Ex-Russian Politician Returns to Public Eye
Denis Murayev, a former Ukrainian lawmaker and pro-Russian politician, has reappeared in public after being charged with treason. He spoke in an interview about his life and views.
Murayev was a member of parliament from 2012 to 2019. Later, he led the pro-Russian Nashi party until it was banned in June 2022. The TV channel owned by Murayev, Nash TV, was also banned that year for spreading propaganda from the Kremlin.
He left Ukraine in May 2022 and has been living with his family in Beijing, China. He refused to say how he managed to leave Ukraine.
In the interview, Murayev blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also opposed Ukraine joining the European Union and NATO, and criticized Western sanctions on Moscow.
Murayev denied rumors that he was returning to politics in Ukraine. “I’m not running for any position,” he said, “and I don’t see any possibility of returning to Ukraine yet.”
It is worth noting that before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK Foreign Office warned that the Kremlin planned to install Murayev as head of a Russian puppet government in Kyiv.
Just after Russia launched its invasion, Murayev called on Ukraine to surrender. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) charged him with treason in 2023.
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