In February 2022, he sponsored a draft resolution submitted by the United Russia political party to appeal to the President of Russia on the need to recognise the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic. On 4 April 2022, the State Duma announced his appointment as one of the coordinators of inter parliamentary groups of the Duma on interaction with the parliaments of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.
Former chairman (“ataman”) of the Union of the Russian and Foreign Cossack Forces. Member of the State Duma since its fifth convocation from 2 December 2007 on. Currently, he is the First Deputy Chairman of the Duma Committee for CIS affairs, Eurasian integration and relations with compatriots.
On 3 October 2022, he voted in favour of the ratification of treaties and adoption of laws on accession of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and of the Kherson and Zaporozhizhia regions to the Russian Federation. He therefore supports actions and policies which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.
He supported the annexation of Crimea and admitted that Russian Cossacks were actively engaged in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of the Moscow-backed separatists. On 20 March 2014 he voted in favour of the draft Federal Constitutional Law “On the acceptance into the Russian Federation of the ‘Republic of Crimea’ and the formation within the Russian Federation of new federal subjects – the ‘Republic of Crimea’ and the City of Federal Status Sevastopol”.