Former Ukrainian pro-Russian lawmaker Yevheniy Murayev published a two-hour propaganda interview on Jan. 17, marking his first public appearance after almost three years of Russia's full-scale war.
Murayev was a lawmaker between 2012 and 2019, and later led the pro-Russian Nashi party until it was banned in June 2022. He also was the owner of Nash TV channel, which was banned in 2022 for spreading the Kremlin's propaganda.
Murayev fled Ukraine in May 2022. He said in the interview that he lived in Beijing with his family. He refused to say how he managed to leave Ukraine.
In the interview, Murayev parroted Russian propaganda, blaming President Volodymyr Zelensky for Russia's all-out invasion. The ex-lawmaker opposed Ukraine's EU and NATO accession and criticized Western sanctions imposed on Moscow.
He said that his reappearance is not related to the post-war elections, which have been the subject of speculations in Ukraine in recent months.
"I'm not running for any position, and I don't see any possibility of returning to Ukraine yet. At least in the short term," Murayev said.
Shortly before the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.K. Foreign Office warned that the Kremlin intends to install Murayev as the head of the Russian puppet regime in Kyiv.
A day after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Murayev called on Kyiv to capitulate.
In the summer of 2023, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) charged Murayev with high treason.
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
