Former President Poroshenko back in Ukraine despite risk of arrest for high treason | Abroad

Coming from Warsaw, Poroshenko’s flight landed at Sikorski Airport in Kiev around 8.10 am Belgian time. The former president passed passport control in great crowds, where he said he was almost refused entry by the border guard. Thousands of Poroshenko’s supporters gathered in front of the airport. ‘We need democracy’ and ‘The country has Porokh (Poroshenko’s nickname, ed.) needed,” their placards read.

Poroshenko, 56, is due to appear before a court today to decide whether or not the former head of state and opponent of President Volodymyr Zelensky should be remanded in custody.

Poroshenko has accused his successor of ordering his prosecution in order to “divert attention” from the country’s real problems. “The authorities are afraid of us,” Poroshenko said. “All their efforts are aimed not at defending the country against the (Russian) aggressor, but at fighting the opposition.”

Poroshenko is one of the richest men in Ukraine and the main rival of the current head of state. Authorities suspect him of having had trade relations with pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country during his presidency, amounting to high treason. Poroshenko, whose fortune according to the specialist magazine ‘Forbes’ would be $1.6 billion (1.4 billion euros), led Ukraine from 2014 to 2019, when Zelensky defeated him.

This infighting is unfolding as Kiev fears an invasion by Russia, which has gathered a huge force on the border. Moscow denies wanting to invade its neighbor, but demands — threatening reprisals — that the Americans and Europeans agree that Ukraine can never join NATO. So far, that demand has not been met.