Following United Russia’s primaries, "SVO heroes" implicated in war crimes and ... will go from the regions to the State Duma

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Following United Russia’s primaries, "SVO heroes" implicated in war crimes and the "re-education" of deported Ukrainian children will go from the regions to the State Duma. Some also stood out for scandals in the rearThe candidates for deputy mandates whom United Russia’s pre-election congress will approve will be the winners of the intra-party voting in the districts and those who took the top lines on the party lists. "MO" studied which war participants ended up in the prize positions.

🔺Vladislav Golovin is leading the party list in Kirov Region. He became widely known thanks to the red civilian backpack with which he appeared in propagandists’ reports during the fighting for Mariupol in March 2022; they even wrote a song about him. At the end of May, Golovin stepped on a mine and lost a leg. He gave numerous interviews and received the title Hero of Russia. At the end of 2024, he headed the Yunarmiya headquarters. Ukraine accuses him of the "re-education and militarization" of deported children.

🔺Sergei Kuzminchuk took second place in Kamchatka Krai. He is a career military officer and served in Syria. At the start of the invasion of Ukraine, he commanded a battalion of the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade and advanced on Kyiv. The command of this brigade was accused of killing civilians in Bucha and Irpin (Kuzminchuk’s surname was not mentioned). He received a wound and the title Hero of Russia.

🔺Alexander Surazov, the winner in the single-mandate district of the Altai Republic, became notorious when in December 2023 he returned from the front and together with "war correspondent" Alexander Sladkov brought a brick to the mother of a fallen comrade. Roman Rudakov had left his final message to his family on it. In the end, the stone was installed as a memorial at the military unit of the deceased, and Surazov built a career on Governor Turchak’s team and rose to become sports minister.

🔺In Pskov Region, a loud dispute arose before the primaries between Anton Moroz and Sergei Makarchenko, both listed as "SVO participants." The latter published documents on VK about his participation in the war and suggested Moroz do the same, doubting that he had fought: "So your IQ was high enough to buy yourself a combat veteran ID!" Moroz’s public biography contains neither a military post nor combat awards. But among his positions is vice president of NOSTROY, the company overseeing construction projects in the occupied territories of Ukraine. In the end, Moroz beat Makarchenko: they took 1st and 2nd places.

🔺Military pensioner Alexander Yanklovich won in the Engels district of Saratov Region. He served in the Interior Ministry and the Internal Troops and took part in both Chechen wars. Back in 2002, he was discharged to the reserve for health reasons, but in September 2023 he went to war against Ukraine. Just a year later, he demobilized "due to age" — however, at that moment Colonel Yanklovich was 52 years old, while under the new rules senior officers are supposed to serve until 65.

🔺As "Agentstvo" reported, in Orenburg Region the primaries were won by Nursultan Mussagaleev — Ukraine accuses him of torturing and killing civilians in Bucha.

👇We wrote about war participants who may go to the Duma from Moscow and St. Petersburg here.