Ukraine’s Zelensky wants to swap pro-Putin tycoon Viktor Medvedchuk for captured citizens

‘I propose to the Russian Federation to exchange this guy of yours for our boys and our girls who are now in Russian captivity,’ he said in a video address

Medvedchuk, who says the Russian leader is godfather to his daughter, was caught after escaping house arrest

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Ukraine said on Tuesday it had captured pro-Kremlin tycoon Viktor Medvedchuk who escaped from house arrest after Russia’s invasion. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP

Published: 10:54am, 13 Apr 2022

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered on Wednesday to swap pro-Kremlin tycoon Viktor Medvedchuk, who was apprehended by Kyiv after escaping house arrest, for Ukrainians captured by Russia.

Medvedchuk, 67, counts Russian President Vladimir Putin among his personal friends and says the Kremlin leader is godfather to his youngest daughter Darya.

“I propose to the Russian Federation to exchange this guy of yours for our boys and our girls who are now in Russian captivity,” Zelensky said in a video address posted on Telegram.

“And may Medvedchuk be an example for you. Even the former oligarch did not escape. What can we say about much simpler criminals from the Russian hinterland? We will get everyone.”

Ukrainian authorities announced on Tuesday they had captured a prominent pro-Kremlin tycoon who escaped from house arrest after Russia’s invasion.

Zelensky posted a picture online of a dishevelled-looking Medvedchuk with his hands in cuffs and dressed in a Ukrainian army uniform.

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