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Ukraine’s Former President Returns to Face Treason Charges

Poroshenko, who led Ukraine 2014-2019, attends court hearing
Court may mull detention or bail over treason allegations

Petro Poroshenko during a rally in Kyiv on Jan. 17. — Petro Poroshenko during a rally in Kyiv on Jan. 17.
Photographer: Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images

By

Daryna Krasnolutska and

Kateryna Choursina

January 17, 2022, 7:29 AM UTCUpdated onJanuary 17, 2022, 11:40 AM UTC

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko returned to Kyiv on Monday to fight charges of treason, accusing his successor of crossing a “red line” with allegations that he denies.

The legal standoff pressed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s administration injects a level of political instability in the region as Russia amasses troops on Ukraine’s eastern frontier, a move that’s prompted Western allies to raise the specter of a full-scale invasion. Russia has repeatedly said it doesn’t plan to invade.