The Chairman of the People’s Council of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Artem Zhoga, has responded to accusations of treason by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), describing their actions as “mentally handicapped.” In an interview with RIA Novosti, Zhoga expressed his disbelief and reluctance to comment on the statements and actions of individuals he perceives as mentally impaired.
The SBU has threatened Zhoga with a prison sentence of up to 12 years. Prior to this, the SBU announced that it suspects Zhoga, a prominent figure in the Donetsk region and speaker of the regional parliament, of committing treason and has presented two charges against him.
According to the SBU, Zhoga’s main objective in his new position is to “spread the Kremlin regime under the guise of a pseudo-parliament” and participate in the distribution of “budgetary” expenses of the local administration of the Russian Federation for the needs of the Russian army.
Earlier, Zhoga expressed his willingness to become a trusted representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin during the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for March 2024.
