Unsubstantiated assets worth 368 million hryvnias: what was uncovered regarding the heads of regional TCCs
Journalists from Suspilne’s investigative unit analysed information on 62 former and current heads of regional tax and customs offices and state enterprises across all regions of Ukraine who held office between 2022 and 2026. The sample included only those officials whose surnames could be identified in open sources. They were divided into three groups: those implicated in law enforcement investigations and cases involving signs of illicit enrichment; officials whose assets correlate with their official incomes; and those for whom no changes in assets were recorded during the full-scale invasion.
The article notes that it is the regional military registration and enlistment offices that serve as the strategic hubs of the mobilisation system. They oversee district and city-level offices, and their heads have a decisive influence on personnel decisions within the recruitment system. Following a series of scandals in 2023, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy initiated the dismissal of all regional military commissars, and the National Security and Defence Council adopted a corresponding decision on 11 August 2023. At the time, the president spoke of 112 criminal proceedings against officials of the “military commissariats” and 33 suspects.
What the NACP’s checks revealed
According to the NACP’s response to the editorial team’s request, between 2022 and March 2026, the agency completed 32 lifestyle monitoring investigations into former and current heads of the TCC and SP. Based on these results, nine substantiated findings were referred to specialised anti-corruption bodies, indicating signs of illicit enrichment under Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code, totalling 367,927,245 UAH. It is this figure that Suspilne presents as the ultimate indicator of a systemic problem.
Of the 62 officials analysed, journalists identified 6 individuals, or 10%, as figures involved in the most high-profile criminal investigations and cases involving signs of illicit enrichment. A further 29 individuals, or 47%, according to the editorial team’s assessment, acquired assets commensurate with their official incomes. For 27 individuals, or 43%, no acquisition of new property was recorded during the war. However, Suspilne specifically cautions that the absence of new assets does not constitute proof of a complete absence of violations, but merely indicates that the declared wealth correlates with official financial remuneration.
Odesa: “the Borisov effect”
The authors cite the story of Yevhen Borisov, the former head of the Odesa Regional Military Commissariat, as the most notable case. He took charge of the regional military commissariat in July 2019, having previously served as military commissar of the Malynovskyi Military Commissariat in Odesa. Borisov had worked within the military commissariat system since 1996.
In 2023, Ukrainska Pravda reported that during the full-scale war, Borisov’s family had acquired property in Spain and Ukraine worth approximately €4.5 million. This included his mother’s estate on the Marbella coast worth over €3 million, a 2022 Mercedes B-Class worth over $100,000, his wife’s office premises on a central street in Marbella, a 2023 Toyota Land Cruiser SUV registered to his mother-in-law, and a Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Borisov himself told journalists at the time that he was unaware of his family’s Spanish property.
On 19 July 2023, the head of the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NACP), Oleksandr Novikov, stated that Borisov had illegally enriched himself by 188 million hryvnias. On 22 July, he was notified of his status as a suspect in the cases of illegal enrichment and deliberate evasion of service. The State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) claimed at the time that the former official had attempted to evade the investigation by changing his phones, number plates and whereabouts, but he was detained in Kyiv. In 2024, two cases against Borisov were referred to court – one concerning illicit enrichment and the other concerning the forgery of documents to travel on holiday to Spain and the Seychelles. In March 2025, the SBI concluded the pre-trial investigation into yet another case, in which Borisov was charged with laundering assets worth over 140 million hryvnias. Separately, the Primorsky District Court of Odesa is hearing a case concerning unauthorised desertion from military service and obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In January 2026, he was granted bail of 44 million hryvnias. Borisov himself denies any wrongdoing and refers to himself as a “victim”. Under the charges brought against him, he faces up to 12 years’ imprisonment.
Cherkasy: a scheme offering ‘immunity’ from mobilisation
The article describes Oleksandr Ustymenko, the former head of the Cherkasy Regional Territorial Recruitment Centre, as a symbol of the creation of a parallel mobilisation management system. The investigation believes that in the autumn of 2023, after his appointment to the post, he established a corrupt scheme in collusion with six other colonels. According to the investigation, Ustymenko sent his subordinates photographs of military ID cards or summonses belonging to “selected” individuals, accompanied by brief instructions such as “Leave him completely alone. Understood.”
According to the investigation’s findings, between August 2023 and January 2024, the Cherkasy Regional Military Commissariat fulfilled only 40–50% of its mobilisation quota, which, as stated in the court ruling, undermined confidence in the mobilisation process. Ustimenko and six other colonels were charged with negligent attitude towards military service and abuse of power or official authority by a military official. The court ordered him to be placed under night-time house arrest until 12 September 2024, with additional restrictions. In September 2024, his lawyer attempted to appeal the arrest but later withdrew the appeal. Despite the criminal proceedings, Ustymenko remained in office until January 2026.
Rivne: assaults, undeclared assets and new episodes
One of the most high-profile cases involved the former head of the Rivne Regional TCC, Serhiy Lutsiuk. In July 2023, law enforcement officials announced his arrest alongside the head of the Rivne District TCC, Vitalii Kozachuk. According to the investigation, Kozachuk filmed Lutsiuk beating a soldier with a baton, forcing him to kneel and beg for forgiveness for attempting to report the violations. Eight packets of a white substance resembling amphetamine and drug paraphernalia were also seized from the district military commissar.
Lutsyuk was charged with abuse of office under martial law. Subsequently, in late October 2023, the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) notified him of a new charge following the discovery of undeclared assets worth over 46 million hryvnias. According to the investigation, a significant portion of these assets was concentrated in the Ivano-Frankivsk region: a 280 m² house in Bukovel, a hotel property of almost 500 m², a 316 m² holiday home in Yaremche, three flats in Ivano-Frankivsk and two garages. A significant portion of the property, according to the investigation, was registered in the names of frontmen, including the official’s retired aunt.
