CAPTURED: Ukrainian Forces Nab Vladimir Putin's Closest Ally 'The Prince Of Darkness'
Viktor Medvedchuk, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies and a man dubbed “The Prince of Darkness” for his influence in Ukraine’s business and politics, has reportedly been captured by Ukrainian forces following a recent covert and special operation.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the capture of Medvedchuk on Tuesday and has since proposed trading the 67-year-old Russian oligarch in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war being held by the opposing Russian forces.
According to The Sun, Medvedchuk was captured on Tuesday during a “lightning-fast and dangerous” covert special operation carried out by Ukraine’s security service (SBU).
The Russian media magnate was promptly arrested following his capture. Pictures of the imprisoned and disheveled Medvedchuk dressed in Ukrainian military clothing were quickly shared around the nation by Zelenskyy.
Medvedchuk has many close ties to Putin, creating hopes that Zelenskyy and the rest of the Ukrainian top brass may be able to negotiate the captured oligarch’s release in exchange for a number of their own captured soldiers.
Besides describing Putin as a “personal friend,” Medvedchuk also named the Russian president to be the godfather of his daughter.
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The two also reportedly have a regular history of vacationing together, and experts believe Medvedchuk would be one of Putin’s top picks to run Ukraine on his behalf if his forces are successful in taking over the neighboring nation.
As RadarOnline.com reported, this is the first time Putin’s close friend has been spotted since the war between the two countries began on February 24.
On March 8, Medvedchuk’s $200 million superyacht was spotted in Croatia — but its owner was nowhere to be seen.
Before the war started, Medvedchuk was reportedly on house arrest in Ukraine as he awaited treason and terrorism financing charges for his alleged ties to Russia. Following the invasion of Ukraine, Medvedchuk fled his home and house arrest and was seemingly on the run until ultimately being captured.
While Zelenskyy claims to have caught Medvedchuk and hopes to use his capture to barter for the return of his own forces, the Kremlin is reportedly claiming that Ukraine is lying and that the photos of the captured Medvedchuk are fake.
“There are a lot of fakes coming from Ukraine,” a Kremlin spokesperson said on Wednesday. “This needs to be checked first.”