Ukraine launches criminal investigation into alleged surveillance of US ambassador Marie Yovanovitch
- Ukraine on Thursday announced that it has launched a criminal investigation into alleged threats against Marie Yovanovitch, the US's former ambassador to Ukraine.
- Yovanovitch was abruptly ousted from her post last year following what she and others characterized as a smear campaign against her.
- The House Intelligence Committee released new documents this week showing the extent to which President Donald Trump's associates stalked her movements in Ukraine when she was ambassador.
- Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a statement that it "with regard to international and national legislation, guarantees protection, safety and untouchability for diplomats of any foreign state on the territory of Ukraine, including the representatives of the diplomatic corps of the United States of America."
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Ukraine on Thursday announced that it would launch a federal criminal investigation into alleged threats against Marie Yovanovitch, the US's former ambassador to Ukraine.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs released a statement saying it "took note of the possible illegal surveillance on the territory of Ukraine by former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch."
It added that it, "with regard to international and national legislation, guarantees protection, safety and untouchability for diplomats of any foreign state on the territory of Ukraine, including the representatives of the diplomatic corps of the United States of America."
Yovanovitch was abruptly recalled from her position last May following what she and other career diplomats characterized as a smear campaign against her from President Donald Trump and his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.
Yovanovitch was one of several witnesses to testify in Congress' impeachment inquiry into Trump's conduct, where she revealed previously unknown details about the lengths Trump and Giuliani went to in order to engineer her removal from her posts.
Other witnesses, like Fiona Hill, the National Security Council's former top Russia analyst, testified that while they acknowledged the president is at liberty to hire and fire ambassadors at will, they did not understand why Yovanovitch was publicly humiliated before being dismissed.
The House Intelligence Committee released a trove of documents on Tuesday and Wednesday revealing the extent to which Giuliani's associates in Ukraine went in order to get Yovanovitch fired.
In one conversation, Parnas's associate Robert Hyde, a Republican running for Congress in Connecticut, referred to Yovanovitch bluntly as "that b---h."
Hyde later sent several texts suggesting it was possible to keep tabs on Yovanovitch in Ukraine, adding, "They are willing to help if we/you would like a price."
Afterward, Hyde wrote, "Guess you can do anything in the Ukraine with money."
Hyde also texted Parnas about Yovanovitch's whereabouts and the state of her security.
"She [sic] under heavy protection outside Kiev," Hyde wrote.
He followed up saying how they "have a person inside."
Yovanovitch's lawyer called for an investigation into alleged surveillance of her shortly after the documents were first released. But the US has not yet announced a probe in the matter.