Viktor Volodymyrovych Medvedchuk (Віктор Медведчук, born 1954) is a Ukrainian lawyer, oligarch, and politician widely described as Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in Ukraine; Putin is godfather to his daughter. He headed President Leonid Kuchma’s administration from 2002 to 2005 and later led the pro-Russian movement Ukrainian Choice and the party Opposition Platform, For Life. On March 17, 2014, the U.S. Treasury designated him under Executive Order 13660 for undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In 2021 Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council sanctioned Medvedchuk and three television channels linked to him, and prosecutors charged him with treason. He escaped house arrest after Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion, was captured by Ukraine’s SBU in April 2022, and on September 21-22, 2022, was handed to Russia in a prisoner exchange for 215 Ukrainian defenders, including Azov commanders from the defense of Mariupol. Ukraine later stripped him of citizenship.
Sources
- U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control. “Ukraine-related Designations.” Recent actions, March 17, 2014.
- Bloomberg. “Ukraine Frees Putin Ally in Swap Deal for Hundreds of Troops.” September 22, 2022.
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Summary entry. A fuller, document-based profile is in preparation.