According to Russian state media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been added to Russia’s wanted list, along with his predecessor Petro Poroshenko and Gen. Oleksandr Pavlyuk.
The specific criminal charges against these individuals have not been clarified by Russian officials. However, an independent Russian news outlet, Mediazona, claimed that Zelenskyy and Poroshenko have been on the list since late February.
In response, Ukraine’s foreign ministry released a statement dismissing these reports as a sign of desperation from the Russian state machine and propaganda.
Russia’s list of wanted individuals also encompasses numerous officials and legislators from Ukraine and NATO nations.
One notable figure on the list is Kaja Kallas, the Prime Minister of Estonia, a member of both NATO and the EU. Kallas has been a vocal proponent of providing more military assistance to Kyiv and imposing stricter sanctions on Moscow.
In February, Russian officials claimed that Kallas is being sought after due to Tallinn’s efforts to remove Soviet-era monuments dedicated to Red Army soldiers in Estonia. This move is seen as a belated attempt to eradicate symbols of past oppression.
Similarly, other NATO members such as Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland have also taken down monuments that are widely regarded as an unwanted reminder of the Soviet occupation in their respective countries.
Russia has enacted laws that criminalize the “rehabilitation of Nazism” and impose penalties for the “desecration” of war memorials.
In addition to Kallas, cabinet ministers from Estonia and Lithuania, as well as the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor who previously issued a warrant for President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges, are also included on Russia’s list.
Moscow has further accused Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, of engaging in “terrorist” activities, including Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian infrastructure.
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