Wikipedia

Tetiana Montian

Tetiana Mykolaivna Montian (Ukrainian: Тетяна Миколаївна Монтян; Russian: Татьяна Николаевна Монтян, romanized: Tatyana Nikolayevna Montyan; born 29 August 1972) is a Ukrainian lawyer, journalist and pro-Russian blogger.

Tetiana Montian
Тетяна Монтян
Montian in 2014
Montian in 2014
Born
Tetiana Mykolaivna Montian

(1972-08-29) 29 August 1972 (age 52)
Kerch, Crimean Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Other namesTatyana Montyan
CitizenshipUkraine
Alma materMoscow State University
Occupations
  • Lawyer
  • journalist
  • blogger
Years active1995-present
SpouseYurii Vasilenko ( –2019)
Children4

Early life and education

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Tetiana Montian was born on 29 September 1972 in Kerch. Her mother was a teacher and her father was a ship mechanic.[citation needed]

From 1989 to 1994 she studied at the Faculty of Law of Moscow State University, specializing in constitutional law. In 1994, after graduating from university, she moved from Moscow to Kyiv.[1]

Career

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The «9 March» case and the protection of UNA-UNSO activists

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On June 4, 2001, the Security Service of Ukraine opened a criminal case against 19 participants in the "Ukraine without Kuchma" action that took place on March 9, 2001. Tetiana Montian acted as a lawyer for the UNA-UNSO members, in particular, the then leader of the organization, Andriy Shkil. According to Montian, the indictment contained many errors and inconsistencies.[2]

Participation in the Orange Revolution

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During the Orange Revolution and the 2004 presidential elections, Montian was responsible for combating election fraud in the Mykolaiv Oblast. Together with other lawyers, she coordinated the work of about 600 election commission members and observers.[3]

Attitude towards the Euromaidan events

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Tetiana Montian lectures at the «Euromaidan Open University»

From the very beginning of Euromaidan, it opposed the violent overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovych, while not justifying the government's actions against the demonstrators.[4]

Ruslan Kotsaba case

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Montian acted for the defense in the high-profile case of journalist Ruslan Kotsaba, who was accused of treason and obstructing the activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Kotsaba was arrested and held in custody since February 8, 2015, the court hearings were held in the Ivano-Frankivsk City Court.[5]

On May 11, 2016, Montian spoke in the final debates in the Kotsaba case, pointing out the contradictions between the indictment and the factual circumstances of the country's legal regime, including the absence of martial law in the country, and called on the court to acquit the defendant due to lack of evidence of a crime. The prosecutor's office, for its part, called on the court to find Kotsaba guilty on all counts and sentence him to 13 years' imprisonment with confiscation of property.[6] On May 12, 2016, the court sentenced Kotsaba to imprisonment for 3 years and 6 months, finding him guilty of obstructing the lawful actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but dismissed the charges of treason and returned the property seized during the arrest.[7] Montian stated that she would appeal the ruling and demand a full acquittal of Ruslan Kotsaba.[8]

On July 14, 2016, the Ivano-Frankivsk regional court of appeal, examining the appeal of Ruslan Kotsaba, prepared by Montian, found him not guilty on all counts and fully acquitted him; Kotsaba was released from custody in the courtroom.[9]

Vita Zaverukha case

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Since September 22, 2015, Tetiana Montian has been acting for the defense in the case of Vita Zaverukha, a neo-Nazi suspect in the shooting of police officers in Kyiv, at the request of Zaverukha's husband's relatives.[10] The case received significant publicity due to the severity of the charges and the openly radical position of the accused.

