Pro-Russian MP returned to Ukraine by political agreement to testify against anti-corruption agency detective

Ukrainian online newspaper ZN.UA has reported that Fedir Khrystenko, an MP from the banned pro-Russian Opposition Platform – For Life party who was detained on 6 August, was not extradited from the UAE to Ukraine, but "simply handed over" by political agreement. Khrystenko is reportedly due to give evidence against National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) detective Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, who is being held in a pre-trial detention centre by the Security Service of Ukraine.

Source: ZN.UA with reference to sources

Quote from ZN.UA: "According to our sources, he was not extradited, but simply handed over to the SSU from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This extremely rare solution became possible due to an intervention at the highest political level of these countries – in other words, by political agreement.

According to our sources, Rustem Umierov helped to bring Khrystenko back on behalf of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Our sources said, among other things, that Khrystenko was followed by Oleksandr Poklad, the deputy head of the SSU and head of the Counterintelligence Department, after which Khrystenko ‘voluntarily’ decided to return to Ukraine."

Details: Sources told ZN.UA that Khrystenko is expected to testify against NABU detective Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, who is currently being held in an SSU pre-trial detention centre.

For reference:  On 6 September, the SSU and the Prosecutor General's Office detained Fedir Khrystenko, a member of the 9th convocation of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) from the banned pro-Russian Opposition Platform – For Life party, who was wanted on suspicion of treason.

The investigation suggests that the suspect was recruited by the FSB long before the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and was actively working for the Russian secret services.

The case file says he established "an effective mechanism of influence on the leadership of one of Ukraine's law enforcement agencies".

Background: On 21 July, the Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office announced that they had exposed Khrystenko for treason. The case files indicate that he is a top agent of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and was responsible for increasing Russian influence on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

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