A former Ukrainian MP accused of treason who fled Ukraine after the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion is living a life of luxury in Moscow, according to an investigation by Radio Liberty.
Oleksandr Yefremov, the former leader of the Party of Regions faction in the Verkhovna Rada, left Ukraine through Slovakia in February 2022 and has since remained in Russia.
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The investigation reveals that Yefremov is registered in Moscow, residing in elite apartments at the Triumph Palace residential complex on 3 Chapaevskiy Lane.
The upscale complex, designed in the Stalinist empire style, stands as the second tallest skyscraper in Russia after Moscow City.
According to Radio Liberty, the ex-deputy's son, Igor, has been the registered owner of these apartments since 2016, with a combined area of 466.5 square meters, valued at approximately $2.8 million.
The investigation also highlighted another property owned by Yefremov's family – an apartment on the 11th floor of the "Triumph Palace" covering an area of 191.8 square meters.
This property, also registered under his son's name since 2007, is estimated to be worth around $1.2 million.
The total worth of the Moscow real estate owned by the Yefremov family, as unveiled by the investigation, exceeds $4 million.
Using the official website of the Federal Tax Service of Russia, investigators discovered that the ex-deputy possesses a Russian individual tax number.
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Journalists attempted to contact Yefremov through his Russian phone number. When questioned about his activities in Moscow and his plans to return to Ukraine, the former parliamentarian responded, "I have no plans to give any interviews now, goodbye."
The former deputy faces several accusations in Ukraine, including contributing to the establishment of the pseudo-republic "LNR" and involvement in the seizure of the Luhansk regional state and the Security Service of Ukraine buildings in 2014.
In 2019, he was released from the Starobilsk pre-trial detention center in the Luhansk region after spending three years in custody.
Initially released under house arrest, the preventive measure was eventually changed to a personal bond for two months, which was not extended.
The Prosecutor General's Office has stated that Yefremov is not under any preventive measure or wanted status.
They also indicated that the materials concerning his case were expected to be transferred from the court in Starobilsk, a city presently occupied by Russia, to the Sinelnykivskyi court in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
However, no information regarding such a transfer has been received by the Prosecutor General's Office.
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