Viktor Medvedchuk
Ukrainian pro-Russian politician
Viktor Vladimirovich Medvedchuk is a Ukrainian politician and public figure, people's deputy of Ukraine.
Short biography
Viktor Medvedchuk was born in the settlement of Pochet, Krasnoyarsk region of the Soviet Union, on August 7, 1954.
He received his higher education in the National Taras Shevchenko University.
After graduating from the Faculty of Law, Victor Medvedchuk worked as a lawyer in Kiev. During the Soviet era, he was involved in a number of high-profile trials, including the case of Yuri Litvin, the case of Nikolai Kuntsevich, and the scandalous trial of Vasiliy Stus.
Soon after Ukraine gained its independence, in 1992, together with the Surkis brothers, Medvedchuk founded a private law firm: "International Lawyers Company B.I.M.".
He was elected a people's deputy and was elected to parliament on the lists of the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united).
From 2002 to 2005 Medvedchuk was the head of the Presidential Administration under Leonid Kuchma.
In the 2006 parliamentary elections he ran for the Opposition Bloc "Not So!" but did not make it to the Rada.
In 2018, Medvedchuk joined the Opposition Platform "For Life" party, with which he later became a people's deputy of the 9th convocation.
In early 2019, Medvedchuk was included in the database of the website "Peacemaker".
Early elections to the Rada 2019
Viktor Medvedchuk's party Opposition Platform "For Life" took part in the early elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which were held on July 21, 2019.
Sanctions against Medvedchuk
In February 2021, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine imposed sanctions against Medvedchuk, his wife Oksana Marchenko and his associate Taras Kozak.
They are accused of infringement on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine. Also, the SBU explained that they are investigating the illegal supply of coal from occupied Donbass to Ukraine and Russia.
Sanctions were also imposed for the fact that a Russian oil refinery owned by Medvchuk, Marchenko, and Kozak and his wife illegally supplied fuel and lubricants to the non-government-controlled territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.
Also as part of the sanctions imposed, a decision was made to return to state ownership the Prykarpat-Zapadtrans main oil product pipeline, which was under Medvedchuk's control.
In 2014, Medvedchuk was also put on the U.S. sanctions list. He was put on the list of individuals who threaten the peace, security, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Medvedchuk is accused of providing financial, material, and technological support to Viktor Yanukovych, as well as of undermining democratic processes and threatening the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Suspicion of treason and house arrest
On May 11, 2021, it became known that Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova signed suspicions against two people's deputies of Ukraine: Viktor Medvedchuk and Taras Kozak.
On the same day, during a briefing, it became known that the suspicions related to state treason and attempted plunder of state resources in the occupied territory (Part 1 of Article 111, Part 3 of Article 15 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
There was also published a conversation between Medvedchuk and a high-ranking official of the Russian government about the re-registration of the company to seize property in Crimea by the occupiers.
OBOZREVATEL found out how exactly Medvedchuk pulled off his scheme and what he might face for it.
It also became known that Medvedchuk was transferring secret data about the Ukrainian Armed Forces' positions to Russia via Kozak and was recruiting Ukrainian guest workers for Russia.
Medvedchuk was only handed a suspicion on May 12, when he came to the Office of the Prosecutor General.
On May 13, a court decision was made to put Medvedchuk under a 24-hour house arrest. The politician faces up to 15 years in prison.
Escape and detention
Since the beginning of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Medvedchuk has escaped from house arrest and is rumored to have tried to leave for Russia. However, on April 12, it became known that Medvedchuk had been detained. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky published a photo of Medvedchuk in handcuffs, which immediately went viral online and became a meme.
Personal life
The politician was married a total of three times. Victor Medvedchuk's current wife: TV presenter Oksana Marchenko. The couple has two daughters - Daria and Irina.
Who is Medvedchuk to Putin
The godfather of Daria Medvedchuk is the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Because of this, given Medvedchuk's political position, the expression "Medvedchuk is Putin's cousin" has become a nickname.
