On Thursday, 13 May, Ukrainian court ordered a prominent pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk to be put under house arrest while he faces allegations of treason in a case that could ratchet up tensions with Russia.
After an eight-hour court hearing in Kyiv, Medvedchuk was ordered to remain under house arrest until July 9, wear an electronic bracelet and surrender his passport.If found guilty, Medvedchuk could face up to 15 years in prison.
He hugged his associates after the judge's ruling and told reporters that they shall "continue fighting so that illegal charges are not brought against me."
It's worth noting that Medvedchuk was notified of suspicion in the case of treason and attempting to plunder national wealth in Crimea, a part of Ukraine thart Russia annexed in 2014. He says the charges are trumped up to silence his criticism of government policy
Medvedchukis widely seen as Russia's most prominent political ally in Kyiv. In addition, he says President Vladimir Putin is godfather to his daughter and promotes closer ties with Moscow.
The treason case is part of a crackdown against Medvedchuk that began in February when he and several associates were put under sanctions by Ukraine's president and three television channels owned by an ally were forced off air. The Kremlin had described the sanctions as alarming.