![From Kremlin-friendly politician to leading defense of hometown against Russia](https://assets.kyivindependent.com/content/images/2023/02/dsc-0825-1658702930bbvdj.jpg)
From Kremlin-friendly politician to leading defense of hometown against Russia
KRYVYI RIH, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast – When Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, one of the bigger surprises on the domestic political front was the sudden turnaround of Oleksandr Vilkul, once a central figure of Ukraine's pro-Russian political camp. Vilkul quickly took up a vocal anti-Russian stance and was appointed to