The president of Motor Sich was charged with treason and faces over a decade in prison
The head of a prestigious Ukrainian manufacturer of aircraft engines, Motor Sich, could be used in a prisoner swap with Russia, an aide to President Vladimir Zelensky told local media. Vyacheslav Boguslaev was accused of treason and arrested for allegedly selling products to Moscow.
A court in Kiev ordered the pretrial detention of Boguslaev, 83, on Monday, after the domestic security agency (SBU) claimed that the man had been secretly selling spare parts and engines to Russian helicopter producers. Commenting on the news on the same day, Zelensky aide Mikhail Podoliak suggested that the man could be swapped for troops captured by Russian forces.
“We will use any opportunity, any individual… to get our guys back,” he said, describing Boguslaev as a “fake” Ukrainian national, unlike the soldiers he could be swapped for.
The Kremlin responded to the idea on Tuesday, expressing skepticism about its source. The Russian presidential office is not dealing with prisoner exchanges, “and as far as we know, neither is Mr. Podoliak,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
In the interview, Podoliak hailed the arrest of Boguslaev, stating that Zelensky’s office had an “absolutely positive reaction” to it. He expressed hope that more prosecutions like this will follow.
“We have plenty of subjects like that one. For 30 years, they have been building careers, including by serving Russian political and economic interests,” he said. “Here, they were honored with titles like Hero of Ukraine, and had patrons on different levels.”