At the beginning of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky enacted laws banning political parties with links to Russia. Since then, Ukraine’s Justice Department has banned eleven political parties and taken over their property.
The suspension will apply as long as the country’s introduced martial law prevails.
The largest of the now banned parties, Oppositional Platform – for life, has held 44 of the 450 seats in parliament. The party is led by Viktor Medvedchuk, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian president is the godfather of Medvedchuk’s daughter.
Not the first time
But Ukraine has banned political parties in the past. In 2015, laws were enacted to limit “pro-Soviet attitudes and ideology.”
– In practice, the Communist Party was banned, which had been an important political factor, says Anders Per Rudling, associate professor of history at Lund University.
In addition, the Ukrainian parliament has banned music made by Russian citizens. Music by Russian artists will be banned from being played in the media or in public transport. It will also be forbidden to import books by Russian authors. Artists who have condemned Russia’s war are exempt from the law.