President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he has stripped Viktor Medvedchuk of his citizenship. Medvedchuk was formerly regarded as Vladimir Putin’s greatest friend in Kiev and was charged with high treason.
The citizenship of Medvedchuk, a former lawmaker from Ukraine who was traded for three other prisoners and sent to Russia in September, was revoked, according to Zelensky’s daily address.
Based on materials prepared by Ukraine’s security and state migration services and in accordance with the constitution, “I have decided to terminate the citizenship of four persons,” Zelensky said.
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He said the actions were appropriate for those who “choose to serve not the people of Ukraine, but the murderers who came to Ukraine”.
Zelensky also warned that these would not be “the last such decisions.”
In exchange for 215 Ukrainian soldiers who were being held captive, Russia received more than 50 captives in September, including Medvedchuk.
The deal represented the largest transaction between the combatants since the beginning of Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
The Ukrainian tycoon was apprehended by Ukraine’s special forces in April of last year after escaping home detention when Russia invaded.
The extremely wealthy power broker, formerly known as the “black prince” of Ukrainian politics, was charged with high treason for allegedly trying to steal natural riches from the Crimean Peninsula that Russia had acquired as well as for allegedly giving Moscow Ukrainian military secrets.
Andriy Derkach, a wealthy former member of the Ukrainian parliament and alleged Russian agent, is one of the people who has lost his Ukrainian citizenship.
A warrant for Derkach’s arrest was issued in June after the Ukrainian government accused him of aiding Russia’s invasion.
According to the US Justice Department, Derkach reportedly contributed to an effort to discredit President Joe Biden over his son Hunter Biden’s connections to Ukraine.
The United States has charged Taras Kozak, who also lost his Ukrainian citizenship, with participating in FSB intelligence activities aimed at undermining the Ukrainian government and economy.
The fourth person Zelensky said would lose his citizenship was Renat Kuzmin, a Ukrainian lawmaker likewise suspected of having ties to Russia.
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