On October 10, 2015, after another court hearing, Montian told the press that the court had no factual evidence of her client's involvement in any crime.[11]

On June 11, 2016, it was reported that Zaverukha had refused further services from Montyan.[12]

Political activity

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In December 2015, she was included in the Mirotvorets website database. According to pro-Ukrainian activists, Montyan provides legal assistance to separatists.[13]

She spoke at the UN Security Council as a Ukrainian civil activist at a meeting on February 17, 2022, dedicated to the situation in the eastern regions of Ukraine and the implementation of the Minsk agreements. In her speech, she expressed the Russian view of the events in Ukraine and Donbas.[14]

Justifies the Russo-Ukrainian war.[clarification needed] The Ukrainian prosecutor's office accuses Montian of calling for the overthrow of the Ukrainian government, encroaching on territorial integrity and denying Russian aggression.[15] According to the investigation, Montian left for Russia in 2021, appears on Russian TV and through her video channels, where she supports the war against Ukraine.[16]

Personal life

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Widow of Yurii Vasylenko (1940—2019[17]), who was a judge of the Kyiv Court of Appeal from 1994 to 2005. He was known for having initiated two criminal cases against the President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, in November 2002.[18]

Tetiana Montian has four sons. The eldest are twins Bohdan "Iceberg" and Yaroslav "Pikachu" Vasilenko (born April 13, 1997) is cyber athletes; at the age of fifteen they were Ukrainian boxing champions.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Тетяна Монтян — DSnews.ua". www.dsnews.ua (in Ukrainian). 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  2. ^ Довгаль, Мирослава (2002-01-22). "Суд над унсовцями – у глухому куті" [Trial of UNA-UNSO members at dead end]. ПОСТУП (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2012-06-15.
  3. ^ Монтян, Тетяна (2011-11-22). "Як влада впливала на вибори у 2004 році" [How the government influenced the elections in 2004]. infocorn.org.ua (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2012-11-07.
  4. ^ "Янукович насилует страну, а у оппозиции нет плана, — Монтян" [Yanukovych is raping the country, and the opposition has no plan, Montian says]. The Kiev Times (in Russian). 2014-01-09. Archived from the original on 2014-04-08.
  5. ^ Свобода, Радіо (2015-04-06). "Суд залишив Коцабу під вартою на два місяці". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  6. ^ Novosti, R. I. A. (2016-05-12). "Приговор Коцабе станет приговором украинской демократии - правозащитник". РИА Новости Украина (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  7. ^ "Коцаба не признали изменником, но дали 3,5 года тюрьмы". Украинская правда (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  8. ^ Novosti, R. I. A. (2016-05-12). "Монтян намерена обжаловать приговор Коцабы". РИА Новости Украина (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  9. ^ Свобода, Радіо (2016-07-14). "Апеляційний суд зняв обвинувачення з Коцаби, його звільнили з-під варти". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  10. ^ "Антимайданівка Монтян пояснила, чому вона стала адвокатом радикалки Заверухи - 20 хвилин". vn.20minut.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  11. ^ "Татьяна Монтян о суде над Викторией Заверухой". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  12. ^ "Новости Украины - Монтян сделала громкое заявление на суде по делу активистов Майдана — online.ua". news.online.ua (in Russian). 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  13. ^ OBOZ.UA (2015-12-10). ""Миротворец" внес в "Чистилище" украинскую правозащитницу". Oboz-Incident (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  14. ^ "Провокация России на Совбезе ООН. Пророссийские активисты как легкая артиллерия Кремля". hromadske.ua (in Russian). 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  15. ^ Свобода, Радіо (2023-02-10). "СБУ: Монтян, яка бере активну участь в російських ІПСО, повідомили про підозру". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  16. ^ "Провокация России на Совбезе ООН. Пророссийские активисты как легкая артиллерия Кремля". hromadske.ua (in Russian). 2022-02-18. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  17. ^ "Помер відставний суддя Київського апеляційного суду Юрій Василенко". LB.ua. 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  18. ^ "Апелляционный суд Киева сегодня возбудил уголовное дело против президента Украины Леонида Кучмы". Радио Свобода (in Russian). 2011-05-15. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  19. ^ "10 самых популярных братьев в киберспорте - 14 июля 2017 - Sport24". sport24.ru (in Russian). 2017-04-30. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
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