ASHLEY, N.D. (KFGO) – A North Dakota farmer who had been detained in Ukraine for nearly a year is back in the state.
A statement released by his family confirmed that Kurt Groszhans returned to North Dakota on his birthday, Thursday, October 20. The Ashley, ND man was charged and imprisoned last November for plotting to assassinate Ukraine’s then-agriculture minister, Roman Leschenko.
In a statement Groszhans says he is grateful to be home after the horrible ordeal and to celebrate his birthday on North Dakota soil. He addressed his tumultuous time in Ukraine, saying he went to the country to build a farming business and is a strong supporter of the Ukrainian people and the need for the world to back them in the war with Russia.
“But it was my discovery of embezzlement and corruption at the highest levels of the Ukrainian government that prompted them to file false charges against me in an effort to shut me up. The man who was at the center of the embezzlement and who I believe caused my arrest served in President Zelensky’s cabinet,” Groszhans said.
He also expressed his disappointment with the U.S. government.
“The US Government is rightly doing all it can to ensure Ukraine has the tools to fight off the Russians, but that should not have caused them to abandon me. I am an American citizen who was obviously set up on false charges. Billions of dollars in military aid should have been a good enough reason for Ukraine to let me go, but it would have required the U.S. State Department to use the leverage and they did not. The fact they refused to classify me as a wrongful detainee was an unfortunate and politically cowardly act that cost me almost a year of my life,” he said.
Groszhans moved to Ukraine in 2017, where his ancestors are from. Once there, he connected with Leshchenko, who offered himself as a native speaker with knowledge of the local farming business and regulatory requirements.
Leshchenko resigned suddenly from his government post in March.
Groszhans’ family has repeatedly said the charges against him are false and aimed at silencing his claims of corruption in Ukraine and continued to defend him in the statement released Friday.
“Kurt was set up on politically motivated criminal charges designed to stifle his public claims that he uncovered fraud and corruption related to a former employee of his agri-business,” the statement released by the family said. “That former employee embezzled approximately $250,000 from Kurt and used some of the embezzled funds to make contributions to Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidential campaign. After winning, Zelensky appointed the former employee to a cabinet position.”
The family’s statement goes on to say that shortly after Groszhans filed two civil suits and spoke out about the alleged embezzlement in the media in Ukraine, he was accused of trying to kill Leshchenko.
Details about how Groszhans made his way back to the U.S. are unclear but KFGO News is working to confirm them. The family’s statement says he was able to legally depart Ukraine “when his bail restrictions allowed.”
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told KFGO News the safety and security of U.S. citizens is their greatest priority, but would not comment further on Groszhans’ situation because it is their policy not to share the information about private parties without their consent.
In general, the Department said they regularly review cases of all U.S. nationals detained abroad to determine if the detention is wrongful and the Secretary makes a determination after considering information from a variety of sources and based on the totality of the circumstances in the case.
North Dakota’s congressional delegation had been working behind the scenes to secure Groszhans’ release. Congressman Kelly Armstrong said he was ecstatic to hear that Groszhans was back in the state.
“We can confirm Kurt is safely in North Dakota with his family and friends,” said Senator Kevin Cramer. “Like us, we hope others respect Kurt’s privacy at this time. We welcome Kurt home and are grateful for his safe return.”
