Ex-Ukrainian MP suspected of treason is free under SBU surveillance after plea deal

Sources told the outlet that Khrystenko's health deteriorated significantly during his time in pre-trial detention.

"He had a serious spinal condition that required constant movement and hours-long walks throughout the day, which could not be provided in detention conditions," an unnamed source explained.

The source also said Khrystenko was subjected to "intensive interrogations" at the SBU's Main Investigative Directorate, often conducted personally by directorate chief Andriy Shvets.

The SBU declined to comment on the case, saying only: "We cannot be of any assistance."

In December 2025, Kyiv's Pecherskyi Court approved Khrystenko's guilty plea. The court's press office did not disclose when exactly the agreement was finalized or what sentence he received.

Background on the Khrystenko case

Khrystenko left Ukraine before Russia's full-scale invasion and lived in the United Arab Emirates. On July 21, 2025 — the same day law enforcement conducted dozens of searches at NABU offices — he was charged. He was placed on a wanted list on Aug. 13.

Investigators believe Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) recruited Khrystenko during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych. The SBU identified him as a liaison for Armen Sarkisyan — also known as Armen Horlivskyi — a Russian collaborator killed in a Moscow explosion, and said he maintained close contact with an FSB handler and overseer of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic," Yuriy Ivanyushchenko, known as Yura Yenakiyivskyi.

According to the investigation, Khrystenko had close ties to members of NABU's leadership, including Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, a head of one of NABU's interregional detective divisions who was himself suspected of conducting business with Russia and maintaining contacts with Russian nationals.

The SBU also reported that searches of Khrystenko's residence uncovered NABU materials containing official and confidential information. Among the personal files found were records on Mahamedrasulov and a profile of former NABU detective Tymur Arshavin, who fled Ukraine in 2024 through unofficial border crossings and has not returned.

On Sept. 6, 2025, the SBU and the Office of the Prosecutor General detained Khrystenko on Ukrainian soil. Newspaper Dzerkalo Tyzhnia reported at the time, citing sources, that Khrystenko was transferred to Ukraine from the UAE through a high-level political arrangement rather than through formal extradition procedures.