According to Russian state media, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been placed on Russia’s wanted list, as reported by the interior ministry’s database. Alongside Zelenskyy, his predecessor Petro Poroshenko, and Ukraine’s ground forces commander, Gen. Oleksandr Pavlyuk, are also listed, with unspecified criminal charges against them. The specific allegations were not immediately clarified by Russian officials. Mediazona, an independent Russian news outlet, indicated that Zelenskyy and Poroshenko have been on the list since at least late February. Ukraine’s foreign ministry dismissed these reports as propaganda by the Russian state machine.
The Russian wanted list extends to include officials and lawmakers from Ukraine and NATO countries, such as Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who advocates for increased military aid to Kyiv and stronger sanctions against Moscow. Other figures targeted include cabinet ministers from Estonia and Lithuania, as well as the International Criminal Court prosecutor who prepared a warrant for President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges. Moscow has also charged Ukraine’s military intelligence head, Kyrylo Budanov, with “terrorist” activities related to Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian infrastructure.
The Kremlin has consistently attempted to link Ukraine’s leadership to Nazism, despite Ukraine having a democratically elected Jewish president with family members who perished in the Holocaust. Russia claims to pursue “de-Nazification, de-militarization, and a neutral status” for Ukraine through its military operations, although these assertions have been widely criticized by Kyiv and Western allies. Putin’s administration utilizes historical narratives surrounding World War II to legitimize its actions in Ukraine, emphasizing the Soviet Union’s role in defeating the Nazis while downplaying allegations of Soviet-era collaboration in crimes against humanity.
Source: Loop News
