The Ukrainian Intelligence Service (SBU) announced on Tuesday (April 12, 2022) the arrest of one of the Kremlin’s main allies in Ukraine, on the same day that Russian leader Vladimir Putin signaled that peace talks had arrived. to an impasse with no solution in sight.
In February, Ukrainian authorities reported that Viktor Medvedchuk, leader of Ukraine’s largest opposition party – the Opposition Platform for Life – broke out of his house arrest three days after the start of the Russian invasion of the country, and was at large.
The 67-year-old oligarch is being sued for high treason. Medvedchuk, who often says Putin is his daughter’s godfather, denies the allegations.
“Pro-Russian traitors and agents of Russian intelligence services, remember: your crimes do not expire” states a Facebook post from Ukraine’s security services, with a photo of Medvedchuk in handcuffs and wearing a camouflage Ukrainian army uniform.
He is considered a key figure in the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. His connection with Putin meant that he could act as a kind of mediator between the two sides. But his political projects and his television stations in Ukraine had a strong pro-Russian bias.
In May 2021, he was placed under house arrest on charges of trying to steal natural resources from the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, and for leaking Ukrainian military secrets to Moscow.
A Kremlin spokesman, quoted by the Russian news agency Tasssaid that it was not possible to confirm the veracity of the photo of Medvedchuk released by the Ukrainians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the SBU’s performance in the oligarch’s prison, and proposed exchanging him for prisoners of war. “I propose to exchange this fellow of yours for our young men and women who are in Russian custody.”, he stated.
stalled peace talks
Hours earlier, Putin dashed hopes that the end of the war could be closer, saying that Russia would continue its offensive on Ukrainian soil. He also said that peace talks between representatives of the two sides in the conflict had reached a dead end.
On Tuesday, Putin attended an event to celebrate the 61st anniversary of the voyage of the first man into space, Yuri Gagarin. He was accompanied by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, one of his few political allies, on a visit to the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s far east.
He said the conflict in Ukraine “it’s a tragedy”, but that Russia “had no choice” except to launch what he called “a special military operation” –the euphemism used by the Kremlin for the war in the neighboring country.
Putin stated that Russia will triumph in all its “noble” and “clear” targets in the former Soviet republic, but did not mention the allegations of atrocities committed by Russian troops and the indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas.
The Kremlin chief also highlighted that the confrontation “with the anti-russian forces” that emerged in Ukraine was inevitable and that it was only a matter of time before it occurred.
Focus on Donbass
“The main objective is to help the people of Donbass [região onde se localizam as “repúblicas” separatistas no este da Ucrânia], which we recognized and which we were forced to defend, because the Kiev authorities, pressured by the West, refused to comply with the Minsk Accords aimed at a peaceful solution to the problems”, stated.
This was one of his first statements in several days. At the beginning of the invasion, the Russian leader appeared frequently on television stations, but he has avoided public appearances since the beginning of the withdrawal of his troops from northern Ukraine two weeks ago.
He assured that themilitary operation” will proceed as planned. “Our task is to fulfill and achieve all established goals, minimizing losses. And we will act rhythmically, calmly, according to the plan originally proposed by the General Staff.“, he said.
In recent days, Ukrainian and Western officials have warned that Russia is preparing a major offensive in eastern Ukraine after a failed attempt to conquer Kiev and other cities in the north and west of the country.
Zelensky said the conflict in the region is expected to be of similar proportions to some of the battles that took place in World War II.
Decisive moment in Mariupol
The region also includes the besieged city of Mariupol, which has been heavily bombed since the beginning of the invasion. Ukraine says tens of thousands of civilians are still trapped in the city, and accuses Russia of blocking aid convoys from entering.
The battle for Mariupol appears to have reached a turning point, amid allegations of alleged use of chemical weapons by Russian forces, which could not be confirmed by independent sources. The Ukrainian government in Kiev also said it was not possible to conclude that this type of weapon had been used in the port city.
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