Oles Buzina

Oles Alekseevich Buzina (Ukrainian: Оле́сь Олексі́йович Бузина́; 13 July 1969[1] – 16 April 2015) was a Ukrainian journalist and writer known for his criticism of Ukrainian politics and for the support of closer ties of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.

Oles Buzina
Born(1969-07-13)13 July 1969
Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
Died16 April 2015(2015-04-16) (aged 45)
Kyiv, Ukraine
Citizenship Ukraine
Occupationjournalist, writer, politician
Websitewww.buzina.org

He was murdered on 16 April 2015, shot on the footpath not far from his flat in Kyiv. The murder case has not yet been solved.

Biography

Oles Buzina was born on 13 July 1969 in Kyiv and attended local schools. In 1992 he graduated from the Faculty of Philology Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv specialising as a teacher of Russian language and literature.[1] He began a career in journalism[1] working for a number of Ukrainian media outlets:[2]

  • Newspaper Kievskiye Vedomosti (1993-2005)
  • Newspaper 2000 (2005-2006)
  • Various magazines, such as Natali, EGO Ukraine, XXL Ukraine
  • From October 2006 Buzina was an anchorman of Teen-liga program on TV channel Inter
  • Newspaper Segodnya, where he had his own column and blog since 2007
  • As an expert, he participated in the reality-show Bachelor on TV channel STB from 2011
  • From 2012 he was host of Po sledam prashurov (In the Footsteps of Ancestors)[3] show on K-1 TV channel.
  • In January 2015 he became editor-in-chief of Segodnya newspaper, where he had worked for many years.[4] He resigned in March,[5] protesting the censorship of the newspaper's owners, having limited control over newspaper's policy, his absence of control over newspaper's website, and an imposed ban on his appearance on TV and interviews with the press.
  • Buzina founded his own website, featuring blogs and sale of some of his books online.

He was invited as a guest to numerous talk shows in Russia. Some of his articles were published in the Russian media.

As a writer he published eight books, mainly about prominent figures and the history of Ukraine and Russia.

Personal life

Buzina was married and the father of one daughter.

Politics

In addition to his reporting, Buzina tried to enter politics. He ran in the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election for a constituency seat in Kyiv for Russian Bloc[6] but failed to win parliamentary representation.[7] In Constituency No. 223, his 8.22% of votes was insufficient.[6]

Political and public views

Oles Buzina held anti-Orange Revolution,[8][9] and anti-Euromaidan views.[10]

On 20 January 2006 he claimed that as a writer he was aware of political censorship in post-Orange Revolution Ukraine, as some publishers were afraid to release his books.[8]

In May 2009 he campaigned for adoption of a series of laws prohibiting Neo-Nazi organizations, propaganda of Nazism and ideological legacy of Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists as a totalitarian fascist party.[11] This initiative was supported by Borys Kolesnikov, one of the leaders of Party of Regions.

In May 2009 National Expert Commission of Ukraine on the Protection of Public Morality launched an investigation against Oles Buzina as a result of complaint filed by Petro Kononenko, director of Institute of Ukrainology. Kononenko stated that Oles Buzina "discredited most outstanding Ukrainian public figures and picks everything that's shameful in our history".[12]

As of April 2009 Buzina was sued 11 times and every single time judges ruled out in his favour.[13] In 2000 he was physically assaulted right after winning in court one of these cases.[2] Some of these legal actions saw Ukrainian politicians as plaintiffs: Pavlo Movchan, Volodymyr Yavorivsky.[8]

On 22 March 2009 a FEMEN activist threw a cake at Oles Buzina, protesting his book in which he defended men's rights.

On 22 March 2009 he had a cake thrown at him by a FEMEN activist who declared his only fiction book sexist. Oles Buzina was rated 4th in the "Homophobe of the Year - 2011" list by the Ukrainian gay forum.[14]

He identified himself as both Ukrainian and Russian, though having ethnic Ukrainian parents.[13]

His views on Ukraine expressed on multiple occasions during years of journalism and political commentary included statements that Ukraine should be an independent state, not part of Russia,[13] that it should be a bilingual federation[13][15] and that it should favour an alliance of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan rather than joining the European Union.[8][16]

His political stance was criticized[17] for a comment to newspaper Den that he gave in 1999:

...my ideal is the reconstruction of the Russian Empire, but I am forced to adapt to the ugly conditions of "construction" of an independent Ukraine.

