Moscow denied a Ukrainian offer to swap a captured Putin ally for prisoners.
Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian politician, was captured by Ukraine's security service on Tuesday while fleeing house arrest.
Medvedchuk chaired a pro-Russian political party and is thought to have been Putin's pick to replace Zelenskyy as a puppet leader.
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Russia shot down Ukraine's offer to swap captured Kremlin ally Viktor Medvedchuk for Ukrainian prisoners, seemingly cutting ties with the oligarch who has close personal connections to Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered Russia the chance to swap kidnapped Ukrainians for Medvedchuk, who chairs a pro-Russian opposition political party.
Medvedchuk was sanctioned by the Obama administration for undermining democracy in Ukraine after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. »