An informal group of former representatives of the Party of Regions and officials from Viktor Yanukovych’s era has formed in the Russian State Duma; it is known as the «Yanukovych faction». Its members have been awarded parliamentary seats and leadership positions on committees within the Russian parliament. This was reported by the Russian opposition website «Mozhem Ob’yasnit». Some of these individuals have been convicted or are under investigation in Ukrainian legal proceedings.
Briefly about the main points
- A group of individuals from Yanukovych’s inner circle have been given influential roles in the Russian State Duma.
- Serhiy Arbuzov has been appointed first deputy chair of the Energy Committee.
- Dmytro Vorona was elected to the Federation Council of the Russian Federation.
- Danilchenko, Pavlenko and Lobach were appointed to leadership roles on the committees.
- In Ukraine, Voron has been convicted in absentia, whilst the other three face procedural charges.
An informal group with no official status
The group in question is not a formal parliamentary group within the Russian parliament. However, its members are united by their work in Ukrainian government bodies or the Party of Regions during the presidency Viktor Yanukovych, as well as a subsequent career within Russian and occupying authorities.
According to the «We can explain», former Ukrainian officials and members of the Party of Regions secured not only parliamentary seats but also positions as deputy chairs of relevant committees. This gives them managerial roles within the respective parliamentary bodies.
Arbuzov has become first deputy chair of the Energy Committee
The highest-ranking position amongst the aforementioned individuals from Ukraine was held by Serhiy Arbuzov. He became the first deputy chair of the committee State Dumas on energy matters.
Arbuzov was elected to the Russian parliament on the «Fair Russia» party list. Towards the end of Yanukovych’s presidency, he served as acting Prime Minister of Ukraine, having previously headed the National Bank of Ukraine. Investigative journalists have previously published reports about his hidden wealth and lavish lifestyle in Moscow.
Vorona has moved from the Federation Council to the State Duma
Dmytro Vorona He was also elected to the State Duma. During Yanukovych’s time in office, he served as deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Justice, and later headed the State Registration Service of Ukraine.
In 2022, the occupying authorities appointed Voron as the representative of the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia in the Federation Council of the Russian Federation. His current seat in the State Duma was his next post within the Russian political system.
Leadership roles: Danilchenko, Pavlenko and Lobach
Galina Danilchenko became the first deputy chair of the Committee on Family Protection. Following the occupation Melitopol She was appointed mayor by the occupying administration.
Yanina Pavlenko took up the post of deputy chair of the committee on the agricultural sector. She previously headed the Massandra Winery and the occupation administration in Yalta. Tetyana Lobach, a former member of the Party of Regions in Sevastopol, became first deputy chair of the Committee on Tourism.
Vorona’s sentence and the charges against other defendants in Ukraine
Dmytro Vorona In Ukraine, he was sentenced in absentia to 12 years’ imprisonment, with confiscation of his property, for aiding the aggressor state.
Galina Danilchenko are accused of collaboration. Yanina Pavlenko is suspected of collaboration, and Tetyana Lobach has been notified that he is suspected of treason.
