In 2003 he was elected to the State Duma and joined United Russia. He is one of the architects of
anti-LGBT legislation that bans "promoting LGBT propaganda", saying, "LGBT today is an element of hybrid warfare and in this hybrid warfare we must protect our values, our society and our children," Khinshtein supported the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. On 4 March 2022, the Duma passed a law introducing
prison terms of up to 15 years for spreading "fake news" about Russia's military operation in Ukraine. Khinshtein said the law "concerns all citizens, not only Russian ones, because we are talking about actions against Russia." delegation at the 2nd International Parliamentary Conference “Russia-Africa” in Moscow, 18 March 2023|left On 5 December 2024, Khinshtein was appointed as
acting governor of
Kursk Oblast by President
Vladimir Putin. He was elected governor the following year with 86.9% of the vote. ==Personal life==