Deemed As A Traitor, Ukrainian Secret Service Arrests Key Ally Of President Vladimir Putin

Presiden Putin (kanan) bersama Viktor Medvedchuk. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office)

JAKARTA - Ukraine's security services said on Tuesday they had arrested pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, who is President Vladimir Putin's closest and most influential ally in Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously published a photo of a tired-looking, handcuffed Medvedchuk, who said President Putin was his daughter's godfather.

In February, Kyiv said Medvedchuk, leader of the Opposition platform - Party For Life, had escaped from house arrest. Last year authorities opened a treason case against Medvedchuk, who denies any wrongdoing.

"You can be a pro-Russian politician and work for the aggressor state for years. You may be hiding from justice these days. You can even wear the Ukrainian military uniform for camouflage," the security service said in an online post, citing Reuters, April 13.

"But will it help you escape punishment? Not at all! Shackles await you and the same goes for a Ukrainian traitor like you," the statement said.

The post quoted Ivan Bakanov, the head of the secret service, as saying it had "conducted a rapid and dangerous multi-level special operation" to capture Medvedchuk, but gave no details.

Last month President Zelensky said the platform Opposition - For Life, which is Ukraine's largest opposition movement, and several other small political parties with ties to Russia had been suspended.

Separately, a spokesman for Medvedchuk could not immediately be reached for comment.