Ex-MP from banned pro-Russian party arrested in absentia for high treason

DBR has sent a request for international legal assistance to Israel, where the former MP is believed to be hiding

editor Liga.net

August 2 2023, 11:20

Ex-MP from banned pro-Russian party arrested in absentia for high treason — Vadym Rabinovych. Photo: Opposition Platform – For Life

A Kyiv court on Tuesday ordered that Vadym Rabinovych, a former member of the Ukrainian parliament believed to be in Israel, be arrested on charges of high treason, the state bureau of investigation (DBR) said in a statement.

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The court approved DBR’s request to arrest Mr Rabinovych as a pre-trial measure, and the bureau has sent a request for international legal assistance to Israel, where the former MP is believed to be hiding.

Vadym Rabinovych was a co-chairman of Opposition Platform – For Life, the now-banned pro-Russian party, and left Ukraine on the eve of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Last month, he was charged with high treason for disseminating anti-Ukrainian propaganda in the EU, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

Last year, the Ukrainian president stripped the fugitive MP off Ukrainian citizenship, and his mandate was revoked.