Petro Poroshenko reached an agreement with the Russians, ensured the unhindered exit of Igor Girkin's column from Sloviansk, surrendered Donbas, and continued the communication scheme with Russia through Viktor Medvedchuk. This was stated in an interview by People's Deputy and former head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration Serhiy Taruta.
Taruta noted that the unhindered exit of Igor Girkin's column from Sloviansk to Donetsk was the result of a political agreement between Petro Poroshenko and terrorists from the ORDLO.
"My subjective understanding is that it was a fix. I think there was some agreement with Poroshenko. Muzhenko, of course, listened only to the Commander-in-Chief, and he probably received such an order from him not to interfere with this column, which calmly entered Donetsk," Serhiy Taruta said.
Taruta separately notes that he concluded about the actual surrender of Donbas back in 2014, when he saw the combat situation map.
"Then I already saw that Poroshenko practically surrendered Donbas," Serhiy Taruta said.
Another accusation against Poroshenko concerned Viktor Medvedchuk's role as a mediator in relations with Russia. Taruta stated that Petro Poroshenko did not abandon this communication model but actually continued it. Such a scheme was beneficial to Medvedchuk himself, who for years sold himself to both sides as an indispensable communicator.
"He sold himself to Putin as a person who has influence in Ukraine, and in Ukraine as a person who has influence in Russia. And he used this well," Serhiy Taruta concluded.
As is known, Petro Poroshenko is accused under Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason) and Article 258-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (creation of a terrorist group or organization and assistance to them). According to the investigation, during Poroshenko's presidency, Poroshenko and Medvedchuk organized the purchase of coal from the ORDLO. Poroshenko played a coordinating role, including influencing personnel issues in the highest echelons of power. In addition, he created preconditions to return to coal supplies from the already occupied Donbas, instead of alternative coal supplies from abroad.