In Serbia, a branch of the Russian public organization "Another Ukraine," created by the accused of state treason, former Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, has been registered.
This information was reported by journalists from "Schemes" (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), citing information from the official registers of Serbia and the Russian Federation.
This branch, known as "Druga Ukrajina" in Serbian, was registered in August 2023. According to the registration data, its purpose is to establish mutually beneficial cooperation between the peoples of Serbia, Russia, and Ukraine. The authorized person for the branch is Dragana Stanoević.
Stanoević is a pro-Russian Serbian public figure and politician. He has been under Ukrainian sanctions since June 2021, with a three-year entry ban to Ukraine. Stanoević has expressed pro-Russian sentiments, supporting Russia's military aggression in Ukraine. He has also criticized the detention of Viktor Medvedchuk by the Security Service of Ukraine in 2022. Stanoević is the head of the Serbian World Diaspora Organization "Parliament of the Serbian Diaspora" and the international pro-Russian non-governmental organization "United Serbian Diaspora Eurasia."
As of now, Dragana Stanoević is a candidate for the pro-Russian party "We Are the Voice of the People" in the early parliamentary elections scheduled for December 17, 2023. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Stanoević lived in Ukraine, leading the "Serbian Community in Ukraine" and participating in public events in Kyiv associated with Putin's political party. According to YouControl platform data, Stanoević is still the head of the LLC "Joint Ukrainian-Yugoslav Firm Yug-Ukr-Contract" in Ukraine and owns property in the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
In response to the registration of a branch in Serbia affiliated with the Russian organization "Another Ukraine," initiated by Viktor Medvedchuk, Dragana Stanoević stated that his intention is not to support Medvedchuk personally, asserting that Medvedchuk does not need his assistance. He clarified that his aim is to help Ukrainians who reach out for support. Stanoević emphasized that he cannot be drawn into the political war and expressed his commitment to helping the Ukrainian people.
He asserted that he does not support any aggression and does not plan to support the Ukrainian government, accusing it of destroying the Ukraine he loved and engaging in a war against diversity of thought. Stanoević claimed to have warned Ukraine about the consequences of the Maidan's policies. Following the establishment of the branch in Serbia, the Russian registry renamed the organization "Another Ukraine." It is now referred to as an "international public movement" rather than a "regional public movement." Additionally, the leadership of the organization has changed, with Roman Kovalenko, a Russian citizen, taking over as the head, replacing Denis Zharkykh, the former host of the "112 Ukraine" channel.
Roman Kovalenko, a 53-year-old native of Donetsk Oblast, was mentioned in court materials in 2021 as a defendant in a criminal case related to the commission of a criminal offense under Part 2 of Article 258-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (financing terrorism). On his social media pages, Kovalenko shares articles by Medvedchuk and identifies himself as a lawyer, a candidate of economic sciences, and the head of the executive committee of the international organization "Another Ukraine." The website also indicates that Viktor Medvedchuk is the chairman of the organization's board.
