Ukrainians nab Putin ally who escaped house arrest during invasion

Vladimir Putin’s top ally flagged to replace Ukrainan President Volodymyr Zelensky has been recaptured after escaping house arrest.

Ukrainian authorities have recaptured Putin ally Viktor Medvedchuk months after he escaped house arrest in the early days of the Russian invasion.

Mr Medvedchuk – who claims that the Russian president is the godfather to his daughter – was placed under house arrest in Ukraine on treason charges last year. He escaped in February.

Vladimir Putin’s close friend Viktor Medvedchuk is seen handcuffed after a special operation was carried out by Security Service of Ukraine in Ukraine. Picture: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Medvedchuk was placed under house arrest in Ukraine on treason charges last year and escaped in February. Picture: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

After his capture by security services, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a photo of Mr Medvedchuk in handcuffs and Ukrainian military fatigues on his Telegram channel Tuesday, implying that he’d been recaptured.

“A special operation was carried out thanks to the [Ukrainian Security Service]. Well done!” Mr Zelensky wrote. “Details later. Glory to Ukraine!”

He stands accused of financing pro-Kremlin separatists in the Donbas region and looting national resources in Crimea after the Russian annexation in 2014, according to Ukrainian outlet Hromadske.

Viktor Medvedchuk (right) in Kiev’s Appeal Court during a hearing in Kyiv on May 21, 2021. Picture: AFP via Getty Images/Sergei Supinsky

Mr Medvedchuk is the leader of Ukraine’s political party Opposition Platform – For Life. The movement is seen by critics as the largest pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.

The Washington Post reported in February that the party was seen as a possible pool of politicians to form a Kremlin-friendly puppet government if Russia’s invasion of Ukraine succeeded.

Medvedchuck has known Putin for more than 20 years, visiting him in his Sochi dacha on multiple occasions, the paper reported.

Medvedchuk is a long time friend of Putin, and claims the Russian President is the godfather to his child. Picture: AFP via Getty Images/Sergei Supinsky

In a video address posted on Telegram, Mr Zelensky suggested a prisoner swap.

“I propose to the Russian Federation to exchange this guy of yours for our boys and girls who are now in Russia captivity,” he said.

Mr Medvedchuk is one of four Moscow-backed Ukrainian politicians to be sanctioned by the US government in January.

His 93-metre mega yacht, The Royal Romance was seized in the Croatian port of Rijeka last month.

Originally published as Ukrainians nab Putin ally who escaped house arrest during invasion