FSB plans to take Medvedchuk through Transnistria to Moscow – Bakanov
The FSB planned to evacuate MP of Ukraine, former co-chairman of the Opposition Platform for Life party Viktor Medvedchuk, to be later delivered to Moscow, SBU Head Ivan Bakanov has said.
"We were confronted not just by Mr. Medvedchuk. On the opposite side there was a very powerful enemy, whose name is the FSB, which intended to take Putin's godfather abroad," Bakanov said on the air of the Ukrainian telethon on Wednesday evening.
At the same time, Bakanov said, in order to implement their plan, the Russian special services attracted the leaders of the criminal world of Ukraine and corrupt law enforcement officers.
"The FSB used every opportunity to disguise its plans, threw in disinformation," the SBU head said.
According to the SBU head, the FSB deliberately tried to organize "fake routes for the evacuation of Mr. Medvedchuk." "They tried to give us information about Medvedchuk's whereabouts in Sweden, Hungary, from Zakarpattia to Sumy region, and thus they tried to send us on the wrong track," Bakanov said.
"Indeed, under the guise of the military Armed Forces of Ukraine, allegedly accompanied by fellow law enforcement officers, they wanted to take Medvedchuk to the Ukrainian border, and then take him by boat to the other side, where the FSB special forces evacuation group was already waiting for him to deliver it directly to Moscow," the SBU head said.
He said the SBU counterintelligence had clearly established the place of arrival of the FSB evacuation group in Transnistria.
"This allowed operatives, SBU investigators to detain Medvedchuk on the road... near the border of Kyiv region or at the exit from Kyiv region. All this time, Medvedchuk was accompanied by Ukrainian law enforcement officers, who, in my opinion, will also be responsible for their actions," Bakanov said.
"Medvedchuk is awaiting trial. The choice of a measure of restraint, or rather, its confirmation – detention. In the future, I hope Medvedchuk will receive a fair verdict in those cases in which he appears," the SBU head said.
Bakanov showed on television a video with the testimony of Medvedchuk's security guard, who was also detained as a result of this special operation. In particular, the guard said that Medvedchuk had been at the address of his residence since the beginning of the war. In Medvedchuk's telephone conversations, according to the guard, he heard about the impending escape with the help of the FSB by water through Transnistria.