(Kyiv) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered Tuesday night in Moscow to “exchange” Ukrainian MP and businessman Viktor Medvedchuk, close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and recently arrested, for Ukrainians in captivity in Russia.
Posted at 6:32 p.m.
“I propose to the Russian Federation to exchange this man for our boys and girls who are currently in captivity in Russia. That’s why it’s important that our law enforcement and military also consider this possibility,” Zelensky said in a video address posted on Telegram.
“And may Medvedchuk be an example for you. Even the former oligarch did not escape. Not to mention the far lesser criminals of the Russian hinterland. We will have everyone,” added the Head of State.
Ukrainian authorities had earlier in the day announced the arrest of this 67-year-old Ukrainian who had been on the run since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“A special operation was carried out thanks to the SBU [les services de sécurité ukrainiens]. Cheer ! “, had indicated President Zelensky on Telegram, accompanying his message with a photo of Viktor Medvedchuk, handcuffed and dressed in a uniform of the Ukrainian army.
The SBU later confirmed the arrest, without giving details. The head of the SBU, Ivan Bakanov, thanked his subordinates for having successfully led “this exceptional and dangerous mission”.
Viktor Medvedchuk had been under house arrest since May 2021 after being charged with “high treason” and “attempted looting of natural resources in Crimea”, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
On February 26, two days after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian police noted his disappearance during a control visit.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on his arrest to Russian news agencies, saying “there is a lot of ‘fake’ coming from Ukraine” and saying “this needs to be checked first.” “.
Viktor Medvedchuk, 12and fortune of Ukraine in 2021 with 620 million dollars according to Forbes magazine, is known for his links with Russian President Vladimir Putin who is, according to the person concerned, the godfather of one of his daughters.
He is the founder of the pro-Russian party “Opposition Platform-For Life”, which had around thirty deputies in the Ukrainian Parliament before being banned in March, after the Russian attack.