While Ukraine is in the process of the so-called "de-communization", and the local Communist Party is banned, ex-MPs from the Russian Communist Party are trying to get a political asylum and a residence permit in Ukraine. In December 2016, Ukrainian media reported on the evacuation of  former State Duma deputy, Denis Voronenkov, and his wife, another Duma deputy, Maria Maksakova, to Kiev. Ms. Maksakova was considered a favorite of the former chairman of the State Duma, Sergey Naryshkin. Since Naryshkin was appointed director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, through Maksakova Ukrainian special services and their supervisors from NATO countries can obtain a unique operational information.

Denis Voronenkov from 1995 to 1999 served in the Military Prosecutor's Office, he was a senior reviewer in the State Duma and the lawyer of United Russia party since 2000. In Parliament, the future husband of Mary Maksakova had a reputation as "decision maker". After becoming the adviser to the general director of the Judicial Department under the Supreme Court, Alexander Gusev in 2001, Voronenkov organized a profitable business lobbying decisions of the courts and authorities. In April 2001, the member of the judicial department Voronenkov was arrested while receiving $10 thousand in cash from the organizer of the Museum of History of Russian chocolate. In that case, investigators wanted to interrogate Gusev, which was unacceptable for both Gusev and the chairman of the Supreme Court Vyacheslav Lebedev. They defended Voronenkov, and on 30 July 2001 the case was closed.

In order to avoid doubts about the loyalty to Ukraine, the nominee of Alexander Gusev and Vyacheslav Lebedev got actively involved in the investigation of local business of President Viktor Yanukovych. The Ukrainian prosecutors accuse him of treason.

The fact that Denis Voronenkov, who failed to be re-elected to the State Duma of the seventh convocation from the Communist Party, testified against Yanukovych, was announced by the prosecutor general of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko. The process on that case could begin in Kiev in March, while in February the GPO plans to complete all investigations.

Communist Voronenkov confirmed the testimony previously given by another former Russian MP, Liberal Left Ilya Ponomarev, to escape from Russia, who tried to earn cash on the organization of state censorship of Russian Internet before fleeing from the country. In the summer of 2016, Voronenkov's colleague obtained a Ukrainian residence permit. This winter, Ponomarev met with the Chief Military Prosecutor of Ukraine Anatoly Matios. He told the investigators about the alleged agreements between Mr Yanukovych and Russian leaders, according to Kommersant.

According to Lutsenko, Ukraine "questioned the two deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. They suggest that the mechanism of entry of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine was initiated by the Kremlin in December, when Maidan activists were still standing in the center of Kiev. During the visit, Vladislav Surkov in December [2013] already talked about the possibility of a military invasion."

According to a source close to the GPO, Denis Voronenkov "took the initiative himself, went to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko and gave evidence in the case of Yanukovych." As a result of discussions with the ward of Alexander Gusev,  Lutsenko indicted Yanukovych a treason accusation, which consisted in the fact that the ex-president allegedly invited Russian troops to Ukraine.

Now the Russian Investigative Committee suspects Voronenkov and his friends from the FSB of involvement in the theft of a building in Moscow downtown. The Investigative Committee tried to ensure Voronenkov's deprivation of parliamentary immunity. As reported by the media, to seize the building, and later evade responsibility, Voronenkov was helped by his personal connections with Alexander Gusev and his wife's friendship with Sergey Naryshkin.

Now Maksakova continues to visit Russia reglarly, where she played at the Mariinsky Theatre. Ukrainian authorities have previously denied entry to the State Duma deputies who voted for the annexation of the Crimea to Russia. But Voronenkov and Maksakova didn't fall under the ban due to the agent-operational reasons.