Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council believes Russia started war against Ukraine in 2004

OLENA ROSHCHINA – THURSDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2022, 23:59

Oleksii Danilov, the Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, considers that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine started back in 2004 and manifested itself in changes to Ukraine’s Constitution.

Source: Oleksii Danilov, in an interview with Natalia Moseichuk

Quote: "Our war with the Russian Federation started some time ago. Even earlier than in 2008. In one interview, I said I believed that the war started in 2008, and then I started to think back to how certain events had unfolded. Our first war with the Russian Federation started as early as 2004, when they began to meddle with our Constitution.

I regret that on 8 December 2004, the then members of Parliament eagerly amended the Constitution. They voted for Law No. 2222 and stripped back the powers of the president who was in office at that time; remember what a difficult period it was? They thought the amended Constitution was a compromise. Today I can say that it was high treason by those members of Parliament who, at the behest of Putin, [pro-Russian Ukrainian politician] Viktor Medvedchuk and company, interfered in our Constitution…"

Details: Danilov also said that the Ukrainian people have no right to treat such fundamental matters as the Constitution so irresponsibly.

He added that following that first interference in the Constitution, there was another one, and then yet another.

"Not many people know that on 21 February 2014, after the first mass shootings [of civilians protesting against President Yanukovych and his regime - ed.] on Maidan square had already taken place, members of [Ukraine’s] Parliament once again amended the Constitution, doing so in an unconstitutional manner. Was this because politicians made certain agreements among themselves? Was it related to something else? [Whatever it was,] we have no right to tamper with the Constitution," the Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council said.

He stressed that the Constitution can only be amended in accordance with a specific procedure.

Danilov added that everyone who voted in favour of the Kharkiv Agreements in 2010 also tampered with the Constitution in violation of the proper procedure. While the Agreements allowing the presence of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea were intended to last until 2017 as per the Constitution of Ukraine, the Kharkiv Agreements extended this term by another 25 years, until 2042.

Background:

• On 8 December 2004, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukraine’s Parliament) introduced its first changes to Ukraine’s Constitution. The new law established Ukraine’s transition from a presidential-parliamentary republic to a parliamentary-presidential mixed republic [significantly reducing the power of the president]. At that time, the amendments were considered a compromise and a victory for [presidential candidate] Viktor Yushchenko’s team.
• On 30 September 2010, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine found the Law of 2004 on Amendments to the Constitution to be unconstitutional because the requisite procedures for its review and adoption had been violated.
• On 21 February 2014, the Verkhovna Rada reinstated the 2004 Constitution after President Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown and fled in the wake of the Revolution of Dignity.
• However, the Verkhovna Rada’s resolution of 22 February 2014 (concerning the text of the Constitution of Ukraine as amended on 28 June 1996, with changes and additions introduced by the laws of 8 December 2004, 1 February 2011 and 19 September 2013) is considered to have expired. [Resolution passed at a Plenary Session of the Verkhovna Rada held after the Revolution of Dignity to make decisions and pass resolutions aimed at stabilising the situation in the country - ed.]

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