Kozak’s civilian wife in March 2020 bought an apartment in an elite residential complex in Moscow. She paid about $ 13 million for a 657-square-meter apartment. The people’s deputy himself did not indicate his civilian wife and her fortune in his declaration. It is known that other relatives of Taras Kozak also own dozens of apartments, houses and plots in Kyiv and Lviv.
President Volodymyr Zelensky put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of February 2, 2021 “On the application of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions).” It envisages the imposition of sanctions against Taras Kozak, a people’s deputy of Ukraine, and companies that own licenses for Medvedchuk Group’s 112 Ukraine, NewsOne and ZIK TV channels . The sanctions were imposed for five years.
Of the 19 council members, 17 voted in favor of the sanctions, one was absent, and speaker of Parliament Dmytro Razumkov abstained. He believes that those responsible for cooperation with Russia and terrorist financing should be punished in accordance with the law. In his opinion, sanctions should be imposed against persons who cannot be prosecuted before a Ukrainian court. Razumkov claims that the representatives of the special services did not provide additional information for review during the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council. Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Danilov emphasizes that some documents are classified.
The owner of the channels, Taras Kozak, called the actions of the National Security and Defense Council illegal, and the decision on sanctions an act of censorship.
President Zelensky and SBU Chairman Bakanov consider the ban on Medvedchuk’s channels to be a struggle in the information war for truth and European values, as well as a step in the fight against Russian hybrid aggression.
On February 4, the National Council announced that in all regions of Ukraine, providers had shut down 112 Ukraine, ZIK, and NewsOne, both on satellite and cable. TV channels continue to broadcast on YouTube. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy previously announced that it would send a request to the company to block the pages on TV channels .
Also on February 4, a presidential decree on sanctions was appealed to the Supreme Court .
On February 5, 112 Ukraine, NewsOne, and ZIK reported that they could no longer use their own domain names.