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Victor Medvedchuk
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“Putin’s godfather” accused of treason, but escaped from house arrest hours after the invasion
A disheveled elderly man in a Ukrainian military uniform and handcuffs – this was one of the most shared photos on social networks in recent days.
“Who is this?” – Some ask in the comments. Sometimes they say, “The one Putin named his daughter.” Others are more informed: “This is Viktor Medvedchuk, but he has not met.”
It’s actually Medvedchuk pro-Russian millionaire
and MP in Ukraine, accused of treason. He was placed under house arrest. Hours after Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, Medvedchuk’s lawyer said the country’s martial law made her client’s house arrest meaningless, but he remained in Ukraine. A police check revealed that the detainee was not at home.
On social media, Medvedchuk’s disappearance was widely interpreted as an escape to Russia, but President Zelensky’s statement said that was not true.
“He hid for 48 days
Zelensky wrote. “He finally tried to flee our country.” It turned out that Medvedchuk was most likely caught trying to cross the state border, although it is not known which one.
Interest in Medvedchuk has grown rapidly after Ukraine’s president boasted that the oligarch had been detained as part of an armed operation. Zelensky even offered Russia to exchange him for captured Ukrainians.
“You can be a pro-Russian politician and work for the aggressor state for years. You may be hiding from justice lately. You can even wear a Ukrainian military camouflage uniform … But will it help you avoid punishment? Not at all! Shackles await you, “said Ivan Bakanov, head of the Ukrainian National Security Agency.
Medvedchuk, 67, is a lawyer by education, a businessman by profession and an oligarch by nickname. He was linked to the man Putin will lead in Kyiv after the military operation overthrew Zelensky. Medvedchuk is often photographed in the company of the Russian president. He himself describes Putin as his personal friend and godfather to his youngest daughter, Darina. This happened in 2004 in St. Petersburg – the hometown of the Russian president. That is why he is often called “Putin’s godmother.” His close relations with the Kremlin allow him to take on the role of mediator between the two countries, recalls the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
In the 1990s, Medvedchuk founded a bank, an investment fund, a football club and became part of the informal group Kyiv Seven, which included the richest Ukrainian businessmen at the time. In 2008, the Ukrainian magazine FOCUS estimated its wealth at $ 460 million, mainly from investments in energy, natural resources and media.
Zelensky described as “particularly cynical” the fact that Medvedchuk “disguised himself” in a Ukrainian military uniform, as if posing as a fighter and patriot. He is “your boy”, says the Ukrainian president.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the arrest, saying there was a lot of misinformation in Ukraine and that Medvedchuk’s detention should be checked.
Former Prime Minister and current Deputy Chief of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev was the first representative of the Russian leadership to comment on the case: this “quickly and fairly” to condemn him, and then to exchange him for captives. These activists must look carefully on all sides and lock their doors tightly at night so that they do not end up among the people exchanged. “
Over the years, Medvedchuk has been a close aide to Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine’s last pro-Russian president who fled Russia after being ousted by a popular uprising in 2014. He then played a role in peace talks, including as a member of Ukraine’s exchange negotiating team. of prisoners. At the same time, the United States has included Medvedchuk on its sanctions list for his alleged role during Russia’s annexation of Crimea. In 2021, Ukraine also imposed sanctions on him for his involvement in what the authorities called “terrorist financing.” The oligarch denies the allegations.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Medvedchuk is involved in the illegal sale of coal from separatist-controlled territories in eastern Ukraine. Last year, Kyiv nationalized a pipeline for oil products owned by the oligarch and shut down several television channels that the media linked to him. Medvedchuk has been married three times. His current wife is the former TV presenter Oksana Marchenko.
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