President of Ukraine Volodimir Zelenski published a photo on his social networks this Tuesday in which the leader of the pro-Russian opposition Platform for Life Ukrainian party Viktor Medvedchuk appears in handcuffs.
“A special operation was carried out thanks to the Security Service of Ukraine. well done”the president added in his publication, which shows Medvedchuk sitting in a chair with handcuffs and military clothes.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, for his part, said that given the huge flood of false information that is being given nowadays, according to the Russian agency TASS, it is necessary to wait to verify the accuracy of the photo.
The photo was published by President Zelenskyy’s official and verified Instagram accountwhere he also added that information about the arrest of Medvedchuk, who is also an MP and a businessman who is very close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, will soon be expanded.
The pro-Russian leader was under house arrest for more than a year and was accused of high treason. Nevertheless, According to the Ukrainian press, at the end of February, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it became known that he had fled.
Ukrainian authorities last year imposed a package of sanctions on Medvedchuk and other pro-Russian politicians, including his wife, as part of a terrorist financing probe.
Kyiv then reported it all assets of these adversaries will be sanctioned for a period of three years.
“Hundreds of violations” in occupied zones
Additionally, Zelenki on Tuesday denounced “hundreds of cases of rape” in the areas occupied by the Russian army, “including underage girls and very young children.”
“In the areas liberated from the occupiers, war crimes committed by Russia continue to be registered and investigated. New mass graves are found almost every day,” he said in a message to the Lithuanian parliament via video conference.
“Thousands and thousands of victims. Hundreds of cases of torture. Bodies continue to be found in sewers and basements.”assured.
“Hundreds of cases of rape have been recorded, including those of underage girls and very young children. Even a baby! Just talking about it is scary,” said Zelenskyy.
“In the areas liberated from the occupiers, war crimes committed by Russia continue to be registered and investigated. New mass graves are found almost every day”: Zelenski (AP Photo/ (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) – Photo: Photo: AP/ Rodrigo AbdFor his part, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda stated that “it is simply impossible to imagine greater horrors” and He lamented that “some countries of the European Union still do not dare to decide when they will restrict purchases of Russian oil”.
Several testimonies collected by the media confirm the NGOs’ fears, which point to evidence of the use of rape as a “weapon of war”. A Ukrainian woman told AFP that she was raped by two Russian soldiers when they found out she was the wife of a Ukrainian military man.
Talks are stalled by Kyiv’s “breach”.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a warning on Tuesday Negotiations with Ukraine have stalled because the Ukrainian authorities failed to honor the Istanbul agreements reached at the end of March.
“Negotiations with Ukraine have become complicated primarily because Kyiv has withdrawn from the agreements reached at the end of March,” he said at a meeting with Russia when Russia decided to scale back its military activities towards Kyiv and Chernigov, an ally and president from Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.
Putin himself admitted that he does not yet have all the details, as he was informed on Monday about the changed position of the Ukrainian negotiators. This is reported by the Russian news agency TASS.
assured that “The start of direct dialogue with Ukraine was possible primarily thanks to the personal commitment of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.”
The Russian president held a three-hour meeting with his Belarusian counterpart and later at the press conference was “convinced” that Russia would “without a doubt” achieve “the goals set” as part of the invasion of Ukraine.
“That’s how it should be. There is no doubt,” Putin said at a space base where He noted that the Russian “goals” were “understandable and noble”.
He also warned that speeding up operations could cause losses, so They will be “rhythmic, calm and sticking to the plan proposed by the General Staff”.
The Russian President stressed that in his first speech on the invasion of Ukraine, he stated that the main goal was “to help the people of Donbass”.
“We know that our armed forces are participating in a special military operation, which is Russia’s euphemism for invading its neighboring country.in Donbass, in Ukraine, providing assistance to the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics,” the President assured.
For Putin, the Russian troops act “bravely, competently, effectively and efficiently”.
*With information from AFP and Europa Press.
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