Former Council member Derkach was appointed a senator in Russia

The governor of the Astrakhan region of Russia, Ihor Babushkin, appointed Andriy Derkach, a former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, as a senator from the region.

According to the Russian publication “Meduza”, Babushkin signed the decree appointing 57-year-old Andrii Derkach, who has been a member of the Ukrainian parliament for more than 20 years, as a senator on September 12, but the media only noticed it now.

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Andrii Derkach has not appeared in the Verkhovna Rada. His parliamentary powers were terminated. Before the Great War, Derkach was a frequent guest on TV channels associated with Putin’s godfather Viktor Medvedchuk. His speeches echoed narratives actively promoted by Russian propaganda, in particular, about “external governance”.​

In 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy terminated Ukrainian citizenship for Andrii Derkach. He is wanted.

In August of last year, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced that they had completed the investigation on suspicion of treason and illegal enrichment against the former People’s Deputy.

“In July 2022, during a series of searches, NABU and SAP discovered and seized materials that testified to the long-term subversive activities of the people’s deputy, his constant connections with representatives of the aggressor state and collaborators,” the NABU noted. Derkach did not comment on the accusation.

In July 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine reported that law enforcement officers detained the head of security for Deputy Derkach on suspicion of illegal storage of ammunition (several hand grenades and cartridges for rifled firearms were seized from him).

Before that, in June, the SBU announced the disclosure of the GRU intelligence network of Russia, which included People’s Deputy of Ukraine Andriy Derkach. According to the investigation, the deputy oversaw the creation of a number of private security companies in various regions in order to use these structures for a quick takeover of Ukraine. He himself did not comment on it.

In addition, in 2020, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions against Derkach. The department explained this step by its involvement in the interference in the 2020 election process in the USA. Derkach called this decision “revenge” on the part of American politicians.

The US also accuses Derkach of money laundering and violation of imposed sanctions.