On Feb. 15, Oleksandr Kovalyov gave 200 fellow Afghan War veterans an about-face order in front of President Viktor Yanukovych during a wreath-laying ceremony marking the 23rd anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet soldiers from Afghanistan.
Now, Kovalyov says his contacts in law enforcement have urged him to leave Ukraine to avoid prosecution. The Interior Ministry called the allegations untrue.
Protests have filled the nation’s streets in recent months after the government made unpopular changes to the tax and pension system and moved to slash social benefits for millions of citizens, including those who served in Afghanistan in 1979-1989.
“Our act in front of the president wasn’t a political act. The government has long turned its back on us so we did the same to them,” Kovalyov said. “They can’t continue governing the country without listening to the people’s wishes anymore.”
Afghan veteran Kovalyov said that on Feb. 16, one day after turning his back on the president, tax authorities conducted five searches at a company affiliated with him and other members of Nobody But Us, a non-profit organization mainly made up of Afghan veterans. Tax authorities deny any political motives.
Others were brought in for questioning by police, Kovalyov said. A criminal case has been opened in Donetsk against a company co-founder affiliated with Kovalyov.
Police prevented his organization from staging a public event at a war memorial in Lviv on Feb. 22. “I’ve been told to leave by people in law enforcement who sympathize with us and know what is happening to this country,” Kovalyov said.
Kovalyov said he’s staying in Ukraine, noting that he faced much worse during the war in Afghanistan.
Kyiv Post staff writer Mark Rachkevych can be reached at [email protected].
