The Russian invasion of Ukraine has not been going well for Ukrainians, with the latter reporting tens of thousands killed in less than two months. It hasn’t been going well for Russia either. Ukrainians have fought back so aggressively, even allegedly sinking major ships, that Russian president Vladimir Putin has fired scores of secret agents in an attempt to deflect blame. Meanwhile, oligarchs and allies have had their property seized. Now one of them has lost more than most.
As per The Washington Post, Viktor Medvedchuk, a pro-Kremlin politician, mogul, and oligarch with close tie to Putin, was captured by the nation’s authorities this week. One of the richest people in Ukraine, he didn’t only lose his freedom. He lost an epic amount of assets, among them 30 plots of land, 23 houses, 32 apartments, 26 cars, and one yacht.
Medvedchuk has already been arrested and charged with treason, having been accused of taking part in a Russian plot to install a puppet government in Ukraine. But he managed to escape house arrest, disappearing for 48 days. When apprehended, the wealthy man, who was a leader of Ukraine’s pro-Russian party, appeared disheveled in camouflage fatigues bearing a Ukrainian flag patch.
In 2021, Forbes Ukraine estimated Medvedchuk’s net worth at $620 million. This week, his 300-foot yacht, named Royal Romance and estimated at $200 million, was taken and is being transferred to an agency specializing in seized assets. Meanwhile, former American president Donald Trump still won’t denounce what his buddy Putin has been doing since late February.
(Via WaPo)