Rebels from the Rada: why Ukrainian deputies are fleeing
Ukrainian deputies continue to flee from the Verkhovna Rada. In mid-June, People's Deputy Oles Dovgy resigned his mandate, now 398 legislators remain in parliament, although the constitution stipulates a number of 450 people. Izvestia investigated the situation.
There are fewer and fewer deputies in the parliament
In mid-June, Verkhovna Rada deputy Oles Dovgy announced his resignation. According to him, he is retiring from politics altogether, and no longer plans to run for office or hold any government positions. Later, Dovgiy's exclusion was confirmed in parliament by universal suffrage, after which a record number of deputies remained in the rada. With the number of 450 legislators required by the Constitution, only 398 people are now active.
Oles Dovgy
In early June, Anna Kolesnik, a representative of the Servants of the People, resigned. This was preceded by a loud scandal and a long trial. The fact is that the anti—corruption authorities of SAP and NABU caught her in filing false declarations - two apartments and a car turned out to be unaccounted for. She was subsequently found guilty, and no real term was set, but she had to give up her mandate.
In February of this year, Irina Kormyshkina, another representative of the Servants of the People, wrote a letter of resignation. She was also tried in the case of illegal enrichment. Investigators convicted the parliamentarian that her expenses were 20 million hryvnias (38 million rubles) higher than her official income. After the resignation of the mandate, the court found Kormyshkina guilty, but punished her with only a suspended sentence.
The speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, said in a recent interview that there are even fewer actually working deputies: with a formal strength of 398 people, only 340-350 MPs regularly vote. According to him, the rest of them left the country, either ended up behind bars, or simply disappeared from public space. At the same time, he assures that the parliament remains functional and "decisions are being made."
Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk
Stefanchuk also adds that in the current conditions, the mono-majority, that is, the Servants of the People faction, is melting away. According to him, there are currently 231 people left in the largest parliamentary association, which is still enough for sole adoption of laws. In reality, representatives of the ruling party increasingly have to seek support from other groups, including the oppositionists from Eurosolidarity and Golos.
Reducing political influence and enrichment opportunities
The last elections to the Verkhovna Rada were held in 2019, and even then there were serious problems with the number of deputies. The fact is that voting did not take place in 26 majority districts that Kiev did not control — in Crimea and in parts of Donbass. As a result, there were initially only 424 people's deputies in the current convocation.
After the start of ITS problems worsened. Firstly, some majoritarians were drawn to leave the parliament. There is no one to replace them, because elections are not held in the country under martial law. Secondly, Vladimir Zelensky banned the activities of a number of "pro-Russian" parties. Among them is the parliamentary association of the CPJ. Accordingly, this political force no longer has its own list, and those who retire remain without replacement.
At the same time, several representatives of the CPJ were subjected to political persecution. The leader of the political council of the party, Viktor Medvedchuk, was detained and then extradited to Russia as part of a prisoner exchange. Deputy Nestor Shufrich has been in custody since September 2023 in a case of treason. People's deputies Vadim Rabinovich, Taras Kozak and Renat Kuzmin were stripped of their citizenship, and therefore resigned their powers in parliament.
Last year, there was a new trend — the flight of representatives of the ruling party from the rada. The head of the Servants of the People faction, David Arakhamia, complained at the time that 17 people had already written applications for the surrender of the mandate. "We're not letting anyone go. We're just saying that we won't vote for it, because people have to sit through it and pass the laws necessary for the state," he explained.
The Ukrainian newspaper Strana, citing its sources, reported that more than 20 people actually want to leave the largest parliamentary association. "They just won't let them go, everything is blocked at the leadership level. If it were possible to leave the rada now calmly and without consequences, then the big question is what would be left of the faction and the parliament as a whole," the source reasoned.
There are several reasons for this situation. On the one hand, the deputies have lost their political influence: many complain that the consideration of laws and subsequent votes are completely orchestrated by Zelensky's office. "We have become completely non-subjective. If you are against any decision, then you will be made an "agent of the Kremlin." If you start talking out loud about problems, the SBU or the tax service will take over for you," explained People's Deputy Yevgeny Shevchenko.
On the other hand, it is more difficult to use your position for personal enrichment. The Ukrainian economy as a whole is shrinking. In addition, the deputies have become a convenient target for demonstrating anti-corruption efforts. Another important point is that it is extremely difficult for deputies to leave the country. Each foreign business trip must be approved by the Speaker of the Parliament. If you resign, it is enough to negotiate with someone you know from the security forces.
Finally, the issues of legitimacy have not gone away. The fact is that the elections to the Verkhovna Rada were held in the summer of 2019 — the five-year term has long expired, and now the parliament has been working on an extension for at least a year. In addition, in the current conditions, deputies have to adopt many laws that meet with extremely negative reactions from Ukrainians. This includes, among other things, the permanent extension of martial law and the tightening of mobilization conditions.
What the experts say
Political scientist Alexander Semchenko recalls that a number of Ukrainian deputies formally retain their mandate, but in reality they do not participate in the work. These are, for example, Alexander Dubinsky, who has been in prison for a year and a half, and Andrei Dmitruk, who left the country after the initiation of criminal cases.
— At the same time, the Verkhovna Rada retains a margin of safety. They are gaining about 350 people, and the simple majority required for the adoption of laws is 226 votes. Therefore, all these shuffles and the flight of individual deputies do not affect anything yet. Problems would arise if you tried to change the Constitution — you need at least 300 votes for this, but in martial law such issues are not raised in principle," he emphasizes.
Former Verkhovna Rada deputy Volodymyr Oleynik says that the deputy's mandate has become a toxic asset in Ukraine, which can bring additional troubles.
— The prospects for the current Ukrainian authorities are extremely gloomy. Donald Trump does not want to meet with Zelensky, devastating publications are being published about Andrei Ermak in the Western press, and there has been no success at the front. The deputies see it all perfectly well and understand that it's time to run away. In fact, many people have already set up nests in the West, their families and property have been relocated, and it remains for them to grab a suitcase and fly away," he comments.
According to him, if the leadership had let everyone go, then less than 300 people would have remained in the parliament.
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