Editor's note: The story is being updated.
A former lawmaker of the banned pro-Russian Party of Regions, who is suspected of financially contributing to Russian aggression, was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) while attempting to flee the country, the SBU said on April 10.
The man reportedly became a member of the Bakhmut city council member in 2020 for another banned pro-Russian party, Opposition Platform — For Life.
After Russia seized the region, the official cooperated with occupation authorities and re-registered his internet provider company under Russian jurisdiction, the SBU said.
He is suspected of financially contributing to Russian aggression through taxes and fees paid by his company to Russian authorities, according to the SBU.
The 60-year-old suspect was detained near a border crossing in Odesa Oblast and faces a prison sentence if convicted. The SBU did not reveal his identity.
According to Ukrainska Pravda's sources, the suspect in question is Vladyslav Lukianov, a native of Kostantynivka in Donetsk Oblast who sat in the parliament between 2006 and 2014 and had been a member of the Party of Regions since 2007.
The Kyiv Independent reached out to the SBU for confirmation but has not received a response at the time of the publication.
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