A helicopter and private jet seized from a pro-Putin oligarch were handed over to Ukraine’s army

Viktor Medvedchuk's metallic blue helicopter with red and yellow stripes, seen in a hangar. — The helicopter, believed to have been used by Viktor Medvedchuk’s family, was seized by Ukrainian police.Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine

Ukraine’s army was given a pro-Russia oligarch’s helicopter and private jet on Wednesday.
Police seized the items, saying they were used by Viktor Medvedchuk.
Medvedchuk, a longtime Putin ally, was arrested in April on allegations of treason.

A helicopter and a private jet were seized from a pro-Putin Ukrainian oligarch and handed over to the country’s armed forces, according to a statement from Ukrainian police.

Officers said on Wednesday they seized the aircraft as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged abuse of power and embezzlement.

A private jet, viewed form the front, believed to have been in use by Viktor Medvedchuk's family. — A private jet believed to have been in use by Viktor Medvedchuk’s family.Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine

Medvedchuk, a politician and business tycoon, has been under US sanctions since 2014 and was placed under house arrest on charges of treason last year.

He escaped at the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but was caught and detained again in April.

He was close to the Kremlin and was considered Putin’s likely pick for a puppet leader in Ukraine. Medvedchuk had an estimated net worth of $620 million, linked the media and oil industries.

Until lately, Medvekchuk had a close relationship with Putin, who is the godfather to his youngest daughter.

He founded the pro-Russian For Life party, which frequently echoed Kremlin propaganda. Medvedchuk bankrolled the party’s campaign in the 2019 election, where it was beaten by Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his party.

Putin ally Viktor Medvedchuk after being captured by Ukraine — Pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk seen in handcuffs while being detained by security forces in an unknown location in Ukraine. Handout picture released April 12, 2022.Press service of State Security Service of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters

After his arrest, Ukraine seized 154 assets belonging to Medvedchuk, including dozens of homes, plots of land, cars, and a yacht, according to The Washington Post.

Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General requested the seizure, saying in a Wednesday statement that the helicopter and the jet were in use by Medvedchuk’s family.

A view of the tan-leather interior of Viktor Medvedchuk's helicopter, seized by Ukrainian police on July 6, 2022 — The interior of Viktor Medvedchuk’s helicopter, seized by Ukrainian police on July 6, 2022Department of Strategic Investigations of the National Police of Ukraine

The Office of the Prosecutor General also seized items, including a luxury estate, where the ultimate beneficiary was Medvedchuk’s wife Oksana Marchenko, the statement said.

Marchenko — formerly a host on “Ukraine’s Got Talent” — called on Zelenskyy to release her husband in April, after President Vladimir Putin declined to arrange his release in a prisoner swap.