FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) attends a meeting with leader of the Ukrainian Opposition Party – party For Life Viktor Medvedchuk in Saint Petersburg, Russia July 18, 2019.
Mikhail Klimentyev | Sputnik | Reuters
WASHINGTON – Ukrainian authorities announced on Thursday that they had seized more than 150 properties belonging to Viktor Medvedchuk, a former media mogul and politician charged with treason for allegedly conspiring with the Kremlin to target overthrow the elected government of Ukraine.
These include 26 cars, 32 apartments, 23 houses, 30 plots of land, 17 parking lots and a yacht, according to a notice from Ukraine’s security service.
Authorities said they have also identified and seized equity stakes in 25 companies owned by Medvedchuk or his wife, Oksana Marchenko.
Medvedchuk was arrested by Ukrainian law enforcement this week after more than a month on the run, after he escaped from house arrest during the chaos following Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
Known as the closest friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, news of Medvedchuk’s arrest on Tuesday was greeted with glee in Ukraine, which is fending off a brutal attack by Russia. Russia.
On Thursday, Ukraine’s top law enforcement official gave details of the mission to retake Medvedchuk for the first time.
He said Russian agents planned to take Medvedchuk out of Ukrainian territory by boat into the Russian-occupied area, and from there to Moscow.
When Medvedchuk was arrested, the 67-year-old was wearing a Ukrainian military uniform and accompanied by what appeared to be real Ukrainian law enforcement officers.
The picture of Medvedchuk in custody released by Ukrainian authorities this week gives no indication of his huge fortune, estimated by Forbes Ukraine to be just over $620 million by 2021.
But the foreclosures tell a different story, painting a stark picture of the lavish lifestyle of one of Ukraine’s richest oligarchs.
Medvedchuk owns a number of palatial homes across Ukraine. His house outside Kyiv has a Pullman train carriage with golden interior, parked at the fake platform.
Earlier this year, a judge in Ukraine ordered the confiscation of three apartments, two villas and a yacht belonging to Marchenko.
The 300-foot Royal Romance was valued at around $200 million, and it was docked in Croatia when it was withdrawn in mid-March.
Ukrainian authorities did not provide any details on Thursday about the second yacht they seized.
