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The former Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Oleksii Reznikov, received American citizenship, just like other Kyiv leaders, claims the pro-Russia blogger Dan Diaconu.
The unpatriotic leaders of Ukraine, as portrayed by the Russian propaganda in Romania
NEWS: "Do you remember this citizen? His name is Oleksii Reznikov, former Minister of Defense of Ukraine and a key pawn in the Kyiv corruption system. This guy stole so much that he even annoyed the Porno Dwarf who, in order to convince him to leave, released some corruption files (three of them). From those three files alone, a profit of about $10 million resulted for Reznikov. But these are just small things. Reznikov made serious money from arms trading, which he shared with Zelensky. This is why Zelensky could only remove him "amicably".
You may be interested in knowing what has happened in the meantime: nothing much; Reznikov is now an American citizen. It is known that one-sixth of Ukraine's leadership has American citizenship. Except Reznikov was a little smarter, making himself scarce along with a lot of money. And now he is “officially” living the good life. That's how it is in this game of war: suckers on the front, profiteers at receptions."
NARRATIVE: Oleksii Reznikov, a former Defense Minister of Ukraine, has been granted US citizenship, the latest in a long line of corrupt leaders from Kyiv that hold dual citizenship.
CONTEXT: Ever since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict , with the invasion of Crimea in 2014, Russian propaganda has periodically spread disinformation about Ukrainian officials, whether politicians or military, in order to justify its aggression, claiming that is only be meant to secure in Kyiv a political regime for the benefit of the population. Over time, Moscow has launched several false narratives related to the fact that various Ukrainian leaders, including President Zelensky, would have received the citizenship of other countries, aiming on the one hand to discredit the Ukrainian government and army, making it look like they do not believe in the victory of Ukraine and are preparing to flee abroad , and on the other hand, to demoralize the population, which is already facing particularly serious issues, caused by the war.
Dan Diaconu, the one who introduced the narrative in the Romanian information space, claims to be an economic analyst. In reality, he is a pro-Russia blogger, whose site is a conglomeration of conspiracy theories, fake news and disinformation related to most of the current topics (the pandemic, the Covid vaccine, climate change, the Israel-Hamas conflict, etc. .), as well as articles in which Russia is portrayed as a model state and its aggression against Ukraine appreciated. In addition, Diaconu keeps a kind of frontline diary on Telegram, in which he informs his followers about the victories of the Russian army, excessively praising its successes on the battlefield. Moreover, when he announces the conquest and destruction from the foundations of a new Ukrainian town, he speaks of its "liberation". Over time, Diaconu has promoted several false narratives and pieces of disinformation on this topic, such as those in which he claims that economic partnerships with the US lead to bankruptcy , while trade agreements with Russia ensure prosperity, or that Ukraine is selling its extremely fertile soil to the West . Recently, taking over another false narrative originating in Russia, Dan Diaconu claimed that the SBU, the Security Service of Ukraine, was involved in the attempted assassination of Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico.
PURPOSE: To amplify anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian sentiments, to promote an anti-Western discourse, to provoke and enhance social tensions
The Constitution of Ukraine does not allow dual citizenship
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: The news that Oleksii Reznikov has allegedly acquired American citizenship initially appeared in the Russian media space where it was stated that the announcement had been made on social media by the former minister himself, also claiming that the information had been also confirmed by the American TV station CNN. A simple check of Reznikov's accounts shows, however, that the last time he was active on social media was in September 2003 , shortly before his leaving the office of Minister of Defense. Also, if we look at the CNN website, we can see that the latest news about Reznikov was from the same period and related to his dismissal from the Kyiv executive.
As for the allegations of corruption against Oleksii Reznikov, these are mere speculations, aligned with the Russian propaganda messages, which claim that the entire political class in Kyiv is deeply corrupt. Indeed, the media linked the dismissal of the former minister to the corruption scandals that targeted the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, but despite the rumors, until now, Ukrainian anti-corruption prosecutors have not made any official charge against him. In reality, Reznikov still lives in Kyiv, and as of January, he regained his right to practice law , a right he had self-suspended in March 2020, once he joined the government, as Minister of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, with the rank of deputy prime minister. Moreover, since April, he has been the Director of the Security and Defense Programs with the Ukrainian Institute for the Future .
The narrative according to which several high-ranking officials from Kyiv got a citizenship other than the Ukrainian one is obviously false if we just look at the Constitution of Ukraine which stipulates, in article 4, that "in Ukraine there is a single citizenship". The argument that Volodymyr Zelensky has tried several times to change this provision is also false, as the initiative of the Ukrainian president was based on the desire to reward the citizens of other countries who are fighting for Ukraine and do not want to give up the citizenship of their country of origin, as well as to offer the possibility to foreign citizens with Ukrainian roots to claim, in this way, their national cultural heritage, the measure not being applicable to those who already hold Ukrainian citizenship.
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