Ukraine leader alleges Russia-backed coup planned next week

By YURAS KARMANAU

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy connected Friday alleged that his country’s quality work uncovered plans for a Russia-backed coup d’etat against him acceptable for adjacent week that involves 1 of Ukraine’s richest oligarchs.

Both the oligarch and the Russian authorities rejected the allegations.

At a quality league successful Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, Zelenskyy said helium received accusation that a coup was being planned for adjacent Wednesday oregon Thursday.

He did not springiness galore details to backmost up his allegation, but pointed to a suspected relation of Ukraine’s richest oligarch, Rinat Akhmetov.

The president said that Ukrainian quality has audio recordings of an alleged gathering betwixt Russian and Ukrainian officials discussing a program for a coup allegedly funded by Akhmetov, whose luck is estimated astatine $7.5 billion.

Zelenskyy refused to disclose further details astir the alleged coup, saying lone that helium doesn’t program to fly the country.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the allegations successful comments to journalists successful Moscow connected Friday.

“Russia had nary plans to get involved,” Peskov said. “Russia ne'er does specified things astatine all.”

Akhmetov called Zelenskyy’s allegations “an implicit lie.” “I americium outraged by the dispersed of this lie, nary substance what the President’s motives are,” Akhmetov said successful a statement, relayed to the Associated Press by his spokeswoman Anna Terekhova.

Asked astir the alleged coup plans, the U.S. State Department’s apical authoritative for European and Eurasian affairs, Karen Donfried, said: “We are successful interaction with the Ukrainian authorities to sermon this further, and we’re moving to get further information.”

Volodymyr Fesenko, a Kyiv-based governmental expert and caput of the Penta Center deliberation tank, told the AP that Zelenskyy targeted Akhmetov successful retaliation for a “proper accusation war” the oligarch has waged against the president implicit the past 2 months done TV channels helium owns.

A wide protestation successful beforehand of the president’s bureau is besides being planned for Dec. 1.

The expert pointed to large discontent among Ukrainian oligarchs, including Akhmetov, implicit a instrumentality pushed by Zelenskyy that limits their power connected politics.

Fesenko called Zelenskyy’s notation to Akhmetov successful transportation with the alleged coup “a pre-emptive signal” for the oligarch not to get successful progressive successful “risky governmental ventures, transverse the ‘red lines’ and negociate with Moscow.”

In caller weeks, Ukrainian and Western officials person expressed interest that a Russian subject buildup adjacent Ukraine could awesome plans by Moscow to invade its ex-Soviet neighbor. The Kremlin insists it has nary specified volition and has accused Ukraine and its Western backers of making the claims to screen up their ain allegedly assertive designs.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine has afloat power of its borders and is acceptable for immoderate escalation of the struggle with Russia. But helium noted that the media are engaged successful fearmongering implicit the anticipation of specified a conflict.

He besides said that the caput of his office, Andriy Yermak, volition soon beryllium successful interaction with the Russian authorities astatine the petition of the European Council President Charles Michel and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“They privation contacts betwixt our medication and the Russian administration. I deliberation that successful the adjacent aboriginal Yermak volition interaction them. We are perfectly not against” this, Zelenskyy said.

__

Associated Press National Security Writer Robert Burns successful Washington contributed to this report.