On May 14, the Office of the Prosecutor General announced the choice of a mandatory detention without bail for a Member of Parliament who received a second suspicion of treason on May 5. The name was not mentioned in the official statement, but Oleksandr Dubinsky himself confirmed it on his Telegram channel — and immediately called the case politically motivated.
What the investigation claims
According to the investigation, Dubinsky systematically distributed materials in favor of Russia through Telegram, Facebook and Instagram: discrediting Ukraine's leadership, fake stories about "interference by Ukrainian officials in the 2019 US elections," and content designed to undermine mobilization. These are not isolated posts — the investigation qualifies the actions as participation in a criminal organization.
The key detail that distinguishes this suspicion from previous ones: the investigation claims the network was formed by Deputy Chief of the GRU Vladimir Alekseyev. Dubinsky appears in it under the operational alias "Buratino." Also involved are former Member of Parliament Andriy Derkach (fled abroad before the full-scale invasion, suspected of treason in absentia) and former Prosecutor Kostyantyn Kulik with the callsign "Ptichka," who is also in hiding abroad.
"I managed an agent network created by the Deputy Chief of the GRU Vladimir Alekseyev, which included Kulik — 'Ptichka,' Dubinsky — 'Buratino,' Derkach"
— Igor Kolesnikov, former assistant to Derkach, convicted of treason
Kolesnikov is the only one of these four who is already serving his sentence. His testimony became one of the basic elements in cases against the other network participants.
Chronology explaining the "second" suspicion
Dubinsky's first suspicion of treason — November 2023, for the same information-subversive activity in favor of Russia. In parallel, he faces another case — organizing the illegal departure of men of draft age abroad, sent to court in January 2025. The current, third suspicion as of May 5, 2025 — regarding new episodes of spreading narratives and undermining mobilization — provided grounds for a new, separate arrest.
Notably, as early as August 2025, the media recorded a paradoxical situation: Dubinsky headed a subcommittee of the Verkhovna Rada on financial matters for a year and a half — from a pre-trial detention facility. He did not resign from his parliamentary mandate, and the procedure for stripping a mandate in wartime remains a loophole in Ukrainian legislation.
The defense's argument and its limits
Dubinsky consistently argues: the prosecution is revenge for criticism of the government. This argument has a certain audience — some of his followers view the case that way. The problem is that sanctions against him were introduced by the US Department of the Treasury back in January 2021 — long before the full-scale war and the current presidency. The American side directly stated: Dubinsky and Kulik coordinated the spread of disinformation against Biden during the 2020 elections.
- First suspicion of treason — November 2023
- Case regarding illegal departure of men abroad — sent to court in January 2025
- US sanctions — from January 2021, remain in effect
- Second suspicion of treason (new episodes) — May 5, 2025
- Mandatory arrest on it — May 14, 2025
Two of the three network members — Derkach and Kulik — are outside Ukraine and beyond the reach of the court. If Dubinsky's case reaches a verdict, it will be the first judicial precedent for this group of four on Ukrainian territory. The question is whether the prosecution will withstand scrutiny in court — or will it stall at the pre-trial detention facility level, as has happened in other high-profile cases.
