As the Komsomolskaya Pravda Ryazan publication reported on May 11th, Ryazan legislator Nikita Usachev left for Ukraine just two days prior to his scheduled trial for fraud. The investigation alleged that Usachev had falsified documents in order to receive compensation.
On May 9th, Nikita Usachev, a member of the Ryazan regional Duma, announced on social media that he had traveled to Ukraine as a volunteer. However, just two days later, on May 11th, he was due to appear in court for an appeal hearing in a criminal case involving large-scale fraud. The investigation claims that Usachev had submitted false documents to obtain compensation for expenses. The court found him guilty in 2022, but Usachev appealed the decision.
Usachev is one of at least three elected officials to join a conflict in Ukraine following a public scandal or criminal case. Rustyam Abushayev, the mayor of Bolshoi Kamen, had been wanted by police for land fraud when he fled to Ukraine to join the war. The court subsequently canceled his arrest. Maxim Vasiliev, a Kursk legislator, delivered humanitarian aid to Donbas after a scandal caused by his New Year video in which he was drinking beer in Mexico. He was criticized by his subscribers for his lack of patriotism.
