Russia’s president blames Ukrainian officials for “cleaning up” the country’s political system.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has denounced neighboring Ukraine as “anti-Russian” and warned that Moscow would be prepared to take action on what it says are threats to its security. controversy escalates and Kyiv.
Putin’s comments came Friday, a day after a Ukrainian court ruled in favor of Viktor Medvedchuk, a prominent Russian politician and close friend of the Russian president, in custody.
Medvedchuk, who has strengthened bilateral relations with Russia and has previously served as a mediator between Moscow and Kyiv in the past, is being investigated for alleged political offenses. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Speaking at a Security Council meeting in Russia, Putin criticized Kyiv for “cleaning up” the country’s political system.
He also said that Ukrainian officials are looking for people who are interested in good relations with Russia and are promoting peace in eastern Ukraine, where The Ukrainian military has been fighting for independence with the help of Russia since 2014, I also mark the closure of some anti-Russian media outlets.
“If we look at everything, and this is unfortunate, Ukraine is slowly but surely transforming itself into a different kind of upper Russian, some kind of anti-Russian, and into a platform where it seems we will always receive news of our interest from viewing,” he said. Putin.
“The international media has been shut down – and our Western counterparts are not responding at all, unless we say that it is in line with the ruling,” he added.
Putin went on to warn Moscow that it would not stand in the midst of what it says is a fraudulent transaction with Russia.
“This, of course, is a problem that should be on our radar at all times and we should respond to this because of the threats posed to us in a timely and appropriate manner,” he said.
‘The number of oligarchs has dropped’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defended the case against Medvedchuk.
He also said Friday’s massacre of Medvedchuk, which began in February when he and a number of friends were acquitted and three television channels his friend was forcing him to leave, was a legal way to end his alleged atrocities.
“For the first time in many years the number of oligarchs is not growing, but decreasing. Minus Medvedchuk,” Zelenskyy wrote in a blog post.
“With the help of legal instruments, Medvedchuk has been deprived of the opportunity to use the media and public resources to destabilize the country and undermine state security,” he added.
Medvedchuk’s story shows a recent rift between Moscow and Kyiv, which has been at loggerheads since 2014, when a coup overthrew former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Moscow annexed the Black Sea region of Crimea and Russian separatists took part in the east. Ukraine.
Tensions have risen in recent months after the two countries exchanged blows in eastern Ukraine, and Russia, which it said was a self-defense force, mobilized troops on its western border with Ukraine and Crimea.
Ukraine’s defense chief this week said Russia still had about 100,000 troops deployed near its western borders with Ukraine and Crimea despite Moscow’s announcement of a military crackdown last month.
