Former Regional politician Derkach, accused of treason, has joined the Defense Committee of the Federation Council of Russia.

This information was obtained from the website of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation.

It is noted that the authority of the member of the Defense Committee was granted to him back in September of this year, and it will remain in effect until 2029.

As a reminder, earlier Andrey Derkach was appointed senator from the Astrakhan region in Russia.

What is the Federation Council?

This is the upper chamber of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation — the parliament of Russia. It includes two representatives from each of the 89 subjects of Russia, and recently also from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Today, the Federation Council is headed by Valentina Matvienko — a native of the Khmelnytskyi region.

More about Derkach

Derkach has been a people's deputy of Ukraine since 1998. He is the son of a KGB general and studied at the Academy of the Federal Security Service of Russia, where he defended his candidate dissertation.

He holds a PhD in Law and is an associate professor at the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

In December 2019, Derkach met with Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani. As a result of the impeachment investigation, it became known that Giuliani was one of the curators of the so-called informal channel of American foreign policy regarding Ukraine. This channel attempted to pressure the newly elected Ukrainian government to announce (and possibly initiate) investigations against Burisma and the Bidens — both senior and junior.

In 2020, the United States imposed personal sanctions against Derkach for interfering in their electoral process. The U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center indicated that Andrey Derkach could be used by the Russian side to interfere in the presidential elections in the U.S.

In June 2022, the SBU exposed a Russian agent network that was supposed to assist the occupiers in capturing Ukraine. According to the investigation, among others, Andrey Derkach was involved. The deputy was declared wanted, and the investigating judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court granted permission for Derkach's detention. The court selected a measure of restraint for the deputy in absentia — detention.

At the same time, the Federal Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn released an indictment against the people's deputy of Ukraine. Derkach is accused of a number of financial crimes for which he faces up to 30 years behind bars.

In January 2023, Zelensky deprived Andrey Derkach of citizenship based on materials prepared by the Security Service and the State Migration Service. Later, the Verkhovna Rada stripped Derkach of his mandate.