Position: Mayor of Halych.
Sphere of corruption: land issues.
Region of corruption activity: Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Qualification: the actions are qualified under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Status: in custody.
Case story: On February 5, 2026, while receiving a bribe for producing documents to change the purpose of the land, police and SSU investigators detained the mayor of Halych, 52-year-old Oleg Kantor.
According to the Ivano-Frankivsk regional police, the mayor of the city, using his official position and powers, built a corruption scheme. He demanded bribes for assistance in leasing municipal land plots and changing their intended purpose.
In particular, in July 2025, the official promised to assist the businessman in arranging a lease for a land plot with a total area of 10 hectares. The mayor assured the businessman that the transfer of the land would actually take place on a "turnkey" basis. He promised to ensure the adoption of all necessary decisions at the city council session, change the purpose of the plots, prepare the necessary documentation, and organize land auctions on an electronic platform with a determined winner.
According to the agreement, he was to receive the money in several stages: the first payment was $2,000, then another $1,600, and finally UAH 100,000 for the finalization of the decisions. The money was handed over personally to the mayor - in his office, in his car, and during personal meetings.
After receiving bribes, the mayor convened a city council session, personally voted for decisions to approve land management projects and include land plots in the list for electronic auctions. The official also gave instructions to artificially create competition in land auctions.
On his instructions, they registered fictitious sole proprietors, attracted controlled persons to participate in auctions, coordinated the submission of bids to prevent third-party participants from winning, and in the event of an unfavorable price, they organized the disqualification of the “right” participant and re-exhibited the lot. All this was done with the sole purpose of ensuring the transfer of land to “their” entrepreneur and receiving a new tranche of ill-gotten gains.
The SBU added that they detained the city manager red-handed - while receiving another portion of a bribe for producing documents to change the purpose of the land. During searches at the mayor's workplace and apartment, they seized about 500 thousand UAH in various currencies, mobile phones, documents and other evidence of the crime.
Law enforcement officers did not name the detainee. According to local media, it is the mayor of Halych, Oleh Kantor. He was charged under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (receiving a bribe by an official holding a responsible position, combined with extortion).
On February 6, the Ivano-Frankivsk City Court chose a preventive measure for the mayor of the Galician community, Oleh Kantor - detention in custody until April 4, 2026, with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 2 million 499 thousand 328 hryvnias.
On February 9, the court removed from office the mayor of Halych, Oleg Kantor, who was detained while accepting a bribe for land registration.
Oleg Kantor was removed from office on the second attempt. Prosecutors filed a motion to remove him from office on February 6, but the decision was not made due to the absence of the suspect's defense lawyers.
This time, lawyers Tetyana Savchyn and Anna Kantor noted that after the mayor's removal, the community's activities will be "paralyzed" because the position is elective and there is no one to replace the authority.
After examining all the materials, Judge Lesya Kindratyshyn suspended Oleh Kantor from the position of mayor of the Galician Community until April 4, 2026. According to Prosecutor Marian Doskoch, before that, the Ivano-Frankivsk City Court seized the suspect's movable and immovable property.
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes: no information is available from open sources about possible accomplices.
Assets: In his 2024 tax return, Kantor indicated that he owns a residential building in Halych, two garages, as well as several land plots and non-residential premises. His wife, Natalia, owns an apartment, three land plots, and a garage.
In addition, Oleg Kantor declared several vehicles: a trailer and three cars - Ford Sierra, Volkswagen Caravelle, Mercedes-Benz E 220 CDI.
Oleg Kantor's income for the same year was UAH 1,208,211.
Kantor declared 450,000 UAH, 14,000 USD, and 8,900 EUR in cash. His wife declared 230,000 UAH, 4,500 USD.
Persons who should have reacted: law enforcement agencies responded to Kantor's criminal activities in a timely manner, presenting him with a suspicion.
Scandals: Before the corruption scheme, he was not seen as a figure in other scandals.
Sources:
https://zaxid.net/mera_galicha_vidstoronili_vid_posadi_na_2_misyatsi_n1629894
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/818a7074-a183-4468-b825-c4ab801bdcef