Ukraine’s intelligence service has arrested Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in Ukrainian politics, oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk. This was announced by the SBU secret service in Kyiv on Tuesday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the success of the agents in a special operation on Facebook. The SBU released photos of Medvedchuk handcuffed and wearing a Ukrainian uniform.
The big businessman and politician Medvedchuk (67) has been considered a key figure in the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv for years. His connection to Putin sometimes allowed him to act as a mediator. However, his political projects and the television channels he controlled represented pro-Russian positions. Selenskyj had the transmitters closed.
In May 2021, Medvedchuk was placed under house arrest on charges of high treason. He withdrew from this a few days before the Russian attack on Ukraine. “No traitor will escape punishment, and he will be held accountable under the law of Ukraine,” SBU chief Ivan Bakanov commented on the arrest.
Personal friend of Putin
The extremely rich businessman counts the Russian head of state among his personal friends. According to Medvedchuk, Putin is the godfather of his youngest daughter. As an MP, he headed the main pro-Russian opposition group in Ukraine. He dismisses the allegations against him as politically motivated.
Putin reacted angrily to the authorities’ actions against Medvedchuk last year. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov did not want to comment on his alleged arrest. “There’s a lot of false information coming out of Ukraine right now,” he told Russian media. “That has to be checked first.”