In May 2025, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) also stated that Lutsiuk, together with the head of the Rivne District Military Registration and Enlistment Office, organised a scheme to help conscripts avoid mobilisation and have their names removed from wanted lists. According to the investigation, around fifty men made use of this service. Another allegation concerns suspected negligence in the performance of his duties: the investigation believes that, due to Lutsiuk’s inadequate oversight during the procurement of 16 pick-up trucks for the army worth 17.5 million hryvnias, the state suffered losses of over 800,000 hryvnias. Several cases are currently before the courts, and Lutsiuk himself denies any wrongdoing.
Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions: Yaremenko and unjustified payments
Gennadiy Yaremko, former head of the Zaporizhzhia and later Donetsk Regional Territorial Coordination Centre, was charged in March 2024 as part of an investigation into corruption schemes, the exploitation of subordinates and links to organised crime. According to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), whilst working in Zaporizhzhia, he unlawfully seconded seven close subordinates to one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ brigades, ostensibly to carry out combat missions, although in reality they had not been appointed to the relevant posts and did not take part in combat. This allowed them to illegally receive over 1 million hryvnias in payments and claim the status of combatants.
The investigation also believes that Yaremko helped criminal figures avoid prosecution and conscription through fictitious enrolment in the Territorial Defence Forces. A separate incident concerns the unlawful involvement of three subordinates in renovation work at his family’s properties, with additional remuneration paid to them from the budget. The losses to the state in this case were estimated at nearly 270,000 UAH. In January 2026, the High Anti-Corruption Court upheld the SAPO’s claim and ordered a 201 m² house and a plot of land with a total value of 3.8 million UAH to be forfeited to the state, recognising these assets as unjustified. Yaremko is appealing this decision.
Kharkiv and Chernihiv: the Trebesov case
Suspilne describes the story of Artem Trebesov, the former acting head of the Kharkiv Regional Anti-Corruption Centre, as a “car craze”. In 2023–2024, a 2023 BMW X6 and a 2022 Toyota Camry Hybrid appeared in the ownership of his close relatives. In May 2025, the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) announced evidence of the official’s unjust enrichment, and a prosecutor from the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) filed a claim with the High Anti-Corruption Court (VAKS) for the civil forfeiture of assets worth 4.85 million hryvnias used by Trebesov’s family. However, as Suspilne notes, even whilst this case was being heard in court, he was appointed acting head of the Chernihiv Regional Tax and Customs Office. In January 2026, the High Anti-Corruption Court upheld the claim and confiscated these assets for the state. The decision is being appealed.
Transcarpathia: Savchuk, threats and a return
Andriy Savchuk, head of the Zakarpattia Regional TCC, was appointed to the post on 16 October 2023. In December 2025, volunteer Vlasta Reipashi reported receiving threats from the leadership of the Transcarpathian Regional Military Commissariat, specifically Savchuk and his deputies. Following this, the State Bureau of Investigation opened proceedings under the article concerning the abuse of power or official authority by a military official, resulting in serious consequences. Searches were carried out on the premises of the Transcarpathian Regional Territorial Centre for Recruitment and Social Support. Blogger Vitaliy Hlahola, citing his sources, reported that 100,000 dollars in cash had allegedly been found, but law enforcement officials did not comment on this information to Suspilne. In January 2026, Savchuk was dismissed and transferred to a reserve battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but on 21 March 2026, the Western Operational Command reinstated him as head of the Transcarpathian Regional Territorial Centre for Civil Protection for a period of 30 days.
Sumy and Volyn: alcohol, Porsches and brawls
Suspilne also mentions several other stories. In December 2025, Andriy Sezko, head of the Sumy Regional Military Registration and Enlistment Office, was arrested for drink-driving. In March 2026, the court found him guilty, fined him 17,000 UAH and banned him from driving for a year. The defence stated that it would appeal the decision.
In Volyn, journalists from “Sila Pravdy” exposed the region’s former military commissar, Oleg Kivlyuk, for using a luxury car, a holiday home and a departmental flat, none of which were declared in the asset declaration of his wife, Bohdana Kivlyuk, an employee of the Volyn Regional Military Commissariat. The most sensational revelation was the Porsche Cayenne, which, according to the journalists, is worth $38,000 and was “gifted” by Kyiv resident Alina Malenka. Kivlyuk himself responded to the journalists’ questions with a retort: “How expensive is it? Well, tell me, what kind of money is that?”.
Another story from Volyn concerns the region’s newly appointed military commissar, Mykhailo Blyzniuk. In 2024, he made the headlines following a brawl with the acting head of the Lutsk City Military Registration and Enlistment Office, Oleksandr Furman. Following this, the State Bureau of Investigation launched a pre-trial investigation, and Bliznyuk, according to media reports, stepped down from his post as head of the Regional Military Commissariat.
Outcome of the investigation
Suspilne’s final conclusion is stark: nearly 368 million hryvnias of unjustified assets, identified in nine out of over 30 audit cases, create a toxic backdrop that undermines the daily work of hundreds of Military Registration and Enlistment Office officers. According to the editorial team’s assessment, only around 10% of the system constitutes the very “red zone” that generates criminal proceedings, civil forfeiture claims and shapes public perception of the entire recruitment system. It is precisely these cases, as the authors emphasise, that fuel hostile propaganda.
As reported by ThePublic, a draft law has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada that provides for the introduction of new rules for the visual identification of staff at territorial recruitment and social support centres, as well as changes to the procedures for verifying their authority when interacting with citizens. The initiative, according to its authors, is intended to increase the transparency of the TCCs’ work and reduce the number of conflict situations.
Follow us on Telegram