— When wouldn't you shake a man's hand?, Day.kyiv.ua [18]

He stated that the quote was a fabrication.[19]

Murder

Oles Buzina was found shot on 16 April near his home.[20] Previously, he said on a Russian TV show that he was receiving constant death threats.[21][22] A previously unknown Ukrainian nationalist group calling itself "Ukrainian Insurgent Army" was reported to claim responsibility for the murders of Buzina and other pro-Russian figures.[23][24][25][26] However, Markian Lubkivskyi, an advisor at the Security Service of Ukraine, said that linguistic analysis of the telephone call indicated they were not native Ukrainian speakers, and head of the Main Investigations Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Vovk said the organization was fake.[27]

In June Ukrainian authorities arrested three suspects believed to be behind the murder.[28] The head of Ukrainian MIA Arsen Avakov has blamed a Ukrainian nationalist in the murder.[29] All suspects were later released from custody with two (A. Medvedko and D. Polischuk) being placed under house arrest and one - cleared from all the charges.[30] By April 2017 no progress was made in the murder investigation.[31] On 28 November 2017, the case was forwarded from prosecution office into court,[32] even though on 11 July 2016, it was reported a lot of major evidence, including photo robots of the suspects made by eye witnesses, CCTV footage and cell phone monitoring, has been lost from case materials.[33]

Reactions

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on live Russian TV that this murder was a political one and offered his condolences to the family of the victim.[34] Radio Free Europe reported that "At 2:05, Ukrainian presidential adviser Anton Herashchenko confirmed the slaying on Facebook. And by 2:17, Russian President Vladimir Putin was already using Buzina's killing to attack Ukraine's "democratic" values during his annual call-in show with the Russian public."[35] The German newspaper Die Zeit reported that the murder of opposition activist Buzina followed a string of murders and deaths of five public figures that were pro-Russian and supportive of the former president of Ukraine.[36] Ukrainian officials blamed "Russian special forces assassins" for the murder.[37]

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein described this murder and others as disturbing and demanded quick and decisive investigation.[38]

EU, Germany,[39] United States, UNESCO,[40] OSCE,[41] Amnesty International[42] have demanded an independent investigation of the murder of Ukrainian journalists Oles Buzina and Sergey Sukhobok and politician Oleg Kalashnikov.

On 18 June 2015 Arsen Avakov announced arrest of two alleged killers, Andrey Medvedko and Denis Polischuk.[43][44][45] One of the suspects served in the Kyiv-2 Battalion of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine and was C14 оrganisation activist,[46] while the other was platoon officer in the UNSO Battalion; both deny responsibility for the murder.[47][48]

Publications
  • Вурдалак Тарас Шевченко (2000), (The Ghoul Taras Shevchenko)
  • Тайная история Украины-Руси (2005), (The secret story of Ukraine-Rus')
  • Верните женщинам гаремы (2008), (Bring back harems for women)
  • Революция на болоте (2010), (Revolution in a swamp)
  • Воскрешение Малороссии (2012) (The resurrection of Little Russia)
  • Союз плуга и трезуба. Как придумали Украину (2013) (The Union between Plough and Trident. How Ukraine was invented)
  • Докиевская Русь (2014) (Rus' before Kievan Rus')
  • "ЭМСКИЙ УКАЗ ПРОТИВ РУССКОГО ЯЗЫКА" online (2008) ("Ems Ukaz against the Russian language")

