Position: Chairman of the Kivertsivka City Council.
Sphere of corrupt activity: procurement.
Region of corruption activity: Volyn region.
Qualification: the actions are qualified under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (embezzlement of someone else's property on an especially large scale through abuse of official position, committed by prior conspiracy).
Status: at large.
The plot of the case: in late April 2025, the head of the city council in Volyn and an entrepreneur were caught embezzling 6 million UAH during the purchase of cars for the military. They face up to 12 years in prison for their actions.
In May 2023, the city council in Volyn received a request from the military to purchase two trucks for their needs. The mayor colluded with a businessman he knew and implemented a scheme to purchase vehicles at an inflated price. For 10 million UAH from the community budget, they bought cars whose real cost was more than 6 million UAH less
According to media reports, the suspect is 41-year-old head of the Kivertsiysk City Council, Oleksandr Kovalchuk. Investigators are considering whether to impose a preventive measure on him.
Law enforcement officers reported the official and the businessman to be suspected of committing a crime under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (embezzlement of someone else's property on an especially large scale through abuse of official position, committed by prior conspiracy). The sanction of the article provides for 7 to 12 years of imprisonment.
Subsequently, the official was given a preventive measure - a bail of 1.3 million hryvnias, and his property was also partially seized, namely bank accounts, which were prohibited from being used. In return, the official's Dacia car and his wife's Mercedes-Benz were also seized with the right to use.
In early July, it became known that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau had transferred criminal proceedings on suspicion of the head of the Kivertsiysk City Council of the Volyn region, Oleksandr Kovalchuk, and the director of the Lutsk enterprise "Spetskomuntech" Mykhailo Bukharov, in embezzlement of UAH 6.05 million.
Previously, the Volyn Court of Appeal applied a preventive measure to the suspect Bukharov in the form of a bail of almost 3.03 million UAH. He was imposed with the following obligations: to appear upon first demand; not to leave his place of residence without permission; to report any change in his place of residence and place of work, and to hand over his foreign passports for safekeeping. On June 23, the VAKS extended Bukharov's obligations until August 24, but canceled the obligation not to leave his place of residence without permission.
Also in April, the Lutsk City District Court of the Volyn region applied a preventive measure to Kovalchuk in the form of a 1.36 million UAH bail. He is obliged to: arrive at the first request; not leave the village of Zhabka, Lutsk district, Volyn region without permission; report a change in his place of residence and place of work; hand over his foreign passports for safekeeping. On May 12, the Volyn Court of Appeal increased the bail to 3.03 million UAH. Kovalchuk's duties were extended until August 24 and restrictions on his movement within the Volyn region were expanded.
In addition, NABU detectives asked the court to continue the investigation until October 24. The Supreme Court of Criminal Appeals granted the request.
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes: no information is available from open sources about potential accomplices.
Assets: in the 2024 declaration, no real estate (apartments, houses, land plots) was declared by either Kovalchuk or his family members.
The official's wife declared an elite Mercedes-Benz GLC 250 D (2016) of unknown value, because a family member did not provide the official with information. Kovalchuk himself officially drives a Dacia Logan (2007). Kovalchuk's wife purchased a Mercedes-Benz GLC 250 D in 2023, but the cost is not indicated due to "failure to provide information by a family member." In 2023, the market price of such a car in Ukraine was from 1.2 million UAH.
The official's wife earned 2.17 million hryvnias as an entrepreneur in a year, while the mayor earned only 714 thousand hryvnias. No cash or bank deposits were declared.
Persons who should have reacted: law enforcement agencies responded in a timely manner to the criminal activities of the official.
Scandals: This is not the first scandal involving the mayor: he previously initiated a stadium construction project worth UAH 145 million during a full-scale war, and was also spotted driving without a driver's license.
As reported by the media, over the course of several years he was repeatedly fined for violating the Traffic Rules. In total, he was fined almost 75 thousand hryvnias. He allowed himself to drive drunk at least twice and for years he drove a car without a driver's license.
Sources:
https://368.media/2025/04/29/miskij-golova-kivertsiv-ofitsijno-viyavivsya-bezhatkom/
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/975a5385-7ab6-47ed-9f2f-84946d415c6c