Having collected more evidence, the SSU has initiated a new criminal proceeding against the member of the russian state duma Oleksiy Zhuravliov, who took part in military actions against the Ukrainian Defence Forces on the eastern front.

From the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, Zhuravliov regularly came to the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk region.

There, the official joined the russian militant group ‘Pyatnashka international brigade’.

As a member of the occupiers’ forces, he inspected the temporarily occupied settlements and acted as one of the kremlin’s main ‘newsmakers’, appearing on air of propaganda TV channels and reporting from the frontline.

The russian state duma deputy launched a broad propaganda campaign in support of russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

During propaganda events, Zhuravliov publicly called for intensification of the so-called ‘denazification’ and extermination of 2 million Ukrainians.

The russian official also called residents of the captured districts of Donetsk region to join occupation groups of the aggressor state.

Earlier, the SSU notified him of suspicion of encroachment on Ukraine’s territorial integrity and inviolability for his participation in the state duma’s vote to recognize independence of the self-proclaimed ‘L/DNR’.

The crime is punishable by up to 15 years in prison or life imprisonment.

SSU investigators have qualified the new evidence under the Articles of the CCU:

• 260 - participation in unlawful paramilitary or armed groups;
• 436 - public calls to an aggressive war or to unleash a military conflict.

The SSU is acting to bring the offender to justice.

The investigation is carried out by the SSU Office in Ivano-Frankivsk region under the procedural supervision of the regional Prosecutor’s Office.