Andriy Medvedko was born on September 27, 1989. He is a member of the far-right organization C14, and also goes by the nickname “Manson.” He is the founder of the right-wing NGOs Ukrainian Armed Victory, Veterans’ Academy, The Union of Participants of the War with Russia, and the National Center of Human Rights Protection. The activities and rhetoric of C14 and its members demonstrate their devotion to neo-Nazi views according to former members and experts on extremism.“A Fine Line: Defining Nationalism and Neo-Nazism in Ukraine,” Hromadske, May 10, 2018, https://en.hromadske.ua/posts/does-neo-nazism-exist-in-ukraine. See also Dmitry Volchek, “Love in a Fight Club” [Любовь в бойцовском клубе], Radio Svoboda, https://www.svoboda.org/a/29641249.html.
In 2011, he organized the so-called “Young Football Cup” (KMF) in Kyiv – an event explicitly organized “for white children only” (see article on C14). “There is no tolerance at the KMF, there are no blacks…”Pavlo Klymenko, “Хто насправді винен у можливому покаранні збірної - правозахисники чи расисти” [Who is realy to blame for the possible punishment of the national team — human rights defenders or racists], Korrespondent, September 27, 2013, http://blogs.korrespondent.net/blog/users/3213941-khto-naspravdi-vynen-u-mozhlyvomu-pokaranni-zbirnoi-pravozakhysnyky-chy-rasysty.
Medvedko was the head of the nationalist political organization Svoboda in the Kyiv Pechersk District, where he also ran as a candidate for the City Council in 2014. He previously worked as a volunteer assistant to Eduard Leonov, a parliamentary deputy for the Svoboda political party, during the Ukrainian national parliament’s seventh convocation (2012–2014). “Леонов Едуард Володимирович” [Leonov, Eduard Volodymyrovych], Posipaky, https://posipaky.info/mp/10272. He then fought in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, on the side of Ukrainian government forces. He was first a part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Kyiv-2 battalion, and later part of a special company called “Harpoon,” which is also under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. His affiliation with the Svoboda party ended when it folded in the summer of 2014.“’Свобода’: Медведька минулого року виключили з партії” ["Svoboda": Medvedko was expelled from the party last year], BBC News Ukraine, June 18, 2015, https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/news_in_brief/2015/06/150618_sx_medvedko_svoboda.
In June 2015, investigators accused Medvedko and fellow C14 member, Denys Polishchuk, of killing pro-Russian publicist, Oles Buzyna. Medvedko was held in a pre-trial detention center for two months,Olga Khudetska, “Історія однієї справи. Як судять ‘вбивць Бузини’” [The story of one case. How to judge Buzyna’s killers], Ukrainska Pravda, June 22, 2015, https://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2015/06/22/7072072/. and then placed under house arrest.“Підозрюваним у вбивстві Бузини Поліщуку та Медведьку пом'якшили запобіжний захід. ФОТО” [Measures of restraint against suspects in the Buzyna murder, Polishchuk and Medvedko mitigated PHOTO], Censor.net, March 25, 2016, https://censor.net.ua/ua/photo_news/381047/pidozryuvanym_u_vbyvstvi_buzyny_polischuku_ta_medvedku_pomyakshyly_zapobijnyyi_zahid_foto. In June 2017, the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office completed their investigation and sent an indictment against Medvedko and Polishchuk to Kyiv’s Shevchenkivksyi District Court in November of that year. If found guilty, they could face between 10–15 years or life imprisonment. The victims in the case have also filed civil suits against the accused, totaling UAH 1.5 million (over $55,000).“Фігуранта справи Бузини обрали у Раду громадського контролю НАБУ” [Figures in the Buzyna case elected to NABU Public Control Council], Ukrainska Pravda, September 30, 2019, https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2019/09/30/7227708. The accused have plead not guilty. Medvedko claims he was fighting in Sector “M” of non-government-controlled areas in eastern Ukraine at the time of Buzyna’s murder. Investigators have not been able to establish who ordered the assassination.
Since September 2019, Medvedko has served as a member of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine’s Public Control Council.“Результати рейтингового Інтернет-голосування за двох членів Ради громадського контролю” [Results of the online vote rating for two members of the Public Control Council], National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, September 30, 2019. https://nabu.gov.ua/novyny/rezultaty-reytyngovogo-internet-golosuvannya-za-dvoh-chleniv-rady-gromadskogo-kontrolyu. In January 2020, he became a part of a working group on the rights and freedoms of veterans in prison, under the Ministry for Veterans Affairs. Polishchuk heads the working group, which includes fellow C14 members Yevhen Karas and Oleksandr Voitko, as well as former lawmaker Oksana Korchinska (a member of the anti-LGBT+ group, Christian Right).Natsionalnyi tsentr pravozakhystu, “Надзвичайно щасливий, що вдалося зібрати професіоналів” [Extremely happy to be able to gather professionals], Telegram, January 16, 2020, https://t.me/NCP_Ukraine/890.
In October 2019, Medvedko co-sponsored a concert for veterans called “Veterans Strong,” which was headlined by the band, Sokyra Peruna (Axe of Perun), whose promotional materials and lyrics demonstrate their support for neo-Nazi ideas.“Почему Министерство ветеранов Украины сотрудничает с ультраправыми и чем это чревато для США” [Why does Ukraine's Veterans Ministry associate with the far-right and what are the consequence for the USA], Bellingcat, November 11, 2019, https://ru.bellingcat.com/novosti/ukraine/2019/11/11/mva-ukraina-us-cooperation. See also “How to Mainstream Neo-Nazis: A Lesson from Ukraine’s New Government,” Bellingcat, October 21, 2019, https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2019/10/21/how-to-mainstream-neo-nazis-a-lesson-from-ukraines-new-government.
In March 2021, Medvedko, along with a number of other C14 members, was elected to the Public Council at the Ministry of Veterans.С. Проскуряков, “Праворадикали потрапили до Громадської ради при Міністерстві ветеранів України. Заборона розповідає, хто саме, та чому це проблема”, Заборона, 22 березня 2021, https://zaborona.com/pravoradikali-potrapili-do-gromadskoyi-radi-pri-ministerstvi-veteraniv-ukrayini
Related People
Denys Polishchuk
Eduard Leonov
Oksana Korchinska
Yevhen Karas
Oleksandr Voitko
Related Groups
C14
Christian Right
Kyiv-2 Battalion
Ministry for Veterans Affairs, Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons
National Anti-Corruption Bureau
National Center of Human Rights Protection
Svoboda
Ukrainian Armed Victory