The SSU and the State Bureau of Investigations have collected evidence of high treason by a member of Ukrainian parliament who carried out information and subversive activities for russia.

According to the investigation, he had the call sign ‘Buratino’ (russian name for Pinocchio) and was a member of a criminal organisation formed by the main directorate of the general staff of the russian armed forces (known as the GRU).

The main task of this group was to undermine the socio-political situation in Ukraine and discredit our country in the international arena. For this, its members received money from the russian military intelligence.

According to the available data, the network’s funding reached over USD 10 mln.

The pre-trial investigation documented that the suspected parliamentarian had spread fakes about Ukraine’s top military and political leadership. One of the examples of his disinformation work is spreading of fakes on ‘interference of Ukrainian officials in the 2019 US presidential election’.

To spin pro-russian narratives, he participated in a number of press conferences.

As the SSU established, the criminal organisation was created by the deputy head of russia’s GRU, Vladimir Alekseev, as an agent network operating in Ukraine’s capital.

The operational management of the group from russia was carried out by his deputy, Aleksey Savin.

In addition to the MP, the enemy network included former member of Ukrainian parliament Andrii Derkach, who fled abroad just before russia’s full-scale invasion.

Another member of the intelligence ring was former prosecutor Konstantin Kulyk. He had the call sign ‘Ptichka’ and is currently hiding from justice abroad. While conducting information subversion against Ukraine, Kulyk was publicly engaged in pseudo-legal ‘justification’ of fakes for the kremlin.

The criminal organisation’s activities in Kyiv were coordinated by Derkach’s former assistant, a former GRU employee back in the USSR times, Ihor Kolesnikov. As a result of the SSU’s investigation, the latter has already been convicted and is serving a sentence for high treason.

Based on the evidence collected, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has served the member of the enemy network, a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, a notice of suspicion under two Articles of the CCU:

• 111.1 (high treason);
• 255.1 (creation, leadership of a criminal community or criminal organization, and participation in it).

The GRU employees Alekseev and Savin, who created the criminal organisation and were engaged in incitement to high treason, as well as russian agents, former MP Derkach and ex-prosecutor Kulyk, have also been notified of suspicion under the same Articles of the CCU.

The court is to decide on a measure of restraint for the current MP. The investigation is ongoing. The offenders are facing up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

The operational and investigative activities were carried out under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.