Ukrainian involvement in the Iraq War
It was seen both within and outside Ukraine primarily as an effort by President Leonid Kuchma to distract attention from the Cassette Scandal, which opponents claimed implicated him in the murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze and the sale of the Kolchuga system to Saddam Hussein's Iraq.Following the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, Kuchma's successor, Viktor Yushchenko, announced the departure of most of Ukraine's contingent, and the final peacekeepers left three years later.[2][3][4] Prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Ukraine had already previously established its involvement in the Middle East by participating in the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) programme.[6] On 18 March 2003, two days before the invasion of Iraq, Kuchma signed Presidential Decree 227, sending the 19th Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Battalion [uk] to Kuwait, citing the risk of weapons of mass destruction being used against the civilian population.Though Ukraine's government denied the allegations,[10] the Federal Bureau of Investigation stated that the recordings in the Cassette Scandal were authentic.Kuchma also expressed his agreement with such a measure, specifically stating his wish to send Ukrainian troops to Iraq under the guidance of Polish-led forces already in the country.[12] On 5 June 2003, the Verkhovna Rada (parliament of Ukraine) approved a law proposed by Kuchma to send Ukrainian troops to Iraq, with 273 votes out of 450 in favour.The Ukrainian contingent in Iraq, accompanied by 20 other coalition troops as well as British and American mercenaries, was drawn into its first major battle in early April 2004, when they faced off against the Mahdi army of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the city of Kut.They also moved from Kut to Al Diwaniyah, where they participated in a training programme for specialised sections of the Iraqi Army and police.
Iraq WarMultinational Division Central-SouthUkraineBa'ath loyalistsMahdi ArmyLeonid KuchmaViktor YushchenkoYevhen MarchukOleksandr KuzmukIzzat Ibrahim al-DouriMuqtada al-SadrAbu Deraa5th Mechanized Brigade6th Mechanized BrigadePA PivdenmashUkrainian oligarchsDnipropetrovsk Mafiagovernment1990s Donbas miners' strikesMulti-Vector PolicyConstitutionBudapest MemorandumUnited States v. LazarenkoMonetary reform (1996)Russian–Ukrainian Friendship TreatyConstitutional referendum (2000)Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 (2001)Tuzla Island conflict (2003)European Union integrationNATO integrationMinsk agreementsFuneral of Patriarch VolodymyrMurder of Georgiy GongadzeCassette ScandalUkraine without KuchmaRise up, Ukraine!Orange RevolutionMasol IIMarchukPustovoitenkoYushchenkoKinakhYanukovych Iparliamentarypresidential2003 invasion of IraqMulti-National Force – IraqIraqi insurgentsRusso-Ukrainian WarArmed Forces of UkraineGeorgiy GongadzeKolchugainsurgents2004 Ukrainian presidential electionUnited Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection CommissionKostyantyn GryshchenkoUnited NationsInternational Energy AgencyKolchuga passive sensorSaddam HusseinFederal Bureau of InvestigationNational Security and Defense Council of UkraineUkraine–United States relationsWashington PostBaghdadcaptured1 May 2003 speechGeorge W. BushCamp ArifjanPolish-led forcesCarlos PascualVerkhovna RadaMykolaivBoryspil International AirportCharter of the United NationsWasit GovernorateDzerkalo TyzhniaThe GuardianAl-Suwairaimprovised explosive deviceTigrisViktor YanukovychIraqi Interim Government2005 Iraqi governorate electionsAnatoliy HrytsenkoBorys TarasyukCondoleezza RiceAl DiwaniyahIraqi ArmyUnited States ArmyNBC News Ukrainian Intelligence The TelegraphThe Washington PostKuchma, LeonidRadio Free Europe/Radio LibertyMain Directorate of Intelligence (Ukraine)Ukrainska PravdaAl-JazeeraU.S. ArmyLenta.ruKorrespondent.netIraqi conflictPrelude17 July RevolutionIranian Revolution1979 Ba'ath Party PurgeIran–Iraq WarBritishU.S. support for IraqChemical attacks against IranAnfal campaignIran–Contra affairGulf WarInvasion of KuwaitNayirah testimonySanctions against IraqNo-fly zones1991 uprisingsUNSCOMArms-to-Iraq affairOil-for-Food ProgrammeInvestigationsSeptember 11 attacksAftermathWar on terror