Ukrainian MP Fedir Khrystenko Forfeits Seat as Treason Conviction Upheld

MP Fedir Khrystenko Loses Parliamentary Mandate

According to Главком: Ukrainian lawmaker Fedir Khrystenko has been stripped of his parliamentary seat after his conviction for state treason was finalized. Under Article 81 of the Ukrainian Constitution, a deputy's mandate is terminated early if a guilty verdict against them comes into legal force. Khrystenko, an independent MP, was originally elected to the Verkhovna Rada from a single-mandate district in Donetsk Oblast, representing the now-banned Opposition Platform - For Life party.

The verdict against Khrystenko, confirmed by Kyiv's Pechersky District Court in early December 2025, relates to charges of state treason committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons under martial law, along with abuse of influence. The full text of the court's ruling is currently sealed in the judicial register. Since the 9th convocation of the Verkhovna Rada began in late August 2019, a total of 64 deputies have now lost their seats.

Other Deputies Who Have Lost Their Mandates

In addition to Khrystenko, MP Andriy Odarchenko has also lost his mandate following a bribery conviction. Another deputy, Anatoliy Hunko, a member of the parliamentary group 'Restoration of Ukraine,' received a verdict on February 9, 2026, which has also taken legal effect; he was taken into custody directly in the courtroom.

Fedir Khrystenko left Ukraine on February 14, 2022, following instructions from Russian contacts with whom he had been in communication since the autumn of 2014. In March 2022, Russian political leadership tasked him with gathering information on Ukraine's socio-political situation and its international relations. He met with a Russian handler in Turkey in August 2024 and February 2025, during which he passed on information concerning Ukraine's domestic political climate and the positions of the President and other high-ranking officials regarding peace negotiations and international aid. This case highlights the ongoing challenges Ukraine faces with internal security during wartime.

This incident is yet another indicator of the complex political landscape in Ukraine, where the number of deputies who have left the 9th convocation of the Verkhovna Rada continues to rise.

The events surrounding Fedir Khrystenko underscore the gravity of state treason allegations and the legal challenges Ukraine confronts under martial law and in its anti-corruption efforts. The loss of parliamentary mandates may influence the country's political dynamics, particularly amid a protracted war and the need to build a resilient political system.