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Ukrainian parliament fails to vote on sanctions against Yanukovich

Verkhovna Rada MPs voted three times but failed to collect the needed amount of votes

Viktor Yanukovich Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

Viktor Yanukovich

© Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

KIEV, May 18. /TASS/. Ukraine’s parliament has failed to vote on a document introducing sanctions against former president Viktor Yanukovich and 20 members of his team for consideration to the National Security and Defense Council.

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Verkhovna Rada members voted three times but failed to collect the needed amount of votes (226).

The parliament planned to "adopt and introduce for consideration to the National Security and Defense Council a document stipulating personal sanctions for those creating actual or potential threats to the national interests, national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine." According to an additional document, sanctions were planned to be imposed on the country’s former president, his son Alexander Yanukovich, former Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka, former Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov, former Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko and some other members of Viktor Yanukovich’s team, as well as former cabinet members.

On November 15, 2016, the Verkhovna Rada tried four times to vote for putting personal sanctions against members of the former ruling circle on the agenda but the needed amount of votes could not be collected. On November 17, parliament members made another effort to include this issue in the agenda but failed once again.

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