Who is the recently arrested opposition leader that Ukraine asked Russia to exchange prisoners?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on April 13 that security services had arrested the opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk, who was accused of treason and fled while under house arrest. Zelensky praised the security forces and suggested that Moscow exchange Mr. Medvedchuk with Ukrainian prisoners of war being held in Russia.

According to Business InsiderMr. Medvedchuk (68 years old) may not be a well-known name to those outside the region, but his enduring influence on Ukrainian and Russian politics makes him one of the factors of interest. in the current conflict.

Mr. Viktor Medvedchuk was arrested AFP

Familiar with the Russian president

Over the past 30 years, Mr. Medvedchuk is said to have taken advantage of his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin to become one of the most powerful politicians in Ukraine and one of the very rich with an estimated fortune of $620 million by 2021.

Mr. Medvedchuk is believed to be the owner of the $200 million Royal Romance yacht, which was seized at the Croatian port of Rijeka in March.

Medvedchuk’s relationship with Putin is said to have started in 2003, when then-chief of staff to the Russian president, Alexander Voloshin, introduced the two to each other. The two quickly discover that they “share world close relationship”.

Mr. Medvedchuk had visited Putin’s homes in Moscow and Sochi, went to see Formula 1 racing and watched sambo (Russian fighting martial arts), according to the newspaper. The Washington Post.

President Vladimir Putin met Viktor Medvedchuk in 2004, when he was the chief of staff to the president of Ukraine Kremlin

The Russian president is also said to be the godfather to his daughter Medvedchuk. In a 2019 interview, Putin said the relationship between the two men was not so close, but rather “knowing each other well enough”. “He is the former chief of staff to President Leonid Kuchma and in that role he asked me to attend the christening of his daughter. According to Russian Orthodox tradition, you cannot refuse such an offer,” Putin said.

The person who connects Kyiv and Moscow

After Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, the US government embargoed Mr. Medvedchuk for his role in leading the situation in Ukraine and leading an organization engaged in actions, policy influence the democratic process and institutions in Ukraine.

Mr. Medvedchuk once said that Crimea is legally part of Ukraine but “in fact, unfortunately it belongs to Russia”. He also said that the peninsula is unlikely to return to Ukraine and criticized the Kyiv government for being so far away from the people that they accept Russian control.

Mr. Medvedchuk met Putin in Saint Petersburg in 2019 Reuters

According to the BBC, Mr. Medvedchuk and another Ukrainian MP under US sanctions made millions of dollars from buying a 42% stake in a Russian oil refinery in Novoshakhtinsk at a very cheap price. Mr. Medvedchuk then bought back a majority stake in the company and let his wife, TV star Oksana Marchenko, in her name to avoid US sanctions.

When conflict broke out between the Kyiv government and separatists in the east of 2014, Mr. Medvedchuk acted as a shuttle between Kyiv and Moscow to help deliver messages and negotiate. prisoner exchange with Russian-backed separatists.

This role ended when Mr. Zelensky became Ukraine’s president in 2019. According to Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar, Putin believes that it is impossible to solve any problem related to Ukraine without Mr. Medvedchuk. Mr. Putin did not comment on this comment.

Under embargo and house arrest

In November 2018, Mr. Medvedchuk was elected chairman of the For Life political party, then merged with the Opposition Forum – Longevity party. The party advocates a close relationship with Russia and is said to often echo Moscow’s views, but Medvedchuk denies the accusations are “pro-Russian”.

In 2019, the party won 13% of the vote in the parliamentary elections, becoming the largest opposition party.

Mr. Medvedchuk has been under house arrest since last year but escaped in February Reuters

In February 2021, Zelensky signed a decree freezing Mr. Medvedchuk’s assets on charges of “financial support for terrorism”. The decree also banned the operation of three television stations for being affiliated with Mr. Medvedchuk and broadcasting pro-Russian propaganda. Mr. Medvedchuk denied these allegations.

In May 2021, the prosecutor’s office accused Mr. Medvedchuk of crimes treasonselling secrets military for Russia and profiting from the natural resources of Crimea under Russian control.

Mr. Medvedchuk was placed under house arrest. Russia condemns this action, calling it a “witch hunt”, which will divide Ukraine. When Russia began its military campaign in Ukraine, Mr. Medvedchuk fled until he was recaptured on April 12.

In January, the US embargoed four Ukrainians, including two members of the party led by Mr. Medvedchuk, accusing them of being involved in plot to establish a new government in case “Russia attacks Ukraine”, according to The Guardian.

In March, President Zelensky signed a decree to terminate the activities of 11 parties because of their links with Russia, including Mr. Medvedchuk’s party. The party then deposed Mr. Medvedchuk from power and condemned Russia’s military action, calling on members to join Ukraine’s defense forces.