Former Russian MP, who fought against the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kherson region, was sentenced to 15 years in prison

A former Russian deputy from Ukraine who is fighting in Kherson region has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for treason.

According to the Center for Investigative Journalism, the case is Pavel Kryukov, a former deputy of the Russian Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District who is fighting against Ukraine in the Kherson region in the Russian army. The verdict was published in the Unified State Register of Court Decisions.

The court found Kryukov guilty of high treason and collaboration (Part 2 of Article 111 and Part 7 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The investigation established that in June 2023, he voluntarily signed a three-year contract with the Russian armed forces and was promoted to the rank of captain. He was appointed commander of an artillery reconnaissance platoon of the 81st Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment, which is taking part in hostilities on the left bank of the Kherson region.

Pavel Kryukov was born in Ukraine and moved to Russia in the 1980s, where he made a career in the oil and gas sector and politics, including as a deputy and party official of United Russia. In 2018, he was detained in Russia on suspicion of multimillion-dollar bribes, but escaped punishment and joined the Russian army to "whitewash" his past. He is now fighting against his homeland.

According to the CJR, Kryukov 's own son Serhiy, who lives in Ivano-Frankivsk, testified in the case. He said that he had not been in touch with his father since March 2022 and confirmed that he was in the Kherson direction as part of the Russian armed forces.

Intent wrote that Bohdan Kaznavetskyi , a deputy of the banned OPFL, received the most severe punishment for high treason - life imprisonment with full confiscation of property.

Ірина Глухова