References
  1. Бузина Олесь Алексеевич [Oles Alekseevich Buzina] (in Russian). liga.net. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  2. "About the author (in Russian)". buzina.org. 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  3. "In the footsteps of ancestors with Oles Buzina (in Russian)". buzina.org. 2012.
  4. "Oles Buzina was appointed as editor-in-chief (in Ukrainian)". Segodnya. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  5. "Yes, I resigned and I don't regret that (in Russian)". buzina.org. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  6. Політичні партії України: "Руський блок": Кандидати від партії на мажоритарних округах [Ukraine's Political Parties: "Rus'ian bloc": Candidates from the party in majority constituencies] (in Ukrainian). RBC Ukraine. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  7. (in Ukrainian) Proportional votes & Constituency seats, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
  8. "Oles Buzina: A human is an easy-to-kill being (in Russian)". from-ua.com. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  9. "This "Maidan" is more civilized than the Orange one. (in Russian)". www.buzina.org. 9 April 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  10. "Instead of golden bread loaf (in Russian)". www.buzina.org. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  11. "Oles Buzina wants to jail Nazis (in Russian)". Segodnya. 28 April 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2015. Oles Busina:Nazis and extremists have to be in jail instead of torching stores.
  12. "Commission on morality launches ideological censorship (in Russian)". Kiev center of political research and conflictology. 12 June 2009. Archived from the original on 19 June 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  13. О.Бузина: «Если Богу будет угодно, то без крови разбежимся. Если нет - будем жить дальше в коммунальной квартире» [O.Buzina: "If it pleases God, we'll part ways without bloodshed. If not - we will continue to live in a communal apartment"]. from-ua.com (in Russian). 19 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  14. Главными врагами геев названы писатель Бузина и депутат Григорович, главным другом [Buzina named among the main enemies of gays, and deputy Grigorovich named among the primarily friends of gays by the GFU] (in Russian). v-n-zb.livejournal.com. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  15. "Stories from Oles Buzina: Taras Shevchenko - model bilingual. (in Russian)". Segodnya. 8 October 2010. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  16. "Modernization through integration. (in Russian)". www.buzina.org. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  17. Олесь Бузина: между провокатором и политической жертвой [Oles Buzina: between being a provocateur and a political victim] (in Russian). BBC. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  18. Есть ли ситуации, в которых вы бы не подали человеку руки? [Are there situations in which you would not have offered a man your hand?] (in Russian). Day.kyiv.ua. 3 March 1999. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  19. "Last interview of Oles Buzina (in Russian)". Vesti Ukraine. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  20. "Pro-Russian Figures Killed In Ukraine". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
    Natalia Zinets; Pavel Polityuk (16 April 2016). "Murders of pro-Russian lobbyists increase tension in Ukraine standoff". Reuters. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
    "Prominent pro-Russian Ukrainian journalist killed in Kiev". France24 International News. 16 April 2015. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  21. "Duel talk show, live air from 30/01/2014 recording. (in Russian)". RUSSIA 1 TV channel. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  22. "VPE. Oles Buzina predicting his own murder. English subtitles". YOUTUBE. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  23. "Nationalist groups claims responsibility for Ukraine killings". Euronews. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  24. "Ukraine: Wer hat Buzina und Kalaschnikow ermordet?" [Who murdered Buzina and Kalashnikov?] (in German). Zeit.de. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  25. Nina Jeglinski (17 April 2015). "Drei Morde in fünf Tagen: Ukrainische Nationalisten bekennen sich zu Anschlägen" [Three murders in five days: Ukrainian nationalists committed to attacks]. tagesspiegel.de (in German). Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  26. "Ukrainische Nationalisten bekennen sich zu politischen Morden in Kiew" [Ukrainian nationalists committed to political murders in Kiev]. SZ-Online (in German). 17 April 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  27. Письмо об убийствах Бузины и Калашникова составили не украиноязычные - СБУ. Ukrayinska Pravda (in Russian). 17 April 2015.
  28. Lilia Hryshko (18 June 2015). Затримання у справі про вбивство Бузини: запитання залишаються [The detention for the murder of Buzyna: questions that remain] (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  29. ""Jest nacjonalistą, ma mamę, tatę, przyjaciół". Podejrzany o zabójstwo dziennikarza" ["He's a nationalist with a mother, father, friends." The suspect for the murder of a journalist]. Tvn24.pl (in Polish). 18 June 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  30. https://ukranews.com/news/429802-sud-otpustyl-podozrevaemogo-v-ubyystve-buzyny
  31. https://rian.com.ua/interview/20170417/1023275033.html
  32. https://korrespondent.net/ukraine/3911686-delo-po-ubyistvu-buzyny-peredaly-v-sud
  33. https://korrespondent.net/ukraine/3713985-vlasty-pryznaly-propazhu-dokumentov-po-delu-buzyny
  34. Natalia Zinets; Pavel Polityuk (16 April 2015). "Murders of pro-Russian lobbyists increase tension in Ukraine standoff". Reuters. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  35. Daisy Sindelar (17 April 2015). "Kyiv Alleges Journalist's Slaying Not Only Ordered, But Timed To The Minute". Radio Free Europe.
  36. "Prorussischer Journalist in Kiew getötet" [Pro-Russian journalist killed in Kiev]. ZEIT ONLINE (in German). 16 April 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  37. Natalia Zinets; Pavel Polityuk (16 April 2015). "Murders of pro-Russian lobbyists increase tension in Ukraine standoff". Reuters. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  38. "Ukraine: Nationalisten bekennen sich zu politischen Morden in Kiew" [Ukrainian nationalists committed to political murders in Kiev]. ZEIT ONLINE (in German). 17 April 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  39. "German government expects immediate investigation of journalist Oles Buzina's murder". TASS. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  40. "Director-General condemns killing of Ukrainian journalist Oles Buzina in Kiev". UNESCO. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  41. "OSCE Representative, Dunja Mijatović, strongly condemns killing of journalist in Ukraine". Council of Europe. 16 April 2015. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  42. "Ukraine's spate of suspicious deaths must be followed by credible investigations". Amnesty International. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  43. "Polischuk accused of journalist Buzyna's murder, detained for two months". Unian. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  44. "Ukraine Detains Suspects In Journalist Buzyna's Killing". www.rferl.org. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  45. "Another suspect in Ukrainian journalist Buzyna's murder remanded into custody". Interfax. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  46. Націоналісти при справі. Що відомо про можливих убивць Бузини [Nationalists in the case. What is known about the possible killers of Buzina]. korrespondent.net (in Ukrainian). 18 June 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  47. "Polischuk accused of journalist Buzyna's murder, detained for two months". Unian. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  48. "Another suspect in Ukrainian journalist Buzyna's murder remanded into custody". Interfax.com.ua. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
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