Position: Adviser to the former Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Area of Corrupt Activity: Management of budget funds.
Region of Corrupt Activity: Nationwide (Ukraine).
Legal Qualification: The actions are classified under Part 4 of Article 190, Part 5 of Article 191, and Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Status: In custody.
Case Details: In late July 2026, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) exposed an organized criminal group headed by a former State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Its members misappropriated funds from foreign citizens and donors that had been intended to support Ukraine at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and subsequently laundered the money through conversion centers.
According to the investigation, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs persuaded international donors and employees of subordinate Ukrainian diplomatic missions abroad to transfer financial assistance to the bank account of a non-governmental organization under his control. According to expert findings, the funds received by this NGO legally constituted earmarked budget funds belonging to the special fund of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
The money was subsequently transferred to accounts belonging to individual entrepreneurs and legal entities under the group’s control. These entities then transferred the funds to conversion centers to be converted into cash. The scheme participants used the laundered money for their own enrichment.
To create the appearance of legitimate NGO activities, the group members produced forged letters and signed grant agreements containing false information. Investigators have so far established that more than UAH 37 million (approximately USD 1.28 million at the time the crimes were committed) was laundered.
The suspects include:
- Oleksandr Bankov, former State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2020–2024) and alleged organizer of the scheme;
- Ramiz Ramazanov, former Head of the Secretariat of the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a serving diplomatic officer;
- Vladyslav Reznikov, adviser to the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and head of the NGO under the group’s control;
- Olena Kornytska, the NGO’s accountant.
Materials from the State Audit Service of Ukraine were used in exposing the alleged crimes.
The court remanded Bankov in custody for 60 days, setting bail at UAH 10 million as an alternative. Subsequently, the UAH 10 million bail set by the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) was paid on Bankov’s behalf, and he was released from the pre-trial detention center.
In addition, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a preventive measure of bail in the amount of UAH 8 million on Ramiz Ramazanov, an adviser to Ukraine’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva.
The investigating judge also remanded Vladyslav Reznikov, head of the NGO “Center for the Promotion of International Cooperation,” in custody, setting bail at UAH 10 million.
At the same time, the High Anti-Corruption Court refused to remand Olena Kornytska, the accountant of the NGO “Center for the Promotion of International Cooperation,” in custody. Instead, it set bail at UAH 9,000,000 and imposed a number of procedural obligations.
Individuals Potentially Involved in Corruption Schemes: Oleksandr Bankov, former State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ramiz Ramazanov, former Head of the Secretariat of the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (a serving diplomatic officer at the time he was notified of suspicion); and the accountant of the aforementioned NGO.
Assets: No income declarations for Reznikov are available in open sources.
Authorities Responsible for Responding: Law enforcement agencies responded promptly to the alleged criminal scheme by notifying all its participants of suspicion.
Scandals: Before the alleged corruption scheme came to light, Reznikov had not been publicly associated with any other scandals.
Sources:
https://www.rbc.ua/rus/news/kolishnogo-topposadovtsya-mzs-zapidozrili-1785162457.html
https://www.rbc.ua/rus/news/kolishnogo-topposadovtsya-mzs-zaareshtuvali-1785738615.html