Kiev arrests Medvedchuk: who is Putin’s “puppet” oligarch that Moscow wanted to head a puppet government

For Kiev he was the number one traitor. Viktor Medvedchuk, deputy and leader of the pro-Russian opposition “Opposition platform for life”, was arrested in a special Ukrainian intelligence operation. On the official profiles of the authorities, the photo of him in camouflage seated and handcuffed, the blank stare and tousled hair, bounces like a trophy. Because the Ukrainian oligarch of Russian origin, considered close to Vladimir Putin, is one of the symbols of the “internal enemies” of the president of Volodymyr Zelensky. More: he is the man who would have wanted to steal his chair. Fugitive from the early days of ‘ invasion after escaping house arrest, which he was serving on high treason charges for supporting separatist forces in Donbass, was considered one of the possible candidates to lead a puppet government, if Moscow succeeded in conquering Kiev. Active businessman in many fields, including energy and media, it would go so far as to unofficially serve Putin’s interests in the country.
The Kremlin: we do not confirm
The news of his capture immediately bounced back to Moscow, where the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, hid behind a no comment, explaining that at the moment he could not confirm an arrest that for the Kremlin risks becoming very embarrassing, even for the possible strategic and military secrets guarded by Medvedchuk. His arrest comes as Kiev confirms that it has drawn up a list of 100 “traitors” of the homeland. “The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and the NGO Honest Movement have registered 73 politicians, 13 law enforcement officials, 13 media and a judge”. The list contains data on alleged collaborators from 14 regions of Ukraine, while 637 proceedings have already been opened. Initiatives favored by the law approved by the Parliament of Kiev on 3 March last, ten days after the start of the war, “which criminalizes collaboration with the Russian invader”.
The procedure for filing the “traitors”, it is explained, involves various stages. “Before adding a person to the list, Honest Movement checks the name and actively collaborates with law enforcement and public organizations to verify the information, then it is added and the list can be consulted on the internet.” A register divided into 4 categories: politicians, judges and lawyers, media and law enforcement. The NGO itself, then, “continues to look for collaborators and encourages all those who have information on this to share it”.