Interpol detains former Russian lawmaker in Thailand

Interpol, working alongside Thai police, has detained former Primorye region deputy Dmitry Nazarets on the island of Phuket.

He had been evading authorities following a criminal case concerning the illegal export of timber valued at 637 million rubles (at the previous exchange rate).

According to Russian media outlet Mash, Nazarets was apprehended during a routine identity check in a public area. Attempts to flee were unsuccessful. He was restrained, taken to a police station, fingerprinted, and identified as being wanted internationally.

He is currently being held at an Immigration Detention Centre (IDC) and is awaiting deportation to Russia, where he faces criminal charges. Authorities reportedly found two Vanuatu passports in his name but bearing different aliases.

The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office for the Far Eastern Federal District said Nazarets led a group that, between 2016 and 2019, illegally exported timber to China via the company “Primorsky Export”, using falsified documents and sham customs declarations. Shipments were transported by rail and road.

He left Russia in 2022 after authorities began questioning his activities. In 2023, he was stripped of his parliamentary seat due to “prolonged absence from Russian territory and failure to fulfil official duties."

By Aghakazim Guliyev