KYIV — The wife of pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, Oksana Marchenko, has had more of her assets frozen by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
Eximnaftoprodukt, Sintez Oil, Sintez Transit, Ukrloadsystem, Odesnaftoprodukt, Black Sea Fuel Terminal, and Albion Commodities are just a few of the energy transportation firms with Odesa, Ukraine’s Black Sea port city, as their locations, that Marchenko allegedly owned stakes in through offshore schemes, according to the SBU’s statement on June 2.
In the SBU statement, it was stated that “the freezing of these assets will prevent their re-registration under other false names and will allow them to be transferred for our state’s needs.”
Viktor Medvedchuk, Marchenko’s husband, is a well-known figure in Ukrainian politics who is also said to be the godfather of Vladimir Putin’s daughter. One of the richest people in Ukraine, Medvedchuk owned energy interests in Russia and an estimated fortune in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
The assets and property owned by Marchenko in Ukraine with an estimated value of 7 billion hryvnyas ($188 million) have already been seized and impounded by Ukrainian courts.
In April, the Interior Ministry of Ukraine placed Marchenko, who is not in Ukraine, to its wanted list, alleging that she is responsible for funding efforts to violently overthrow the country’s constitutional order, usurp power, and alter its state borders.
In February 2021, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Medvedchuk, suspending his assets, and deactivating three television stations it said belonged to him for supporting Russian propaganda.
He was detained in 2021 on suspicion of treason and sponsoring terrorism, and after posting bail, he was later held under house detention.
Medvedchuk managed to escape house arrest shortly after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in late February of last year, but he was apprehended again in April as he attempted to enter Russia.
A Ukrainian court injuncted the Medvedchuk-led Opposition Platform — For Life political group in June.
In a prisoner swap in September, Ukrainian authorities sent the 68-year-old politician to Russia.
Since then, Medvedchuk and three other pro-Russian Ukrainian MPs have had their citizenship revoked by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
