Ukraine has officially implicated three associates of Rudy Giuliani, the personal lawyer for former US President Donald Trump, in a plot to use Russia’s help to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prosecutor General, Dmytro Storozhuk, announced investigations into the three US citizens – Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, and Andrey Kukushkin – for “the illegal provision of certain services to a foreign citizen”. All three men are Giuliani associates, although Ukraine’s investigations have not named the lawyer himself.
Ukraine’s announcement implicates the three men in an alleged Russian-backed plan that sought to pressure Ukraine into launching an investigation into the illegitimate business dealings of the now President-elect Joe Biden and his son. This pressure was part of an effort to influence the 2020 US election, and was against US law.
Parnas and Fruman allegedly met with several high-ranking Ukrainian government officials to implore them to cooperate in the alleged Russian-backed plot. Parnas and Fruman, as well as Kukushkin, are also being investigated for illegal campaign contributions. The three men are alleged to have illegally funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to American recipients.
The involvement of Giuliani associates in this plot has not only shocked Ukraine, but the international community as well. Giuliani’s associates in Ukraine were allegedly looking to manipulate the US election in favor of Russia, an unacceptable and possibly illegal behavior.
This is a troubling development, as it implies that a foreign power may have been attempting to influence the US election process. It is now up to the US authorities to determine what, if any, actions to take against these three men.