Ukraine arrests close Putin friend dubbed ‘The Prince of Darkness’ as Zelensky offers to trade him for captured soldiers
UKRAINIAN operatives have captured a senior Russian oligarch and close pal of Vladimir Putin chillingly named 'The Prince of Darkness'.
Viktor Medvedchuk, 67, was snatched in a covert raid by spooks from Ukraine's security service, the SBU, on Tuesday.
Pictures shared by the country's president Volodomyr Zelenskiy show the dishevelled media magnate and former MP donning Ukrainian military fatigues.
A spokesman from the SBU said the oligarch had been captured in a “lightning-fast and dangerous” special operation.
On Wednesday President Zelenskiy proposed swapping Putin's buddy for prisoners of war being held by brutal Russian forces.
It is hoped the infamous oligarch can be used as a strong bargaining chip in bitter negotiations with the Kremlin.
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Medvedchuk has been branded the ‘Grey Cardinal’ and ‘The Prince of Darkness’ for his influence in Ukrainian business and politics.
While tyrant Putin - whom Medvedchuk has described as a “personal friend” - is godfather to his daughter. They have even holidayed together.
As leader of the country’s main pro-Moscow party in Ukraine - the Opposition Platform For Life - he was the Kremlin’s most trusted and influential lieutenant in Ukraine.
He held the role in the party, which has the second highest number of seats in the Ukrainian parliament, until last month, when the party moved to replace him.
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The party’s activities have been suspended since Ukraine introduced martial law following Russia's February 24 invasion.
A trained lawyer and wealthy businessman who has served in political roles since the 1990s, Medvedchuk had been placed under house arrest last year to face treason and terrorism financing charges, which he denies.
But the crook escaped a few days after the Russians launched their full scale invasion of Ukraine.
Investigators who went to Medvedchuk’s house found a replica of a vintage Pullman railway carriage, opulently furnished with gross gold fittings, standing at a mock railway station.
The tasteless display was all hidden under a tarpaulin.
While his $200m 93-meter yacht, The Royal Romance, was seized in the Croatian port of Rijeka last month during a wave of sanctions - which Medvedchuk himself had been subjected to by the US in January.
The whereabouts of the oligarch had been unknown since he went on the run and many assumed he may have been smuggled into Russia.
The Kremlin have claimed the photos of Medvedchuk are fake without providing evidence of their claims.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman said: “There are a lot of fakes coming from Ukraine. This needs to be checked first.”
Medvedchuk was accused of trying to steal natural resources from Russia-annexed Crimea and of handing Ukrainian military secrets to Moscow.
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In 2014 the oligarch reportedly paid only $40,000 for shares in a Russian oil refinery, Yug Energo - the deal has since netted him tens of millions of dollars in profits, according to the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.
Ivan Bakanov, the head of the SBU, said: “Not a single traitor will escape punishment.”
