[4] Following the start of the War in Donbas, Zhoga and his son Vladimir joined the pro-Russian separatist forces and enlisted in the Sparta Battalion, becoming close friends with its commander Arsen Pavlov.

[5] On 9 May 2022 for Victory Day, Zhoga met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow where his late son's Hero of the Russian Federation award was presented to him.

[6][7][8] On 30 September 2022, he was seen present in the front-row seating during Vladimir Putin's signing ceremony in Moscow Kremlin's St. George's Hall for the Russian Annexation of Southern and Eastern Ukraine.

Called "FATHERS OF DONBASS" he described it as "A series about the strong spirit of people who resist global Nazism and win this difficult fight.

[14] The Institute for the Study of War assessed Zhoga's appointment to the Security Council as an "ongoing effort to establish younger, pro-war figures within the Kremlin".