Up to 15 years in prison and confiscation of property: the court arrested ex-MP Novinsky in absentia for high treason and cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church

The Pechersky District Court of Kyiv has ruled to arrest in absentia Vadym Novinsky, a former MP from the banned pro-Russian Opposition Bloc party.

This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation.

According to the investigation, Novinsky has been spreading pro-Russian narratives for many years, justifying the Kremlin’s aggression and forming anti-government sentiments in Ukrainian society. His activities, as noted by law enforcement agencies, were coordinated directly by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill (Gundyaev). According to investigators, the suspect worked in Ukraine in the interests of a foreign religious organization.

Comprehensive examinations confirmed that his public speeches and media activity were of a subversive nature. Novinsky is charged with crimes for violating the equality of citizens. He faces up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, Novinsky resigned from his parliamentary mandate and left Ukraine, explaining this by “focusing on humanitarian and church issues.” However, as investigators indicate, he continued to exert informational influence in favor of Russia.

He was seen abroad many times: in Croatia, at services in the largest Russian Orthodox church in Zurich, and in Jerusalem while receiving the Holy Fire.

In July 2022, Novinsky lost his parliamentary mandate, and later the National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions against him for his close ties with the UOC-MP. He tried to appeal this decision in the courts, but in parallel, the Pechersk court issued a decision to seize his property.

Now, in addition to the sanctions and property pressure, a decision on arrest in absentia has been added, which opens the way to possible extradition if he is detained abroad.

Let us recall that back in 2023, according to materials from the Security Service , new assets of pro-Russian oligarch Vadim Novinsky, who is involved in aiding the aggressor country, were arrested , their total value is over 10.5 billion hryvnias.

It is known that, according to the materials of the Security Service, 18 million cubic meters of gas were seized, which the companies of pro-Russian oligarch Vadym Novinsky stored in the storage facilities of JSC Ukrtransgaz and tried to alienate in favor of third parties in order to avoid NSDC sanctions.

By the way, to avoid sanctions from the National Security and Defense Council, oligarch and former People’s Deputy of the People’s Party of Ukraine Vadym Novinsky tried to re-register his own industrial facilities to several affiliated commercial structures.

Earlier, businessman Vadym Novinsky decided to resign as a People’s Deputy of Ukraine . He explained his decision by the war and the occupation of Mariupol.

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