Putin vows response after Ukraine targets ally

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed yesterday to respond to what he said was the persecution of Moscowfriendly politicians in Ukraine, accusing the West of turning a blind eye to Kyiv’s political “clean-up”.

With tensions between Moscow and Kyiv high, Ukraine this week placed Putin’s top ally Viktor Medvedchuk under house arrest on suspicion of high treason.

Medvedchuk is a pro-Russian lawmaker and one of Ukraine’s richest people.

He has said Putin is godfather to his youngest daughter Darya. The 66-year-old faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted and says the accusations are politically motivated.

Speaking at a meeting of his security council yesterday, Putin said Western-backed Ukraine was being turned into “some kind of anti-Russia”.

“So what, everyone who’s working with Russia will now face criminal prosecution in Ukraine?” Putin said.

Ukraine, he said, was carrying out a “clean-up of the political landscape”, pointing also to the closing of some pro-Russian media.

“National media outlets are being shut down — and our Western partners are not reacting at all, if not to say supporting such rulings,” Putin said.“We will have to respond to this properly and in a timely fashion,” he said, without elaborating.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Medvedchuk was one of those who wanted ties between Russia and Ukraine to improve and cautioned against a “political witch hunt.”