Ukraine’s National Police suspects a deputy of the Russian State Duma [the lower house of Parliament] of infringing on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the press service of the National Police reports.
The suspect of the pre-trial investigation is a Russian politician born in 1968 in the city of Mariupol. According to law enforcement agents, he currently holds the position of a State Duma deputy.
“Before the start of the full-scale invasion, [this person], as a deputy of the current convocation of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, voted among other deputies to permit the deployment of troops to the Ukrainian territory,” the statement reads.
It was also established during the investigation that the man in question was awarded the medal For Courage and the “combat” medal For Liberating Mariupol by order of the “head” of the self-proclaimed Donetsk “people’s republic” (“DPR”) Denis Pushhilin. Both medals were awarded this year.
“During the pre-trial investigation, eight searches were conducted. During these [searches], original documents proving the suspect has 11 flats in Kyiv were discovered and seized,” the press service claims. The question of arresting these properties is currently being dealt with.
Ukraine’s media outlet Strana reports that the description fits the State Duma deputy for the United Russia political party, Dmitry Sablin.
Photo: Dmitry Sablin / The State Duma website
The State Duma website states that he was born on 5 September 1968; according to Wikipedia, he was born in Mariupol. The United Russia website states that Sablin was awarded with the “DPR” medals For Courage and For Liberating Mariupol on 25 July 2022.
Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti reports that “after media reports about alleged searches conducted in his Kyiv flats, Sablin said that he has no properties there”.
