A former member of the Federation Council from the Novosibirsk region has reportedly joined the special military operation in Ukraine after being released from prison. He was serving time in an Irkutsk colony on fraud and bribery convictions.

According to a source familiar with the situation, the ex-politician signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense to participate in the operation.

In November 2023, he was sentenced to five years in a strict regime colony for multiple offenses. These included fraud, giving bribes, and receiving bribes.

The investigation revealed that he fraudulently arranged for his daughter and daughter-in-law to be employed as assistants to a deputy of the Legislative Assembly. For two years, the women received regular salaries despite not performing any actual work.

He also received a bribe exceeding one million rubles from the same deputy, allegedly in exchange for facilitating his appointment as deputy chairman of the commission on ecology in the regional Legislative Assembly.

Furthermore, in 2022, the former senator bribed a police official to avoid administrative charges for drunk driving. The bribe consisted of a bouquet of roses, wine, and sweets.