The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) press service said a Verkhovna Rada Deputy, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, is under suspicion of treason following a joint agency investigation that included recent searches of his residence.
While the SBU does not explicitly name Oleksandr Dubinsky, Kyiv Post's sources from law enforcement agencies confirm his alleged involvement. Blurred photos accompanying the report purportedly suggest Dubinsky’s identity.
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On Monday, Nov. 13, The Security Service of Ukraine and the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) conducted new searches of Dubinsky’s home, according to Kyiv Post's sources.
The sources indicated his alleged involvement in a case of high treason. However, earlier they refrained from disclosing details of the criminal proceeding, including whether the deputy had been formally notified of suspicion under Ukrainian law.
In its latest release, the SBU stated that the People’s Deputy has engaged in information gathering and subversive activities benefiting Russia. According to investigation materials, he operated under the call sign “Buratino” (“Pinocchio”) and was part of a criminal organization formed by the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (GRU).
“The main task of this organization is to destabilize the socio-political situation in Ukraine and discredit our state in the international arena,” the report said.
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Members of the group allegedly received over $10 million in financing from the military intelligence of the Russian Federation. The SBU documented that Dubinsky spread false information about the high-level political and military leadership of Ukraine.
One notable instance of disinformation was Dubinsky’s spread of fake news about the alleged interference of Ukrainian high-ranking officials in the 2020 US presidential elections, according to the SBU [although the SBU Telegram post said it was the 2019 election – ed.].
The investigation revealed that the criminal organization was created by the deputy head of the Russian GRU, Volodymyr Alekseev. His deputy, Oleksiy Savin, managed the enemy group from Russian territory.
The hostile group also included former Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Derkach, who fled abroad on the eve of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The organization’s subversive activities in Kyiv were allegedly coordinated by Derkach’s ex-assistant, and former GRU employee during the USSR, Ihor Kolesnikov, who is currently serving a sentence for treason.
Former prosecutor Kostyantyn Kulyk, known by the nickname “Ptychka” (a diminutive form of “Bird”), also part of the network, is currently evading justice abroad.
The Prosecutor General informed Dubinsky of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Part 1 of Art. 111 (treason)
- Part 1 of Art. 255 (creation, management of a criminal community or criminal organization, as well as participation in it).
GRU employees Alekseev and Savin, former People’s Deputy Derkach, and ex-prosecutor Kulyk were also informed of suspicion under the same articles.
The issue of the election of People’s Deputy Dubinsky as a precautionary measure is being resolved. “The perpetrators face up to 15 years with confiscation of property,” the SBU added.
On Nov. 1, law enforcement officers had already conducted a search of the deputy’s home, a fact denied by Dubinsky himself. Subsequently, he faced charges related to a scheme involving the departure from Ukraine of conscription evaders, leading to a court order on Nov. 6 placing Dubinsky under 24-hour house arrest.
Additionally, on Nov. 8, Dubinsky received a “protocol on corruption,” an administrative notification from the DBR that they had evidence pointing to his alleged misuse of power to be granted travel abroad while martial law is in effect.
In early August, the SBU and the DBR had conducted investigations of Dubinsky concerning the circumstances and legality of his travel abroad during martial law. Investigators looked at how he managed to sign and send official documents, including to state authorities, while abroad.
By Aug. 9, Dubinsky was informed of suspicion regarding the official forgery under Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, a specific legal prosecution step in Ukraine like an indictment.
The following day, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv imposed a “preventive measure on him in the form of a personal commitment” for a period of 2 months, which included requiring him to wear an electronic bracelet, to avoid any attempt to flee the country. Essentially this placed Dubinsky under house arrest.
On Nov. 10, the DBR reported the completion of the pre-trial investigation against Dubinsky on suspicion of forging documents.
In 2019, investigative journalists at Bihus.info disclosed findings suggesting Dubinsky held numerous apartments and vehicles. The investigators claimed that over a two-year span, the Dubinsky family acquired 24 apartments, 17 cars, including a Maserati and a collection of Mercedes vehicles, two houses, and 70 acres of land. The total estimated value of these assets amounted to $2.5 million, significantly exceeding the family’s official income.
Dubinsky asserted that his properties were acquired legitimately, with income being drawn from his roles as a producer, presenter, and shareholder of the 1+1 TV channel.
This case is just one of several controversies in Dubinsky’s political career, which began after his journalism tenure and before his election as a deputy from a district in the Kyiv region.
In January 2021, Dubinsky, alongside six other Ukrainian citizens, faced US sanctions for disseminating disinformation aimed at influencing the US presidential election. The US State Department alleges he was involved in a “Russia-linked disinformation network” attempting to influence the 2020 election outcome.
In response to the sanctions, the Ukrainian lawmaker stated, “I have never interfered in elections in other countries, including American elections.”
In February 2021, the Servant of the People party in the parliament expelled Dubinsky following the US State Department’s imposition of sanctions against him. While urged to voluntarily leave the party, Dubinsky declined to do so.
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