Alexander Vindman

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Alexander Vindman (2019)

Alexander Semyon Vindman (born June 6, 1975 in Kiev , Ukrainian SSR ) is a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army . From 2008 he was a so-called Foreign area officer (FAO) expert for politico-military operations abroad with a specialization in the Eurasian area , especially the Ukraine . From 2018 until his discharge in 2020, he served as Director of European Affairs on the US National Security Council .

Early years / education

Alexander Vindman and his twin brother Yevgeny were born into a Jewish family in Kiev, then the capital of the Ukrainian SSR. Her father Semyon Vindman made the decision in 1979 after the death of his wife in Kiev to emigrate to the United States with Alexander and his twin brother, their older brother Leonid and his mother-in-law. Alexander was three at the time, Leonid eleven years old. They traveled via Italy to New York City and lived there in the immigrant district of Brighton Beach in Brooklyn , which is also known as “Little Odessa” or “Little Russia” because of the high proportion of refugees from Russia and Ukraine. The father initially kept the family afloat with several jobs and then went on to become an engineer. After Alexander Vindman, like his twin brother, graduated from Binghamton University with a bachelor's degree in 1998 , they both embarked on military careers in the US Army . They emulated their older brother Leonid, who had joined the US Army before them. Leonid (Simon) Vindman later became an investment banker ; the twins stayed with the military.

Career

During his military service, Alexander Vindman u. a. stationed in South Korea and Germany. He took part in the Iraq war, was badly wounded in a booby trap and was awarded the " Purple Heart ". In 2008 he was promoted to major and on September 8, 2015 to lieutenant colonel. In the noughties he specialized in the Eurasian region and attended the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University , which he completed with an MA in studies on Russia, Europe and Central Asia . Since 2008 he has been a Foreign area officer (FAO) - an expert on politico-military operations abroad - specializing in the Eurasian region, particularly Ukraine. Between 2012 and 2014 he was posted to the US embassies in Moscow and Kiev . On his return to Washington, DC , he became an officer for politico-military affairs with a focus on Russia for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . In July 2018, he finally rose to become the leading Ukraine expert on the National Security Council (NSC), where his twin brother Yevgeny was already working as a lawyer. While at NSC, Vindman was part of the US delegation that attended the inauguration of Volodymyr Zelenskyi .

On July 8, 2020, he announced that he was quitting his service in the armed forces. He has been exposed to a campaign of bullying, intimidation and retaliation by US President Trump since he testified in the impeachment against Donald Trump.

Hearing before the House of Representatives' committees of inquiry into the Ukraine affair

On October 29, 2019 Vindman was in the context of investigations into Ukraine affair of the Untersuchungskomittees the House of Representatives ( House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence , House Committee on Foreign Affairs , United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform summoned) to to testify on the content of the telephone call that took place on July 25, 2019 between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyi. Vindman had overheard the President's phone call in the Situation Room of the White House. Vindman testified that Trump had formulated his wishes for Ukraine - to restart or re-initiate investigations against Burisma Holdings , Hunter and Joe Biden - much more specifically than it is in the transcript published by the White House.

In his “Opening Statement” of October 29, 2019, Vindman stated: “In the Spring of 2019, I became aware of outside influencers promoting a false narrative of Ukraine inconsistent with the consensus views of the interagency. This narrative was harmful to US government policy . While my interagency collegues and I were becoming increasingly optimistic on Ukraine's prospects, this alternative narrative underminded US government efforts to expand cooperation with Ukraine. ” "In the spring of 2019 I became aware of external influencers who were promoting a false narrative for Ukraine that contradicted the consensus of all [other] agencies. This narrative (representation) was detrimental to the politics of the US government. [And] While my colleagues in the other services and I were increasingly optimistic about the prospects for Ukraine, this alternative representation undermined the efforts of the US government to develop cooperation with Ukraine. "

Vindmans assessment corresponded to the statements of the former chargé (charge d'affaires ad interim) of the US Embassy in Ukraine William B. Taylor Jr. , which he had made on 22 October before the House investigative committee. Taylor had stated in his opening statement: “... I found a confusing and unusual arrangement of US policy towards Ukraine. There appeared to be two channels of US policy making and implementation, one regular and one highly irregular. As the head of mission, I had authority over the regular, formal diplomatic processes, including much of the US effort to support Ukraine against the Russian invasion and help it fight corruption. This regular channel of US policymaking has consistently had strong bipartisan support, both in Congress and in all administrations, since Ukraine's independence from Russia in 1991. However, at the same time, there was an irregular, informal channel of US policymaking in Reference to Ukraine, one to which the Special Representative [for Ukraine] Volker , Ambassador Sondland , Energy Minister Rick Perry and, as I learned later, Mr. Giuliani belonged. … “ According to Taylor, this irregular channel or the persons named by it tried to instrumentalize or abuse US foreign policy towards Ukraine for (their) party political goals.

Vindman said he had raised concerns about government efforts regarding Ukraine to the United States National Security Council (NSC) attorney on two occasions .

