State Duma Aides Dismissed Over Allegations of Selling Access to Legislative Discussions

Fifteen assistants from Russia’s State Duma have been dismissed following an internal probe that revealed their involvement in selling access to parliamentary roundtable discussions, as reported by the RBC news outlet on Monday, citing two informed sources.

The Speaker of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, a member of the ruling United Russia party, disclosed the investigation during a private session last Wednesday, according to the newspaper Vedomosti.

The inquiry found that the aides in question were offering paid opportunities for participation in State Duma roundtables to external individuals and business entities, thereby commodifying access to events that are intended to be free and transparent.

RBC’s sources indicated that the dismissed aides were associated with Andrei Svintsov and Kaplan Panesh of the far-right Liberal Democratic Party, Roza Chemeris of the centrist New People party, and Yevgeny Fyodorov of United Russia.

Svintsov confirmed to RBC that twelve of his unpaid staff members had been let go, but he claimed this action was part of a standard annual turnover of volunteers.

Chemeris stated she had personally terminated her aide’s position due to «shattered nerves,» while Fyodorov refuted any connection to the dismissal of his aide.

All three legislators asserted that they were not aware of any scheme involving paid access.

The controversy came to light last week when New People lawmaker Sardana Avksentyeva reported seeing a Telegram message promoting paid participation in a State Duma roundtable, allegedly linked to a little-known business organization.

Avksentyeva mentioned that the group, known as the World Entrepreneurs Alliance, had held a business roundtable at the State Duma last month and planned further events focusing on healthcare in December and psychology in January.