He was one of the number one targets of the Ukrainian intelligence services.
He was even thought to have taken refuge in Moscow.
Ukrainian MP and businessman Viktor Medvedchuk, an oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and on the run since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was arrested following a "special operation", authorities announced on Tuesday Ukrainians.
“A special operation was carried out thanks to the SBU
[Ukrainian security services]
.
Cheer !
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on his Telegram channel.
Under house arrest, Medvedchuk had disappeared a few days after the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.
The SBU later confirmed his arrest, without giving details.
“You can be a pro-Russian politician and work for the aggressor state for years.
You may be on the run.
You can even wear a Ukrainian military uniform to dress up… But will that help you escape punishment?
Not at all !
“commented the security services on Telegram.
Putin would be the godfather of one of his daughters
The message is accompanied by a statement from the head of the SBU, Ivan Bakanov, who thanks his subordinates for having successfully led “this exceptional and dangerous mission”.
Viktor Medvedchuk, 67, 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.
He is presented as Putin's strongman in Ukraine.
Media magnate, businessman with multiple activities, he is notably accused of having invested in a Russian refinery thus making it possible to evade the sanctions imposed in 2014 on Russia and to supply fuel to the Donbass.
Its three television channels were shut down in 2021 by Zelensky for pro-Russian propaganda.
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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
(fake) coming from Ukraine" and saying "it must first be checked ".
Viktor Medvedchuk, 12th fortune in 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.
"In post-Soviet countries, it's a very strong bond, like being from the same family", deciphered with Parisian Cécile Vaissié, professor at Rennes-II University and author of the book "Kremlin networks in France ".
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.
