and Roman Olearchyk
Post Staff Writers
 Andry Volynets, son of opposition politician Mykhailo Volynets, recuperates in the hospital March 10 after his alleged abduction. He says, among other things, that he was robbed, blindfolded and threatened with rape. (Post photo by Vitaly Pavlenko) |
Andry Volynets, son of Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc parliament deputy Mykhailo Volynets, was abducted from a bus stop, beaten and held for six hours, then dumped in Kyiv�s Obolon region by mysterious attackers on March 7. The elder Volynets has rushed to tag the incident as a deliberate assault orchestrated by Ukraine�s ruling political forces as a ploy to pressure oppositionist movements ahead of the upcoming fall 2004 presidential elections. |
The incident raised concern at the United States Embassy in Kyiv, which sent a representative to visit the younger Volynets in the hospital on March 10.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities investigating the incident have remained tight-lipped.
As of March 10, the younger Volynets, a father of an eight-month-old son, remained in a Kyiv hospital suffering from hemorrhaging in the brain, a bump on his neck, and a fever. He is able to talk, and underwent questioning by law enforcement authorities after Mykhailo Volynets reported the incident.
The 24-year-old bank economist claims to have been standing at a bus stop in the Darnytsya district on March 7 at about 3:30 in the afternoon when a Volkswagen van rode up. He claims two men dressed in black uniforms similar to those worn by Ukraine�s elite Berkut police force jumped out, twisted his arms behind his back, and threw him into the van.
�There were two more men in the van, maybe more,� his father told the Post on March 10 from his son�s hospital bedside. �They gave him two quick chops to the upper neck, and he lost consciousness.�
When he came to, his father continued, his son asked what was going on. The men replied that they were putting him in jail for alleged drug infractions, and said that they found a pistol in his possession.
�My son has never done drugs in his life,� clarified the elder Volynets.
He said they also threatened to sodomize him.
�They said they would turn him into a homosexual.�
Volynets claims to have lost consciousness again, and to have been force-fed alcohol when he regained consciousness. He says he was also blindfolded and dumped near a building in Obolon district.
�They took Hr 40 from him and left him Hr 30. They also left his mobile phone, but took his phone card,� Volynets said, adding that his son does not drink alcoholic beverages.
With the money remaining, Volynets was able to make it to his father�s flat in a cab, and his father took him to the hospital.
For the Volynets family, intimidation is nothing new.
Mykhailo Volynets is president of the Independent Coalminers� Union of Ukraine, and has a history of organizing across Ukraine free trade unions that are independent of influential business groups and government interests.
In December 2002, the former miner and mining engineer was the victim of a vicious police beating in a Kyiv courtroom, an act he says was directly related to his union activities.
Also, in the 2002 parliamentary election campaign, five men followed his son everywhere he went, said Mykhailo Volynets. He said someone, likely the State Security Service or Internal Affairs Ministry, was trying to intimidate him through his son as part of a politically motivated bullying tactic, and that this sort of activity is ongoing.
�This is happening because the elections are coming up,� he continued. �Either the SBU or the Internal Affairs Ministry is involved, and I know this from members from within the SBU, because there are some honest people who work there.�
�My son has no political interests at all. Of course he�s sympathetic, but there is no reason to go after him for anything political,� Mykhailo Volynets added.
In a statement, Yulia Tymoshenko�s political bloc labeled the attack as part of continuing and escalating pressure against the opposition by pro-government forces.
�The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc considers the attack on Andry to be one more act of provocation against the opposition by the authorities. It is similar to arson attacks against offices of leaders and members of opposition political forces, closure of the independent media and physical harassment of dissenters,� reads the statement.
The statement called upon the Prosecutor General�s Office, the Interior Ministry and the State Security Service to investigate and punish those involved in the attack, in order to �stop the terror and prevent a civil war in Ukraine.�
The press office of the United States Embassy confirmed to the Post on March 10 that a representative had visited Andry Volynets at the hospital that day as part of an effort to look into possible political motivations behind the incident.
Maryna Ostapenko, a spokesperson at the State Security Service, could not comment on the specifics of the Volynets case, but she did hint that frivolous claims against Ukraine�s law enforcement agencies are expected to rise as we approach the fall presidential elections.
�As we get closer to the elections, there will likely be more claims directed at law enforcement authorities that could be motivated at drawing attention to and boosting the popularity of politicians, or gaining political rewards,� she said.
The Internal Affairs Ministry had not commented on the case by the time the Post went to press.