Exchanged leader of Ukrainian Opposition party speaks to RT | EXCLUSIVE

Viktor Medvedchuk spent months in detention in Ukraine after being arrested in April, shortly after his party – the second largest in the country – was branded illegal, along with a dozen other groups that opposed the Kiev authorities.

The 68-year-old had earlier been charged with treason for his alleged collaboration with Russia. Derkach, Kozak and Kuzmin have all faced similar accusations.

Medvedchuk’s opponents accuse him of being a pro-Russian politician, which he denies. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously labeled him a “Ukrainian nationalist.”

Medvedchuk was freed in September as part of a major prisoner exchange between Kiev and Moscow. The swap also saw 55 Russian and Donbass soldiers return home, while Ukraine got back 150 of its troops, including many fighters attached to the infamous nationalist Azov Battalion, who surrendered to the Russian forces during the battle of Mariupol.