Vol. 80/No. 23 June 13, 2016
Framed Ukraine pilot Savchenko freed from Russian jail
Savchenko, now 35, took part in the mass mobilizations in early 2014 that forced out the pro-Moscow regime of Viktor Yanukovych. After Moscow annexed Crimea and backed armed separatists who seized sections of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, Savchenko joined the volunteer Aidar battalion to fight the separatists. She was captured June 17, 2014, and taken to Russia.
Savchenko denied Moscow’s shifting charges against her, including the claim that she was responsible for directing mortar fire that killed two Russian journalists. After a show trial earlier this year, she was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
She refused to cooperate with Russian authorities and carried out several hunger strikes protesting her conditions. Demonstrations demanding her freedom took place in Ukraine, Russia, across Europe and in U.S. cities March 6-9.
Savchenko was released in exchange for two Russian soldiers convicted in Ukraine for fighting with separatist forces. Moscow denied they had been on active duty in Ukraine, and they returned to Russia without fanfare.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, a capitalist billionaire whose regime has attacked the working class and restricted democratic rights, demonstratively welcomed Savchenko and basked in the glow of celebration of her release. His government has been in turmoil amid corruption scandals and a deepening economic crisis.
Ukraine’s economy shrank last year, a result of the worldwide economic contraction, the impact of the separatist war and Moscow’s seizure of Crimea. A “rescue plan” proffered by the International Monetary Fund, which represents Washington’s interests, demanded Kiev reduce social spending, raise taxes and privatize state-owned enterprises, cutting thousands of jobs.
While in prison, Savchenko was elected to parliament on the ticket of the Fatherland Party headed by Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister and rival of Poroshenko. Savchenko took her distance from Tymoshenko’s effusive airport greeting.
Savchenko is widely discussed as a possible candidate for president. “Ukrainians, if you need me to be president, I’ll be president,” she told reporters in Kiev.
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