Natalia Zinets, Pavel Polityuk

KYIV (Reuters) – A Ukrainian court ordered Viktor Medvedchuk, a prorussian politician and lawyer to be placed under house arrest from Tuesday. The order came after prosecutors increased their investigations into Medvedchuk’s activities and charged him with financing separatist fighters.

Medvedchuk has been held under house arrest for treason since May. She is accused of trying to seize state resources in Crimea. This part of Ukraine was annexed by Russia in 2014.

According to the prosecutor, Medvedchuk should be held in custody by a Kyiv court and not placed under house arrest. He was a flight risk and might put pressure on witnesses.

Medvedchuk received a denial from the court and was placed under house arrest until Dec. 7, instead of Oct. 31.

At a live court hearing, judge Vita Bortnytska stated that the court had decided to “to apply an order of restraint under the form of house arrest and forbid him from leaving his place of residence around the clock”.

Law enforcement officers said last week that they have intensified their investigations into Medvedchuk, and they suspect him of conspiring with high-ranking officials to purchase coal from separatist-held parts of eastern Ukraine.

Medvedchuk is the Kremlin’s leading ally in Ukraine.

He stated that the criminal case against him and all the charges against me were completely unfounded and without foundation before the verdict. It is illegal to prosecute me for criminal offenses and it amounts to political repression.

Since 2014, Ukraine is at war against Russian-backed separatists within the eastern Donbass. After separatists seize territory that used to be coal mines, Ukraine faced an urgent fuel shortage.

Medvedchuk (whose party is second in Parliament) is Ukrainian. However, Medvedchuk has strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.