Yuriy Boyko apologises to Ukrainians after interrogation by SSU and recognises Vladimir Putin as a war criminal

Yuriy Boyko speaking to journalists after an extraordinary session of the Verkhovna Rada on the first day of the full-scale invasion.Photo: BBC.

On 17 December 2024, the former co-chair of the banned pro-Russian party OPFL, Yuriy Boyko, released a video apology in which he repented for his previous pro-Russian statements. In the video message, Boyko stressed that he did not want his words to be used by the Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin to justify aggression against Ukraine. The politician also said that he considers Putin a war criminal, Time Ukraine Israel reported, citing LIGA.net.

“I definitely don’t want my statement to be used by the Russian Federation and war criminal Putin to justify an attack on our country. If any of the Ukrainians who are fighting at the front or working in the rear for our victory were offended by my words, I want to apologise,” Boyko said in his video.

This act was the result of a new summons to the Security Service of Ukraine, where he was interrogated after his controversial statements. On the morning of 17 December, it became known that law enforcement agencies had launched an investigation into Boyko’s possible pro-Russian statements and his role in promoting pro-Russian propaganda.

Boyko’s statements made the day before caused a wide response in political circles. In his previous video, the MP said that “radicals” in Ukraine were allegedly changing street names, dismantling monuments and restricting the right to speak Russian. Such statements were perceived as part of pro-Russian rhetoric that contradicts Ukraine’s state policy.

Both the President’s Office and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine reacted to this. Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Olena Kondratiuk said that the parliament could consider depriving all members of the OPFL of their parliamentary mandates and providing a legal assessment of Boyko’s statements, which resemble Russian propaganda.