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Stripping citizenship: Zelensky's move against Medvedchuk
Summary
A look back at the decision on treason charges and, separately, Armenia's move on joint exercises with Russia.
What did Kyiv's decision to strip a pro-Kremlin politician of citizenship signal as of 12 January 2023? Two days earlier, on 10 January 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky deprived Viktor Medvedchuk and three other people of Ukrainian citizenship, citing accusations of high treason.
The move was reported as part of the wider government reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Medvedchuk was described at the time as a pro-Kremlin politician. The measure was aimed at him and three others, and the reported grounds were the treason accusations.
A separate signal from Yerevan
On the same date, 10 January 2023, a different regional development was reported. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that joint military exercises with the Russian Armed Forces under the Collective Security Treaty Organization would be postponed this year. He cited the organization's refusal to condemn Azerbaijan over the disputes between the two countries, in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The two items are unrelated in their details. One concerned Ukraine's domestic legal response to people it accused of treason. The other concerned Armenia's position within a Russian-led security grouping. Both, however, were reported on the same day and bore on Russia's relations with its neighbours.
