You may have seen the Kyiv Post report earlier – here’s a follow up with some more background
A Kyiv court ordered a 60-day detention for Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Dubinsky on Tuesday. Dubinsky will be held on suspicion of treason. The politician is known for being on the US sanctions list, his connections to former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his vocal criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the SBU, Ukraine’s security service, Dubinsky is a member of a criminal enterprise funded by Russian military intelligence. His charges include cooperating with the Russian intelligence community to undermine Ukraine’s war efforts.
On Monday, Ukraine’s security service conducted a search of Dubinsky’s home to “collect evidence” of the treason. The SBU alleged that under the codename “Buratino”, Dubinsky spread Russian narratives and disinformation in exchange for money. The security service named the deputy head of Russia’s GRU, Vladimir Alekseev, as the leader of the Russian side of the operation.
Specifically, the SBU points to a press conference given by Dubinsky in 2019. In the press conference, Dubinsky and an associate claimed to have uncovered a corrupt money-laundering scheme. They alleged the scheme implicated Burisma, a gas company where Hunter Biden once sat on the board of directors. Other claims from Dubinsky included allegations that US investment funds were being laundered through Ukraine.
On his Telegram page, Dubinsky denied the allegations, calling them “completely fabricated”. Instead, Dubinsky claims he is being punished for criticizing Zelensky and his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak.
Source:
and in the Guardian
Ukraine MP linked to Rudy Giuliani charged with colluding with Russia
Ukrainian authorities have arrested a controversial MP who was at the heart of efforts by Rudy Giuliani to dig up compromising material about Joe Biden, and placed him in pre-trial detention.
Oleksandr Dubinsky, 42, is accused of collusion with Russia and of spreading “fake” information about Ukraine’s political and military leadership, in particular related to his claims about supposed Ukrainian interference in US political processes.
Ukrainian authorities announced the charges on Monday, and on Tuesday Dubinsky appeared in court in Kyiv, in a closed session.
Later, the politician himself published a video on his Telegram account saying he had been sent to pre-trial detention for 60 days. He faces up to 15 years in jail if found guilty.
