February 28, 2026
Theft, mistresses, and U.S. passports: The double lives of the Russian MPs building a “digital GULAG” while preaching “traditional values”
Russian lawmakers are advancing widely unpopular nationwide restrictions on messaging and social media platforms, framing their crackdowns against Telegram, YouTube, Roblox and other services as a defense of “traditional family values” and Russian sovereignty. However, The Insider has discovered that several MPs on the State Duma’s information policy committee openly flout the values they claim to promote, using undeclared income to buy apartments for their mistresses and arranging for their children to secure U.S. birthright citizenship. Most members of the committee maintain undisclosed business interests, with some seeking to profit from Russia’s burgeoning “digital GULAG” by pitching the authorities their own alternatives to foreign messengers and social media platforms.
TL;DR
- Sergei Boyarsky, head of the Duma’s information policy committee, proposed labeling critics of state-backed apps as 'foreign agents' and advocates for censorship to protect 'family values'.
- Boyarsky divorced his wife in June 2024, seemingly connected to the birth of two sons in 2020 and 2024 to Oksana Maslova, who received two apartments valued at 85.5 million rubles.
- Marina Kim, a committee member, supported restrictions on messaging apps and gaming platforms but had two daughters born in the U.S. (Los Angeles and Miami).
- Alexander Yushchenko, previously investigated for staging a divorce to hide property, was confirmed to have traveled to Lake Como with his 'ex-wife' and has a son who has traveled extensively in Europe.
- Oleg Matveychev, a political strategist, allegedly uses his secret wife, Natalya Evseeva, to funnel money from his foundation.
- Anton Gorelkin, first deputy on the committee, is linked to the vodka business through his wife's company and vacations in Dubai despite the 'special military operation'.
- Andrei Svintsov registered a stake in a development company under his wife's name; his wife also paints portraits of prominent figures.
- Anton Nemkin, an FSB Academy graduate on the committee, is linked to IT companies that created the domestic messenger Serafim and the Vladex crypto exchange.
- Vyacheslav Petrov, another committee member, has IT business interests controlled by relatives and views engagement on foreign platforms as 'playing against a card sharp with marked cards'.
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