In the photo shared by the Ukrainian president, it is alleged that Medvedchuk is sitting on a chair, wearing a camouflage suit with the Ukrainian flag on his shoulder and in handcuffs.
– A special operation was carried out thanks to the SBU (Ukrainian security forces journ.anm.). Well done! Details later, Zelenskyj writes on his Telegram account.
Ukraine’s security forces also share another image of what is to be Medvedchuk wearing handcuffs on his Twitter account.
SHOULD BE ATTACKED: Volodymyr Zelenskyj shared this photo on his Telegram account on Tuesday night. The photo will show the oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian pro – Russian top politician and close to Putin’s ally. Photo: Volodymyr Zelensky / Telegram
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It is not yet known where and when the alleged arrest took place.
The Russian state news agency TASS reports that a spokesman for the Kremlin has seen the picture, and can not confirm whether the picture is real, according to Reuters.
Must have escaped
The Ukrainian oligarch leads Ukraine’s most pro-Russian party, and has built up a huge influence behind the scenes, according to the Washington Post.
In the presidential election in Ukraine in 2019, Zelensky won over Medvedch by a good margin, according to NTB.
Medvedchuk has previously denied that his party is pro-Russian, but has nevertheless worked for closer political and economic ties to Moscow.
Last year, Ukrainian authorities opened a case against Medvedchuk, who they believe is committing treason. In its official Telegram account, the Ukrainian parliament writes that Medvedchuk has been funding pro-Russian media and parties in Ukraine for many years.
According to Reuters, however, Medvedtsjuk has denied that he has done anything wrong.
In late February, a few days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry announced that Medvedchuk had escaped from house arrest, writes Reuters. However, this was denied by his lawyer.
In March, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council banned the work of pro – Russian political parties as long as the laws of war are in place in the country.
– Pure power demonstration
Putin’s friend
Medvedjuk is a close ally of Putin, and Putin is, among other things, the godfather of his daughter, according to the Washington Post. The two are said to have vacationed together, and can also be seen together as spectators at Formen 1 races, the newspaper writes.
In 2021, Forbes magazine estimated that Medvedtsjuk was worth $ 620 million.
After Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, Medvedchuk was also one of the people affected by US sanctions, writes the Washington Post.
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