Ukrainian oligarch: US charges 'politically motivated;' he's victim of US-Russia power grab
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Ukrainian oligarch says U.S. charges against him are "politically motived" and that he's a victim of U.S.-Russian power plays.
Dmytro Firtash posted the video statement on his website Thursday, a day after prosecutors in Chicago unsealed the charges.
The 48-year-old says Ukraine is a U.S.-Russian "battlefield" and he has "ended up in the center." He also calls U.S. allegations that he masterminded a scheme to bribe officials in India to secure mining licenses "completely absurd."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Washington imposed sanction on Russia after it seized Ukraine's Crimea peninsula last month. Firtash has close business ties to Russia.
He was arrested last month in Austria, then released on $172 million bail as the U.S. seeks his extradition.
The silver-haired Firtash spoke Russian in the video. The site provided an English translation.