Taras Kozak

Taras Romanovych Kozak (; born 6 April 1972) as well as being implicated in the use of profits from the Samara-Western Direction oil product pipeline to fund the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic.

On 11 May 2021 the Prosecutor General of Ukraine accused Kozak of treason and attempted looting of national resources in (Russian annexed, but internationally recognised as Ukrainian) Crimea; he is believed to be in Belarus and the Security Service of Ukraine received permission to detain Kozak on 20 May 2021. One of Kozak's colleagues in the Lviv tax office was Serhiy Medvedchuk, Viktor Medvedchuk's brother. In 2005 Kozak was a member of political party Russko-Ukrainskiy Soyuz that ran for parliament as part of the Natalia Vitrenko Bloc. In 2010 he became a deputy in the Lviv Oblast council

In the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election Kozak became a people's deputy representing Opposition Bloc (he was number 14 on its election list). And after the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election for Opposition Platform — For Life (this time as number 10 on its election list, in the same election Medvedchuk was elected to parliament for the same party).

Taras Kozak is a member of political organization "Ukrainskiy vybor" led by Viktor Medvedchuk.

In 2018 Kozak voted against the Law on Recognition of Ukrainian Sovereignty over the Occupied Territories of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts.

At the end of 2018 Kozak acquired several important Ukrainian television media such as NewsOne (from Yevhen Muraev) and 112 Ukraine. In June 2019 Kozak also bought television channel ZIK. After acquiring of ZIK by Kozak, journalists en masse left the company in protest. After the acquisition of ZIK TV channel, the CEO left and most of the other employees resigned. The reason was the person of the new owner. The activities and rhetoric of the deputy, the party and the media holding are considered to be very biased and pro-Russian. In July 2019, employees of the ZIK TV channel, a number of newspapers, NGOs and institutions, a coalition of NGOs "Reanimation Package of Reforms" (more than 70 organizations), as well as public figures, journalists and public opinion leaders called on the state to take measures to prevent monopolization of media space by pro-Russian forces. In October 2019 Kozak was questioned by the Security Service of Ukraine because of a July 2019 proposed TV linkup between NewsOne and the Russian TV channel Rossiya 1, which is banned in Ukraine.

In a 2020 electronic declaration, Kozak hid his wife's oil business in Russia. The People's Deputy is also involved in the case of tax evasion by Tedis company.

On 2 February 2021 the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine imposed sanctions on Kozak. As part of these sanctions the television channel owned by him (NewsOne, 112 Ukraine and ZIK) were forbidden to broadcast in Ukraine. The channels were immediately shut down but continued to livestream their content on the internet. The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine released a statement on 3 February 2020 that stated "The United States supports Ukraine’s efforts yesterday to counter Russia’s malign influence, in line with Ukrainian law, in defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Medvedchuk and Kozak were reported to keep funds in Belarusian banks controlled by business associates of President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Aliaksei Aleksin and Mikalai Varabei.

Criminal prosecution and sanctions On 11 May 2021, Kozak and Medvedchuk were named as suspects for high treason and the illegal exploitation of natural resources in Ukraine's Russian-annexed Crimea. Two days later Medvedchuk claimed in court that Kozak could not have accompanied him (in court) because he (Kozak) was receiving medical treatment in Belarus. On 20 May 2021 the Security Service of Ukraine received permission to detain Kozak.

On 20 January 2022, against the backdrop of mounting tensions over Ukraine, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on Kozak along with three other Ukrainian nationals. The statement released by the U.S. Department of the Treasury said, "Russia has directed its intelligence services to recruit current and former Ukrainian government officials to prepare to take over the government of Ukraine and to control Ukraine’s critical infrastructure with an occupying Russian force. At the heart of this effort are Taras Kozak (Kozak) and Oleh Voloshyn (Voloshyn), two current Ukrainian Members of Parliament from the party led by Victor Medvedchuk (Medvedchuk), who is already subject to U.S. sanctions for his role in undermining Ukrainian sovereignty in 2014. Medvedchuk maintains close ties with the Kremlin, and also took part in directing these activities. [...] Kozak, who controls several news channels in Ukraine, supported the FSB’s plan to denigrate senior members of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s inner circle, falsely accusing them of mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, Kozak used his news platforms to amplify false narratives around the 2020 U.S. elections first espoused by U.S.-designated Andrii Leonidovych Derkach (Derkach). Kozak has attempted to legitimatize Derkach’s claims by rebroadcasting Derkach’s false assertions about U.S. political candidates. Throughout 2020, Kozak worked alongside FSB intelligence agents.”

Subject also to sanctions by Australia, Canada and New Zealand, on 10 January 2023, Kozak was stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship alongside his associates Medvedchuk and Derkach.

Kozak's term as People's Deputy of Ukraine was terminated by parliament on 13 January 2023.

Awards In 2002 Kozak was awarded the Order of Merit, 3rd degree.