Viktor Medvedchuk, the deputy of the Ukrainian people, godfather of Russian President Vladimir Putin, left Turkey for Russia after the prisoner exchange, which was mediated by Ankara. This was announced on Friday (September 23rd) by Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a meeting with journalists, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Referring to the Turkish president, Russian journalists said, “We sent him to Russia. We are continuing the process with determination.”

In response, the Turkish Anadolu news agency cited Erdogan’s quote that could indicate that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally advocated the extradition of Medvedchuk to Russia.

The Turkish leader said, “(Ukrainian officers captured in Turkey) are our guests. One of them was the name Mr. Putin insisted on. We sent him to Russia.”

In turn, today the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov stated that he does not know exactly where Medvedchuk is and will not comment on the exchange with Ukraine.

“We can only welcome the return of people, especially our men, from the dungeons of the Kyiv regime,” the Kremlin spokesman said.

Recall that on the evening of September 21, Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners, among whom were the defenders of the Mariupol Azovstal plant. The released commanders of the Azov special regiment will remain in Turkey under the protection of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They will be able to return to Ukraine after the end of hostilities. The Russian side, along with the “DPR” and “LPR” it controls, took 56 people, among them five militants of these two organizations, and one from Ukraine, where Viktor Medvedchuk, a people’s deputy from the OPPL party, was banned.

Yesterday, the leader of the “DPR” Denis Pushilin said that the change of Medvedchuk was important to him, as the politician released more than a thousand militants from captivity.

Earlier, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Kirill Timoshenko explained that the Kremlin agreed to the exchange of Ukrainian fighters with Medvedchuk, because this politician is important for the Russian Federation.

By the way, the Security Service of Ukraine assured that the replacement of the pro-Russian people’s deputy will not prevent the consideration of cases, including treason, against him in court.