Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has declared several former top Ukrainian politicians wanted.
Who else has Putin declared wanted?
As noted, the list includes former Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov, former Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, former Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, former AFU Commander-in-Chief Ruslan Khomchak.
Vasyl Krutov, former SSU of the anti-terrorist centre chief, former MFA chef Pavel Klimkin, and former Minister of Information Policy Yury Stets were also included in the search.
Groysman and Klimkin are wanted under articles of the Criminal Code, under which articles - it is not specified. In April, the Investigative Committee of Russia accused them of "carrying out shelling and other crimes in Donbas." The same list included the former Minister of Information Policy Yuriy Stets (2014-2019), who was also declared wanted for an unnamed article.
Danilov and Avakov are wanted under an article of the Criminal Code, but it is not said under which article.
What is known about the search for Ukrainian officials in Russia?
On May 4, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia announced that the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavlyuk, and the former President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, were wanted. Criminal cases are allegedly being opened against them in the Russian Federation.
In response, the President's Office advised Russians to look for "common sense."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called the arrest warrants for three officials a sign of the Russian state machine's desperation.
At the end of 2023, Moscow declared the DIU chief Kyrylo Budanov, the Air Force Commander Mykola Oleschuk and the SSU chief Vasyl Malyuk wanted. They, as well as the Ukrainian Navy Commander, Oleksiy Neizhpapa, are accused of "terror attacks" on Russian territory.
ISW analysts point out that the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs announcement that President of Ukraine Zelenskyy is wanted is an attempt by the Kremlin to establish the jurisdiction of Russian laws in sovereign post-Soviet countries and informational preparation for the "Maidan-3" operation.
