A member of the Russian State Duma representing the United Russia party, who became a lawmaker for the first time in 1999. He voted for recognizing the independence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics. Alisher Usmanov is his business partner. Mr. Skoch, through his relatives, owns 30% stake of the USM Holdings, and controls the Vnukovo airport. He was numerously mentioned as a leader of the Solntsevskaya Bratva crime group.

He is number 21 on the Russian Forbes 2021 list.

In October of 2022, an association of war veterans of Afghanistan in the Belgorod regions, with support of Mr. Skoch, issued a leaflet Live, Fight, Win for mobilized Russian soldiers which, among other things, says that Ukraine and NATO countries are enemies Russia is fighting “to save people from genocide of Ukraine and Western politicians.”