Ukrainian prosecutors are seeking the arrest of Putin’s ally for treason

Ukrainian prosecutors are demanding the arrest of Viktor Medvedchuk, a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leader of Ukraine’s main pro-Russian party, for crimes of “treason” and “looting national resources” in Crimea.

The development announced by Attorney General Iryna Venediktova at a press conference and on Tuesday on Tuesday is likely to escalate tensions between Kyiv and Moscow. Volodymyr Zelensky comes after the western administration of the Ukrainian president punished Medvedchuk earlier this year and closed three TV channels linked to the millionaire politician for allegedly spreading misinformation in Russia.

In addition, Russia has recently deployed more than 100,000 troops on the border with eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed separatists are embroiled in a war with Kyiv and in Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

The “notes of suspicion” announced by Venediktova are pre-charges in the Ukrainian system. Authorities also said they were requesting Medvedchuk’s pre-trial arrest, the location of which is unclear.

“According to the search results, the direction of the People’s Deputy [Medvedchuk] are not established and therefore SBU [state security service] he is taking appropriate measures to convey his request to be found and arrested, ”Venediktova said in a Facebook post.

Zelensky did not immediately comment on the allegations against Medvedchuk.

A court must accept pre-trial detention in prison or at home. A person familiar with the matter said authorities intended to arrest Medvedchuk in prison.

Taras Kozak, an associate of Medvedchuk and a member of the Russian Opposition Platform for Life, were also accused.

According to Venediktova, the two men have been working together to acquire offshore oil and gas stations off the Crimean coast, thus implicitly supporting the peninsula as Russian territory.

“Crimea’s participation in another state is not allowed. . . It is also not allowed to create an army of information clowns and dominate the puppets in the interests of one’s own against Ukraine, ”Venediktova posted on Facebook.

At a press conference, SBU chief Ivan Bakanov said Kozak and Medvedchuk had provided Russia with “secret data on the location of a hidden military unit [Ukrainian] armed forces, local personnel, combat training. . . a kind of gift for the secret services of the Russian Federation ”.

Kozak was in Russia at the moment and “has no intention of returning,” Bakanov said.

In a statement, Medvedchuk described the party as “political repression”.

Zelensky’s administration said Medvedchuk’s pro-Russian activities were funded through Russian businesses controlled by himself and his partners.

Medvedchuk, who has been US-sanctioned since 2014, has been visiting Russia since Russia joined Crimea for face-to-face talks with Putin. The Russian head is also the godfather of Medvedchuk’s daughter.

“Viktor Medvedchuk is a well-known agent of the Russian operative in Ukraine,” said Tetiana Shevchuk, a lawyer for the Kyiv-based anti-corruption guard Antac.

Speaking earlier on television on Tuesday, the Ukrainian leader said earlier this year that he had not withdrawn more than 100,000 Russian soldiers deployed near the eastern border in Ukraine and in Crimea.

“We don’t see a decline there,” Zelensky said in a discussion about Western protection and domestic efforts to boost Ukraine’s defenses.

“Ukraine does not want war, but to achieve peace, paradoxically, it must have a strong and capable army,” he added.