Putin bemoans Ukraine's crackdown on pro-Russia opposition

Russian President Vladimir Putin has harshly criticized Ukrainian authorities for what he described as their crackdown on the Moscow-friendly opposition amid simmering tensions between the two neighbors

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday harshly criticized Ukrainian authorities for what he described as their crackdown on the Moscow-friendly opposition amid simmering tensions between the two neighbors. Putin's statement comes a day after Viktor Medvedchuk, who heads the Opposition Platform for Life party, the largest opposition force in parliament, was placed under house arrest on treason charges that he denied. Medvedchuk has close personal ties with Putin, the godfather of his daughter. Without mentioning Medvedchuk by name, Putin lamented what he described as the ongoing “cleansing” of Ukraine's political arena, saying that those who favor cooperation with Russia face political reprisals. “Those selective, politically motivated decisions are aimed at cleansing the political field from those forces which advocate a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine's southeast and good-neighborly ties with Russia,” Putin said at a meeting of his Security Council.