A new inter-factional parliamentary association called "Defense and Development" has been created in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. It is headed by MP Mykola Zadorozhny, a defendant in high-profile criminal proceedings on suspicion of receiving a bribe.
The association was mainly composed of representatives of the Servant of the People faction, including Mykola Galushko, Anton Shvachko, and Andriy Boblyakh. Among the participants was also Bohdan Torokhtiy, a deputy who was expelled from the faction in 2022 after a scandal involving a vacation in Bulgaria during the war. He later joined the For the Future parliamentary group.
The public's attention is also drawn to the activities of Torokhtia's wife. She is a consultant to the parliament's agricultural committee, but during the war, as journalists found out, she actively replenished her car fleet, fur collection, and flaunted luxurious vacations, including in Mauritius.
The creation of a new parliamentary association, which allegedly focuses on defense and development, raises many questions, given the background of some of its participants. However, no specific initiatives or plans of this association have been announced at this time.
According to our sources, the very fact of the emergence of such an association may be part of an attempt to politically rehabilitate those involved in the scandals, as well as a search for new influence in domestic political processes under the guise of "defense" initiatives.
