Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Dubinsky, recently notified of suspicion of treason and spreading misinformation, revealed on Wednesday that a Kyiv court had ordered his detention for 60 days. Dubinsky, who is on the US sanctions list, did not specify the reason for his detention. The court’s decision was shared in a video posted on his Telegram channel, where he appeared with a man in a Ukrainian security service uniform behind him. The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s security service (SBU) stated that a politician was suspected of treason without naming the individual. However, lawmakers Yaroslav Yurchyshyn and Oleksiy Honcharenko identified Dubinsky as the subject of suspicion. Honcharenko mentioned that Dubinsky received a notice of suspicion of state treason and underwent a search.
Dubinsky rejected the notice of suspicion as fabricated, alleging it was based on “absolute lies of top state officials.” He had been expelled from the ruling Servant of the People party in 2021 after being placed on the US sanctions list over alleged election meddling. Despite his denial of those accusations, Dubinsky continued working in parliament.
The SBU asserted that the suspect was a member of a criminal organisation financed by Russia’s military intelligence, formed in 2016. The organisation, including an ex-lawmaker, their aide, and an ex-prosecutor, allegedly organised events to discredit Ukraine internationally and strain diplomatic relations with the US, complicating Ukraine’s path to the European Union and NATO. The State Investigative Bureau corroborated this, stating that it was established that the group, following Russian special service instructions, aimed to tarnish Ukraine’s image.
In January 2021, the US imposed sanctions on Dubinsky and others, accusing them of US election interference and associating with a pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmaker connected to efforts by former President Trump’s allies to gather information on President Joe Biden and his son.
