Position: former operations officer of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kyiv.
Sphere of corrupt activity: law enforcement.
Region of corruption activity: Kyiv city.
Qualification: unknown from open sources.
Status: at large.
Case story: On April 23, 2025, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau detained Ivan Vainagiy, a former operational officer of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kyiv, on suspicion of receiving illegal benefits. He was taken into custody.
The request for the application of a preventive measure in the form of detention in respect of the suspect (Vainagiy) shall be partially granted. The suspect shall be placed in custody for a period of 60 days from the date of his actual detention, i.e. until May 31, 2025 inclusive. The suspect shall be granted bail in the amount of 408 subsistence minimums for able-bodied persons, which is UAH 1,235,424.
According to "Slovo i Dilo", these funds have already been deposited and the suspect has been released from custody. He was given the following obligations: to appear upon first demand; to report a change in his place of residence and/or place of work; to refrain from communicating with a number of persons regarding the circumstances of the criminal proceedings outside the scope of investigative and procedural actions; not to leave the city of Kyiv and the Kyiv region without permission; to hand over his foreign passports and to wear an electronic bracelet.
According to the investigation, Vainagiy, in collusion with unidentified persons from the Zakarpattya Regional Prosecutor's Office, had the intention to extort and receive illegal benefits from a witness in one of the cases. The money in the amount of $5,000 was allegedly demanded for not bringing him to criminal responsibility. The witness refused to do this, after which the investigators of the State Bureau of Investigation, in agreement with the prosecutor of the Transcarpathian Regional Prosecutor's Office, informed him of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 355 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Later, the former Metropolitan Police Operative again requested to provide an illegal benefit, but in a larger amount. But he refused again, and then the witness was informed of a new suspicion - in extortion (Part 4 of Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), and he was also detained. The court arrested the witness. For the third time, Vainagii already demanded $30,000 in illegal benefit for resolving some of the issues related to the criminal proceedings, and $50,000 for closing all suspicions. On March 15, Vainagii received $30,000. He was detained on April 2.
In early May 2025, the HACC seized the property of Ivan Vainagii.
As indicated, on April 2, detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau searched Vainaghi's Jaguar I-Pace electric car and residence. They seized two mobile phones, an iPhone 15 Pro Max and another iPhone; $7,800 and UAH 33,500 in cash. The court seized this property.
The NABU detective also requested the seizure of 100% of the shares in the authorized capital of LLC "Bedevlyanski Kurchata"; a 2012 IVECO AS 440S46 tractor unit; a 1992 VAZ 2107 car; a 1981 Moskvich car; and a Jaguar I-Pace electric car. The court seized everything except the Jaguar I-Pace electric car, since it belongs to Vainagiy's father.
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes: Vainagy's accomplice may be Anatoliy Kovalchuk, head of the Zakarpattya Regional Prosecutor's Office. In April, NABU conducted searches at Kovalchuk's residence and office in a case of alleged bribery.
They seized $8,550, €9,180, and UAH 121,000 in cash from him, as well as an Apple iPhone 16 Pro mobile phone. On April 10, the High Court of Criminal Appeals seized the said property. The investigation believes that these funds may be part of the converted illegal gain. The representative of the head of the Zakarpattya Regional Prosecutor's Office filed an appeal against this decision.
The appeal of the representative (Kovalchuk) is to be dismissed, and the ruling of the investigating judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court dated April 10, 2025 is to be left unchanged. The ruling is final, enters into legal force from the moment of its announcement and is not subject to appeal in cassation.
Assets: Vainagiy did not declare any real estate or vehicle in his 2022 tax return. He only indicated that his income was UAH 484,691, and Vainagii also declared UAH 200,000 in cash.
Persons who should have reacted: law enforcement agencies responded to Vainagiy's criminal activities in a timely manner.
Scandals: Before the corruption scheme, he was not seen as a figure in other scandals.
Sources:
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/9cc55fad-5609-41c2-a4e7-8d7e49cbcf50