Ukraine hands over former Ukrainian MP Medvedchuk's aide to Russia as part of exchange

Ukraine handed over 70 people to Russia as part of a prisoner exchange on 23 May, including Alexander Tarnashynsky, an associate of Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian businessman and pro-Russian politician who is also known for his connections to Putin. Tarnashynsky was convicted of collaborating with Russian secret services.

Source: state project Khochu k svoim ("I want to return to my people") 

Quote: "On 23 May 2025, 70 collaborators left for the Russian Federation with the simultaneous release of dozens of Ukrainian civilian hostages from Russian captivity, who had been illegally held by the Russian authorities for years, within the framework of the state project Khochu k svoim (’I want to return to my people‘), implemented by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War with the support of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights."

Details: The project website contains profiles of 31 of them.

Among them is Alexander Tarnashynsky. The project reports that he created charitable foundations and organisations in Ukraine through which it was planned to receive funds from Russia to carry out activities aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian government and preparing for the seizure of power.

Tarnashynskyi was detained on 5 May 2022. The Security Service of Ukraine reported then that he was one of the leaders of Viktor Medvedchuk's Ukrainian Choice party. He was involved in preparations to undermine the constitutional order in Ukraine in collusion with Russian secret services.

Background: Ukraine and Russia carried out the first part of the thousand-for-thousand exchange agreement, bringing back 390 people. Of these, 270 were military personnel and 120 were civilians. 

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