The Ukrainian army’s Astroval garrison was released by Russia in exchange for 55 Russian prisoners, and the Ukrainian pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, who is known for close ties with Vladimir Putin. 

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, announced on Thursday that Russia has released 219 Ukrainian prisoners as part of the exchange. UK-based The Guardian has reported that before the start of the war when tensions were brewing between the two nations, Ukraine shut down Medvedchuk’s pro-Russian TV channels, seized his personal assets, and placed him under house arrest. 

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For someone who has reportedly been a close confidant of the Russian president, rescuing him back to Russia was always one of Moscow’s top priorities. 

Who is Viktor Medvedchuk?

Viktor Medvedchuk was born on August 7, 1954, in the Krasnoyarsk Krai region of the former Soviet Union. He started his career in the legal profession and went on to make a fortune with his oil and media ventures. 

He entered politics in 1994 when he joined the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united). At the peak of his political career, Medvedchuk served as the head of former President Leonid Kuchma’s administration between June 2002 to January 2005. 

The relationship between the two is believed to have kicked off when the duo first met in 2003. The fact that the two were getting close is evident from Putin admitting in a 2019 interview with filmmaker Oliver Stone that he became the godfather to Medvedchuk’s youngest daughter Darya in 2004. 

Also read: NATO chief says Putin won’t win in Ukraine: Reuters

In April 2012, Medvedchuk founded the NGO Ukrainian Choice which is known in Ukraine for advocating a pro-Russian stance. The organisation advocates against Ukraine joining the European Union and the NATO alliance.

Medvedchuk is married to the Ukrainian TV presenter Oksana Marchenko and has two daughters from his two previous marriages.