Schemes: Party of Regions member Yefremov, accused of treason, was granted Russian citizenship in 2022

Former head of the faction Party of Regions member of the Verkhovna Rada, Head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration in 1998-2005 Oleksandr Yefremov, who is accused of treason in Ukraine, received Russian citizenship more than three years ago. About this reported radio Liberty's Schemes project, gaining access to leaks from Russian databases verified through official registers.

Yefremov left Ukraine at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion through Slovakia. "Skhemy found out that on December 22, 2022, the politician received a Russian passport.

He used this passport, among other things, when servicing his account at a Russian bank and when using the services of WorldClass fitness centers.

In addition, the Federal Tax Service of Russia keeps track of Yefremov's individual taxpayer number, which is linked to his Russian passport.

Earlier, the Prosecutor General's Office told reporters that Yefremov is an accused under a number of articles, but has no preventive measure and has not been put on the wanted list. At the same time, the prosecutor's office did not answer questions about the whereabouts of the Party of Regions member.

The materials of the proceedings against Yefremov from the occupation were supposed to be transferred to the court on the territory controlled by Ukraine. Currently, the OGP notes that this has not happened, "measures are being taken to find additional sources of obtaining copies of the lost materials."

No court hearings have been scheduled in the case, "which is likely due to the temporary occupation of Starobilsk." The cases of the Starobilsk court should be considered by the Synelnykivsky City District Court of Dnipropetrovs'k region, the prosecutor's office added.

When asked whether the PGO was aware of Yefremov's acquisition of Russian citizenship, they noted that "there is no information on other issues raised in the request".

The former MP himself did not respond to Skhemy's calls and messages.

• In October 2023, Schemes wrote that Efremov lives in Moscow in an elite residential complex. The apartment is registered in the name of the former MP's son. The total value of the found Moscow real estate of the Yefremov family is $4 million.
• In November 2024, Zelenskyy deprived Efremov of his state awards.