Ukrainian MP found living in Cyprus since January to leave parliament

A member of the Ukrainian parliament from the ruling Servant of the People party’s action who has reportedly been living abroad since early this year has submitted a letter of resignation, the parliamentary speaker said on Monday.

Last week, Schemes, an independent investigative journalism project, reported that Andrii Kholodov, an MP, left Ukraine in January for Cyprus, where he has property and his family is staying.

Since then, Mr Kholodov has not been in Ukraine and has missed all the parliamentary sessions and voting.

"The Verkhovna Rada received a statement from the people’s deputy of Ukraine [Andrii] Kholodov on the resignation of the mandate of the people's deputy of Ukraine," Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, posted on Facebook.

He added the letter will be considered at the Rada’s next plenary session.

It is not the first time Ukrainian MPs have been caught in a scandal following Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Earlier this year, Yurii Aristov, also from the Servant of the People faction, was charged with forgery following reports of him vacationing in the Maldives, and had his mandate revoked.

Verkhovna Rada