He made the first report after a meeting on July 10, 2019 between Oleksandr Danyljuk , the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, and Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton . The Special Envoy for Ukraine Kurt Volker , US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland and Energy Minister Rick Perry also took part in this meeting. During this meeting, Sondland demanded “specific” investigations from Ukraine as a condition for a meeting with Trump. In a debriefing following this meeting, Sondland then underlined the importance of Ukraine investigating Burisma Holdings, Hunter and Joe Biden. As a result, Vindman described Sondland's request as inappropriate and pointed out that such investigations had nothing to do with national security, that the NSC did not want to be involved in such investigations, nor would it encourage / demand them. Vindman's superior Fiona Hill also dismissed Sondland's request. Vindman and Hill reported their concerns to the NSC's senior attorney.

On July 25, 2019, Vindman and several other members of the NSC overheard the phone call between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyi in the Situation Room of the White House .

Before the committee he said:

“I was concerned by the call. I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a US citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the US government's support of Ukraine. I realized that if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma, it would likely be interpreted as a partisan play which would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support it has thus far maintained. This would all undermine US national security. " “I was concerned about the call. I felt it was inappropriate to require a foreign government to investigate a US citizen, and I was concerned about the implications for US government support for Ukraine. I realized that a Ukraine inquiry into the Bidens and Burismas would likely be interpreted as a partisan game that would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support that had been sustained until then. This would undermine US national security. "

Once again, he reported his concerns to the NSC's senior lawyer.

After the US Senate acquitted President Trump in the impeachment process, Trump dismissed a number of high-ranking employees in early February 2020 whose statements had incriminated him during the process. Vindman was escorted from the White House grounds after his release. At the same time, his twin brother Yevgeny lost his post with the National Security Council. Donald Trump himself did not admit to having initiated the layoffs, but indicated that they were part of a restructuring of the National Security Council. In a post in the Washington Post on August 1, 2020, Vindman defended his statements before the committee of inquiry. As a civilian, he will continue to stand up for the nation.

Web links

Commons : Alexander S. Vindman  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Spiegel-Online October 30, 2019: Witness in Trump's Ukraine affair. What is known about Lt. Col. Vindman
  2. ↑ Heavy October 29, 2019: Alexander Vindman: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
  3. ↑ New York Times October 29, 2019: Meet Alexander Vindman, the Colonel Who Testified on Trump's Phone Call
  4. ↑ pbs.org: Video clip from the film "Statue of Liberty". Inside: Alexander and Yevgeny Vindman with their grandmother
  5. ↑ NZZ.ch October 29, 2019: The end of hearsay in the impeachment proceedings against Trump
  6. ↑ Carol Kitman Photography: Semyon (Simon) Vindman with his three children: Leonid, Alexander (Sanya) and Yevgeny (Genya)
  7. ↑ Washington Examiner October 29, 2019: Alexander Vindman and twin brother are Ukrainian refugees and Army lieutenant colonels who both now work in Trump White House
  8. ↑ Carol Kitman Photography: Images from the life of Vidmans
  9. ↑ Tachles.Ch October 30, 2019: "Sanya" Vindman's great hour
  10. ^ Jewish Telegraphic Agency October 28, 2019: The decorated officer set to testify in the impeachment probe is a Jewish refugee from Ukraine
  11. ↑ a b c New York Times October 30, 2019: Meet Alexander Vindman, the Colonel Who Testified on Trump's Phone Call
  12. ^ Tungsten Capital Advisors: Leonid Simon Vindman
  13. ^ Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies - Home
  14. ↑ Opening Statement of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander S. Vindman Before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, October 29, 2019, p. 1 (pdf)
  15. ↑ Washington Examiner October 29, 2019: Alexander Vindman and twin brother are Ukrainian refugees and Army lieutenant colonels who both now work in Trump White House
  16. ↑ President Zelensky addresses heads of foreign delegations The Ukrainian Weekly No. 22 (June 2, 2019), p. 3. (Image: President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska with US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry and the US delegation attending the inauguration , which included US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker, US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon D. Sondland, the National Security Council's Director for European Affairs Alexander Vindman and Deputy Chief of Mission for the US Embassy in Ukraine Joseph Pennington)
  17. ↑ Impeachment witness Vindman leaves the US military
  18. ↑ Der Spiegel (Print) No. 45 (November 2, 2019), p. 94f .: View into the Abyss; here p. 95
  19. ↑ Opening Statement of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander S. Vindman Before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, October 29, 2019
  20. ↑ Opening Statement of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander S. Vindman Before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, October 29, 2019, p. 4
  21. ↑ Opening Statement of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander S. Vindman Before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, October 29, 2019, p. 5
  22. ↑ Opening Statement of Ambassador William B. Taylor - October 22, 2019
  23. ↑ New York Times October 22, 2019: Read the Ukraine Envoy's Statement to Impeachment Inquiry
  24. ↑ Opening Statement of Ambassador William B. Taylor - October 22, 2019, p. 4
  25. ↑ Opening Statement of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander S. Vindman Before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, October 29, 2019, p. 5
  26. ↑ Opening Statement of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander S. Vindman Before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, October 29, 2019, p. 5
  27. ^ John T Bennett, Phil Thomas: "Trump takes his revenge: Alexander Vindman and Gordon Sondland fired after testifying in impeachment hearings" The Independent of February 8, 2020
  28. ↑ Caroline Kelly: Alexander Vindman in fiery op-ed upon military retirement: 'I believe that in America, right matters' , CNN, August 1, 2020
personal data
SURNAME Vindman, Alexander
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Vindman, Alexander Semyon (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION United States Army Lieutenant Colonel
DATE OF BIRTH June 6, 1975
PLACE OF BIRTH Kiev , Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic