Russian politician Aleksandr Rutkoj fantasized about kidnapping Ukrainian President Zelensky, suggesting he could have been taken like Venezuelan President Maduro.
Russian politician calls for Zelensky’s kidnapping
Politician Aleksandr Rutkoj, in a conversation with the Russian service News.ru, commented on recent actions by Donald Trump in Venezuela. “He showed an excellent example of how to conduct a military operation, kidnapping Maduro from his residence. We could have done the same with this clown Zelensky, put a hood on his head and bring him to the Lefortovo investigative prison,” Rutkoj stated. “We should have brought this monkey and his 12 supporters who enabled all this,” he added. Among them was supposed to be Andrij Siniuk – former deputy head of Ukraine’s Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). “It was necessary to catch everyone who provoked (Russia – ed.),” Rutkoj added.
Why Lefortovo?
The Lefortovo investigative prison is one of the most well-known prisons in Moscow. It was established in 1881, and during the USSR times, it held victims of Stalinist terror, opposition activists – people considered particularly dangerous to the state. The conditions there are exceptionally harsh, with a high level of isolation. In 2023, American journalist Evan Gershkovich, accused by Russia of espionage, was sent there. As part of a prisoner exchange, he was released in 2024.
Venezuelan President’s arrest
Recall that on January 3, Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured by US special forces and then transported to the United States. Then on January 5, they were brought under heavy police escort to the federal court in Manhattan. According to the unsealed indictment, the couple heard four charges, including participation in a narco-terrorist conspiracy and bringing cocaine to the USA. Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores did not plead guilty. The short hearing was primarily procedural. The next hearing was set for March 17.
