Australia’s number one Putin fanboy – who has been hiding from police charges in Sydney’s Russian Consulate – has been granted Russian citizenship by Russia's boss for his “special services to the motherland.”
Simeon Boikov, the self-styled “Aussie Cossack” who promotes Kremlin narratives and conspiracy theories and divisiveness in Australian domestic politics, was granted Russian citizenship by Presidential decree on Wednesday.
Since January, Boikov, 32, has been holed up inside a Russian diplomatic facility in Sydney’s affluent eastern suburbs to avoid assault charges laid by the New South Wales (NSW) police.
The assault charges stem from an incident last December, where Boikov allegedly caused a 76-year-old man to fall down a staircase backwards, sustaining a head injury, at a pro-Ukraine demonstration near Sydney’s Town Hall.
The granting of the citizenship by Moscow may be an attempt for Boikov, a previously convicted criminal, to avoid charges by travelling to Russia.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko called the development “cynical and disrespectful”.
“It is typical of the Putin pariah regime – which granted Boikov citizenship on an urgent basis – to show further disregard for Australian law and processes. It’s truly cynical and disrespectful to try to sneak a convicted and suspected criminal – who has been interfering in Australian domestic politics – out of the country,” Myroshnychenko said.
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Myroshnychenko urged authorities to consider Boikov’s behavior under the nation’s foreign interference laws, according to The Australian newspaper.
“He is using a foreign mission to organize political protests within Australia,” the Ambassador said.
“This could be interpreted as a malign foreign influence.”
Russia’s Ambassador to Australia Dr Alex Pavlovsky has previously refused to silence or evict Boikov for promoting divisive rallies against Constitutional recognition of Australia’s indigenous people.
Boikov has previously indicated that he considers his impact on the “enemy state” of Australia to be more powerful than a Russian “spetsnaz” battalion. He has in the past proudly met with Igor Girkin, who is charged with the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine during which 38 Australians died. Boikov claims to have travelled to the Donbas region, and undertaken weapons training with Russian forces.
Yesterday, Boikov told The Australian that he is “honored” to have been granted citizenship by Vladimir Putin and declared his commitment to serving “the motherland."
He also told journalists that he did not intend to renounce his Australian citizenship – even though Russian law does not allow for dual citizenship – because “an exception had been made in his case because of special services to the Russian Federation."
The Australian reported that Boikov was “extremely thankful” to President Putin, and renewed his call to be allowed to leave Australia for Moscow in a prisoner swap for a Western hostage.
“I’m happy to be swapped for anyone. (Journalist Evan) Gershkovich from the Wall Street Journal, for example,” Boikov said.
His name was listed among 41 foreign-born applicants granted Russian citizenship on Wednesday in recognition of their “service to the motherland”.
The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Australian Federal Police and the NSW Police declined to comment in response to media inquiries about the granting of citizenship to Boikov and its possible implications.
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Comments (2)
As usual, AU authorities are too soft on many things. If he's wanted by NSW cops for common assault, and the consulate refuses to hand him over, that consulate should have been shut down ages ago. Let Russians travel to the Embassy in Canberra for their dealings.
If he’s so desperate to get to Russia, why not facilitate it? Take him to the Ukrainian side of the front line, and say “go that way”. More than he deserves, frankly.