Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

CORRECTS YEAR - Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, left, poses for a selfie with a Ukrainian protagonist astatine Warsaw's planetary airdrome earlier boarding a formation to Kyiv, Ukraine, connected Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Poroshenko is returning to Ukraine to combat treason charges which helium views arsenic politically motivated. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

KYIV – Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko connected Monday returned to Ukraine to look tribunal connected treason charges helium believes are politically motivated.

At the Kyiv airport, wherever helium arrived connected a formation from Warsaw connected Monday morning, Poroshenko was greeted by respective 1000 cheering supporters. Some carried banners speechmaking “We request democracy,” and “Stop repressions.”

From the airport, Poroshenko is expected to caput consecutive to court, which volition regularisation connected whether to remand him successful custody pending probe and trial.

A authoritative has alleged that Poroshenko, proprietor of the Roshen confectionery empire and 1 of Ukraine’s richest businessmen, was progressive successful the merchantability of ample amounts of ember that helped concern Russian-backed separatists successful eastbound Ukraine successful 2014-15.

Poroshenko’s assets person been frozen arsenic portion of its probe into the allegations of precocious treason. The erstwhile person of Ukraine faces up to 15 years successful situation if convicted.

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Poroshenko insists that helium is innocent. He accuses his successor, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of seeking to discredit him politically to distract from Ukraine’s wide problems, including economical woes and rising deaths from COVID-19.

The charges are the latest successful a drawstring of accusations leveled against Poroshenko since helium was defeated by Zelenskyy successful 2019. The allegations person generated concerns of undemocratic score-settling successful Ukraine and besides alarmed Ukraine’s allies. They travel arsenic Russia has built up troops on the Ukraine borderline and the United States has voiced concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin mightiness beryllium readying an penetration of Ukraine.

Poroshenko was defeated by voters pursuing a corruption ungraded and a mixed grounds connected reforms, but helium emerged with beardown patriotic credentials for his enactment successful rebuilding the Ukrainian service arsenic it fought Russian-backed insurgent fighters successful the east.

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Zelenskyy says helium is waging a combat against oligarchs that is aimed astatine reducing their power successful Ukraine’s governmental and economical life.

Poroshenko has been extracurricular of Ukraine for weeks, gathering with leaders successful Brussels, Berlin and different European capitals.

His supporters presumption charges against him arsenic politically motivated. “It is simply a revenge of the authorities and an effort by Zelenskyy to destruct his biggest rival successful Ukraine's politics,” Anton Ivashchenko, 42, told The Associated Press astatine the airport. “Persecution of Poroshenko sows animosity and discord among those who propulsion for ... Ukraine's person ties with the West.”

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.