It is not true that the EU is applying selective sanctions and not taking any action regarding corruption in Ukraine

The claim that the EU only sanctioned Diana Panchenko and did not sanction “Ukrainian officials who misused European tax money” is wrong. It is an oversimplification of the complex system of sanctions and financial control mechanisms

We analyze a post on the social network Facebook which says:

The EU does not sanction Ukrainian officials who have stolen EU citizens’ tax money. The only Ukrainian on the sanctions list is Diana Panchenko, a Ukrainian journalist who has been accused of being anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian. Some of her anti-Ukrainian activities include reporting on the brutal recruitment of Ukrainian men into the war, which is “anti-Ukrainian” because it could undermine Western support for the war.

The post manipulates the public by trying to portray the European Union as taking no action against corruption in Ukraine. Namely, EU sanctions are mostly aimed at Russian officials, companies and military/economic actors for the aggression against Ukraine, individuals associated with information operations and support for the Russian disinformation machinery (hybrid operations). It is part of a broader package of EU sanctions related to the conflict and Russian aggression, and not for corruption related to the use of European tax money.

But that does not mean that the EU is not doing anything about the corruption scandals in Ukraine. Corruption and misuse of funds in Ukraine are a recognized problem area and the EU is in fact working on increased cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities to prevent misuse of funds through the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and other anti-corruption mechanisms.

This means that it is not true that the EU “does nothing about corruption” or that it only sanctions one person because there are no others sanctioned for corruption, as the post we are analyzing wants to portray.

The EU does not really have a large number of sanctions against Ukrainian officials for financial corruption. This is because EU sanctions in the context of Ukraine mainly focus on: civil security, Russian interference, hybrid operations, and violations of international law. Corruption related to the misuse of European money/tax funds is usually addressed through other legal mechanisms for combating corruption and controlling financial assets, but not with the same political sanctions regimes that are used for Russia and related actors.

This means that there may be grounds for criticism of the effectiveness of the fight against corruption, but the claim that the EU is completely “not sanctioning” Ukrainian corrupt officials just because they stole EU money is wrong.

As for the claim that Ukrainian Diana Panchenko was placed on the EU sanctions list only because she “reported on the brutal recruitment of Ukrainian men into the war,” that is not true and is manipulative.

Diana Panchenko, a Ukrainian journalist working for Russia and known for spreading pro-Russian disinformation and propaganda, is called “Goebbels in a skirt” by the Hybrid Warfare Analysis Group (HWAG). She is no stranger to the Ukrainian public.

Known for her work on Kremlin-sponsored publications since 2018, she has long branded herself as a truth-teller, a voice of reason, and a “personal enemy” of Volodymyr Zelensky.

Panchenko claims to reveal information that the Ukrainian government and Western media allegedly don’t want “you” to know, carefully guiding her audience through a masterclass in manipulating events—poisoning the truth with narratives that are often more difficult to refute than usual Russian TV propaganda, HWAG states in its analysis of Panchenko’s character and work.

Working for Russian-sponsored channels headed by Viktor Medvedchuk (Putin’s Ukrainian tycoon), she portrays her “journalism” as patriotic and as doing what is “right.”

However, her content was primarily laden with conspiracy theories, sandwiched with false, truthful, and unverified information, HWAG states.

The EU has included Diana Panchenko on its sanctions list. According to official statements by the Council of the European Union, she was sanctioned for actively creating and disseminating anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian narratives, supporting or amplifying the Kremlin’s information platform, and undermining Ukraine’s security and stability through information manipulation and interference.

The EU has indeed included Diana Panchenko on its sanctions list. She is sanctioned by the EU because, according to official announcements by the Council of the EU, she actively creates and spreads anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian narratives, supports or spreads the Kremlin’s information platform, and undermines the security and stability of Ukraine through information manipulation and interference.

This means that such sanctions are not due to simple criticism of the Ukrainian government, but because EU institutions consider her activities as part of “hybrid operations” related to Russian interests, not just political positions.

So, Panchenko is not sanctioned for reporting on the war and recruitment, but according to the formal announcement of the EU Council, she is sanctioned because her statements and propaganda activities were assessed as disinformation used to undermine European and Ukrainian efforts, which according to EU sanctions rules is “support for policies or actions of the Russian state that threaten the stability and security of Ukraine.”

The claim that Panchenko is the only Ukrainian on the EU sanctions list is not true. Panchenko is one of the new names on the sanctions list when the EU expanded the list to cover info-operations and hybrid activities, but the list generally includes a large number of other individuals and entities, mainly linked to Russian hybrid operations and info-measures. There is no official list that designates Panchenko as “the only Ukrainian person sanctioned by the EU”. This is a misleading or selective interpretation of the claim.

Diana Panchenko is sanctioned by the EU because her activities are considered part of pro-Russian hybrid operations and disinformation campaigns, not because of criticism of the Ukrainian government, as the post claims. The assertion that the EU is sanctioning only Panchenko and has not taken action against “Ukrainian officials who misused European taxpayer funds” is incorrect. It oversimplifies the EU’s complex system of sanctions and financial control mechanisms.

Because of all this, we assess the post we are analyzing as untrue.

 

 

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