Why is Putin's ally Medvedchuk suing Ukraine, and how successful is he? The Supreme Court provides an answer.

The presidential decree imposing sanctions on several Ukrainian politicians, including former MP Viktor Medvedchuk from the banned "Opposition Platform – For Life," has once again brought to light questions regarding his citizenship and possible intentions to reclaim his parliamentary mandate. The controversial politician is attempting to restore this status and regain his Ukrainian passport through legal means.

"Telegraph" has learned about the fate of the cases that have been examined over the years concerning Viktor Medvedchuk's claims.

The issue of Viktor Medvedchuk's citizenship arose due to the Presidential Decree No. 81/2025, which confirmed the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine "On the Application of Personal Special Economic and Other Restrictive Measures (Sanctions)." The document stated that the former MP is a Ukrainian citizen, despite having been deprived of this status by a decree two years prior. Later, this "inaccuracy" was rectified, and currently, in the appendix listing the sanctioned individuals, it states regarding Medvedchuk: "Ukrainian citizenship is absent." Furthermore, on the NSDC's website, in the sections for "citizenship" and "identity document," it is noted that "information is absent."

It is also known that Medvedchuk is legally challenging the president's decision. He filed a lawsuit shortly after the issuance of Decree No. 13/2023 on January 10, 2023, "On the Termination of Ukrainian Citizenship for Derkach A.L., Kozak T.R., and others," seeking to have specific provisions of the decree recognized as unlawful and annulled. Currently, the case is under consideration by the Cassation Administrative Court of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, and the examination of the case is still ongoing. This was stated in a response to a request from "Telegraph."

From the rulings related to this process published in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, it can be concluded that everything is proceeding rather slowly. From February to December 2023, several hearings did not take place, either due to judges' vacations or business trips (five judges are involved in the process), so only one issue has been resolved so far – the inclusion of third parties in the case. Medvedchuk's lawyers insisted that the defendant should not only be President Volodymyr Zelensky but also the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Migration Service, and its departments, as they were the ones who prepared and submitted the documents that formed the basis for the signing of the relevant decree. The court agreed with this position and granted the petition of the plaintiff's representatives.

At the beginning of 2024, the SBU approached the court with a request to close the proceedings in the case. Their argument was as follows: "there is no actual violation of the former MP's rights in the case, and his lawsuit is filed in a dispute that has an obviously artificial nature. The SBU believes that the true aim of the lawsuit in this case is not the Ukrainian citizenship of the state that the plaintiff referred to as 'Anti-Russia,' but rather his expression of protest against the existing democratic political regime in Ukraine and the creation of conditions for resolving other legal issues, which, however, do not pertain to the objectives of administrative judicial proceedings." However, the court denied the request.

Moreover, several hearings last year were hindered by judges' vacations. During the sessions that did occur, technical issues were addressed regarding the extension of the deadlines for presenting evidence or obtaining it. In 2025, the court intended to meet regarding Medvedchuk's citizenship case only once – on January 30, 2025. The discussion revolved around the format of the hearings. The public organization "All-Ukrainian Association 'Avtomaydan'" insisted on broadcasting the proceedings on the "Judicial Power of Ukraine" website, while representatives of Medvedchuk and the SBU advocated for a closed court session. The court sided with the latter.

When a decision will be made regarding Medvedchuk's citizenship claims remains unknown. Without this, another case remains stagnant, as the politician is also attempting to appeal the Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine No. 2894-IX dated January 13, 2023, "On the Early Termination of the Powers of People's Deputy of Ukraine Medvedchuk V.V."

In previous years, Medvedchuk also attempted through the courts to declare the presidential decree from 2021 imposing personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions) against him unlawful and to have it annulled. According to the Supreme Court's Office, this lawsuit was dismissed without consideration. The relevant ruling is dated July 20, 2022.

Medvedchuk's attempts to regain the right to practice law were also in vain. He was stripped of this right by the decision of the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of the Bar of Kyiv Oblast on May 24, 2023. The former MP was unable to overturn this in the first instance (the Kyiv District Administrative Court ruled against Medvedchuk on February 9, 2024) or in the appeal (the ruling of the Sixth Appellate Administrative Court is dated June 7, 2024). On July 8 of last year, Medvedchuk's representative filed a cassation appeal, but on July 25, the Supreme Court refused to initiate proceedings.

As reported by the Telegraph, Viktor Medvedchuk was suspected of treason, held under house arrest, from which he escaped at the onset of the full-scale invasion. He was later detained by the SBU and used for a prisoner exchange for 215 Ukrainian soldiers, including commanders of the legendary "Azov."