Russian MP from ruling party dies during workday after “voting” for 11 bills

The late Russian State Duma lawmaker Mikhail Tarasenko, who passed away yesterday at the age of 77, was registered as having voted on 11 pieces of legislation during a July 22 parliamentary session. Duma records reviewed by BBC News Russian show Tarasenko cast votes between 12:29 p.m. and 1:40 p.m. Moscow time, voting in favor of 10 bills and against one.

Later in the session, Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin informed the Duma that Tarasenko had died.

“Let us honor the memory of our colleague and comrade, who had worked with us in this hall since 2007,” Volodin said, according to Russian state news agency TASS. He added that Tarasenko had been gravely ill and that “the illness proved stronger.”

The BBC noted that Volodin announced Tarasenko’s death shortly after the Duma passed a controversial bill introducing fines for “searching for extremist materials” online. According to the Duma’s records, Tarasenko did not participate in that vote, which took place at 2:08 p.m.

However, the lawmaker’s official voting record does show he backed a bill titled “Denouncing the Convention on Wetlands” and that he also voted legislation allowing the widows of Russian soldiers who died during the invasion of Ukraine to use their late husbands’ vehicles before inheritance procedures are finalized.

Similar cases have occurred in the past. The State Duma has previously explained that MPs who miss sessions due to illness often give their voting cards to their colleagues, who then vote on their behalf. According to BBC News Russian, that is what likely happened with Tarasenko.