2023-04-27 08:21:11
Russian investigative news website Verstka reported on the 25th that the main reason behind Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to invade Ukraine was to retaliate against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for sanctioning his friend Viktor Medvedchuk. There was a large-scale exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine in September last year, and former Ukrainian congressman Mevichuk was among them.
The 68-year-old wealthy businessman and lawyer Mevchuk is a close ally of Putin and the godfather of Putin’s youngest daughter Dary. Mevychuk was chief of staff to then Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma from 2002 to 2005 and maintained friendly relations with Moscow.
Mevichuk also once led Ukraine’s largest pro-Russian political party and was known as the “Prince of Darkness”.
In May 2021, Mevychuk was arrested in Ukraine on charges of treason and financing terrorism. In September last year, Ukraine used him as the main bargaining chip in exchange for 215 prisoners of war, including the chief and deputy commanders of the “Azov Battalion” of the defenders of the Azov Iron and Steel Plant in Maripo.
Mevichuk denied all the accusations against him by the Ukrainian authorities. After the Russian-Ukrainian war broke out in February last year, he managed to escape, but was captured by the Ukrainian Security Service in April.
Three pro-Putin sources said that Putin, angry at Mevychuk’s sanctions against Ukraine the year before, set out to invade Ukraine. Mevychuk also often portrays Ukraine’s “pro-Russian” side in front of Putin, which may cause Putin to misjudge the situation.
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