Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered on Tuesday night to Russia to exchange Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian deputy and billionaire who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, with Ukrainians held captive by Russia, following Kyiv announced the re-arrest of Medvedchuk following escaping from house arrest.
“I offer the Russian Federation to exchange this man of yours for our young men and women who are currently detained” by the Russians, Zelensky said in a video message via “Telegram”. “For this reason, it is important that our security and military services also take into account this possibility.”
And he continued, “Let Medvedchuk be an example for you. Even the old oligarch did not escape. How much more for the much simpler criminals in the Russian hinterland? We will catch them all.”
Zelensky had posted on the Internet a photo of Medvedchuk with disheveled hair, handcuffed and dressed in a Ukrainian army uniform. “Special operation carried out thanks to SBU (Ukrainian Security Service). Well done!” he wrote on Telegram.
“A message to the traitors”
The agency later confirmed in a statement the arrest of Medvedchuk, who was under house arrest until he lost his trace days following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. “No traitor will go unpunished and everyone will be held accountable under the laws of Ukraine,” the statement added.
The commander of the service, Ivan Bakanov, said that the elements of the service carried out a “special lightning and dangerous multi-level operation to arrest” the pro-Russian deputy.
Medvedchuk, who is one of the richest people in Ukraine, is causing widespread controversy because of his close ties to Moscow. Putin is a personal friend of the 67-year-old businessman and is the godfather of his youngest daughter Daria.
house arrest
Medvedchuk had been under house arrest since 2021 for treason following accusations of trying to steal natural resources from Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and providing Moscow with Ukrainian military secrets. Medvedchuk apparently fled soon following the start of the Russian offensive on Ukraine. The police said that they did not find him at his home on February 26, and declared him missing the day following that.
Ukraine’s actions once morest Medvedchuk angered the Kremlin, and Putin had previously vowed to “respond” to what he described as political persecution. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on the news of Medvedchuk’s arrest, telling Russian news agencies: “There is a lot of misleading news coming out of Ukraine. This information must be checked.”
Take advantage of Putin
The Washington Post reported that Medvedchuk took advantage of his closeness to Putin to establish himself as one of the most influential behind-the-scenes political mediators in Ukraine for more than three decades. And not only influential, but also very rich, as Forbes magazine says that Medvedchuk owns – until 2021 – regarding 620 million dollars.
The wealthy Ukrainian leads the “Platform for Life” party, which is considered one of the most prominent pro-Russian Ukrainian parties, and expectations were that he and his party would have a “very important role” if the Russian occupation of Ukraine succeeded.
But as the Russian forces moved away from the vicinity of Kyiv, Medvedchuk appeared to have become desperate, as he made a failed attempt to escape from house arrest, which he has been subject to since last year on multiple charges, including “treason”.
Medvedchuk, born in August 1954, has lived a rich political life, moving from “anti-revolutionary accusations of communism” to working with the Soviet police in Ukraine and reporting offenders. Unconfirmed rumors circulate regarding the roles that Medvedchuk played in the 1980s when he was a lawyer, in defending his clients from anti-communist politicians, which led to their convictions.
“Business Insider” magazine says that Medvedchuk was given nicknames in Ukraine that refer to his character and role, including “the gray cardinal” and “the prince of darkness.”
Medvedchuk served from 1997 to 2002 as chief of staff to then-Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma.
Medvedchuk owns three television channels officially registered in the name of his fellow party member, MP Taras Kozak, whose purchase in 2019 led to the resignation of a number of its journalists due to fears that her media discourse would be subordinated to Moscow. In 2021, Zelensky banned the three channels.