Over the past two years, military officials, as well as the heads of regional TCCs, have had the opportunity to significantly increase their income as a result of a full-scale invasion of the OVA. At the same time, the family business flourished, incomes grew, which, in turn, allowed them to purchase new cars and apartments.
In December, NACP opened access to the registry of electronic declarations, which had been closed since the beginning of the full-scale invasion . Most officials are in no hurry to show income, since according to the law, declarations for the 2021-2022 year can be submitted until January 31, 2024.
At the same time, the earnings of heads and deputies of regional military administrations, as well as heads of territorial recruitment centers, who have been involved in corruption scandals since the summer of 2023, are of particular interest. In the summer, after large-scale checks, law enforcement officers established that the leadership of these structures acquired luxury real estate, apartments and millions of hryvnia while the country was in a state of bloody war.
Focus studied the declarations of officials who hold positions in military administrations, as well as the heads of regional TCCs and found out how much money they earned during a full-scale war.
Millionaires from OVA
Most former and current heads of regional military administrations have not yet submitted declarations. However, the income of officials during a full-scale invasion can be judged by the earnings of some deputies. For example, the deputy head of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Administration Vladimir Orlov declared UAH 2.98 million in income in 2022. Of these: 928.8 thousand UAH - wages, 514.8 thousand UAH - insurance payments, 1.5 million UAH - income from the alienation of movable property.
It is noteworthy that in 2021 Orlov’s income was several times less - only 667.5 thousand UAH of wages.
Much more impressive are the financial capabilities of his wife. In 2022, she declared UAH 5 million. Of these, 999.9 thousand UAH is income from business activities, 1.5 million UAH is repayable cash assistance from LLC "Arkush UEY", 2 million UAH is income from the alienation of movable property.
The first deputy head of the Dnepropetrovsk OVA drives a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2020, which he purchased in the same year for UAH 1.5 million. Until recently, his wife drove a Mercedes-Benz GLE 350D 2016 for UAH 2.8 million, but in September 2022 she bought a BMW X6 2021, worth UAH 3.6 million.
In addition to income, the official has savings - $70 thousand in cash. His wife’s assets include UAH 5 million in cash and UAH 6.038 million in repayable cash assistance from the Arkush Uey company.
does not lag behind his Dnepropetrovsk colleague . In the second month of the full-scale invasion, he received from his wife a Toyota Camry 2021 passenger car worth more than one million UAH. The official’s income is small - 348.8 thousand UAH, 122.9 thousand of which are salary in the OVA, 176.9 thousand - in the Alpha Farm.
But the wife has a truly impressive income. In 2022, she received UAH 15 million in dividends from the Alpha Farm. In addition, savings are $600 thousand in cash and $107 thousand in a bank account.
For comparison, in 2021, Ivanov’s wife received UAH 6 million in dividends from the Alpha Farm. And also 389.5 thousand UAH of income from the provision of property for rent.
The former head of the Poltava OVA, Dmitry Lunin, can also be proud of his family’s income during the full-scale invasion. In 2022, the wife of a former official earned more than UAH 5 million from business activities. The ex-official himself received 509 thousand UAH in salary.
In April 2022, Lunin’s wife purchased a BMW IX3 2021 car worth UAH 1.5 million. The declaration also states that in 2021, the wife of the ex-official bought a Lexus UX250H 2020 at a fairly low price - 250 thousand UAH. The market value of such a car is many times higher - from 1.2 million UAH.
Despite their high incomes, Lunin’s children and wife received assistance as internally displaced persons —a total of more than 100 thousand hryvnia.
Wealthy military commissars
In August, SBI officers detained a number of former leaders of the OTCC and the joint venture, who were suspected of illegal enrichment. In particular, the ex-head of the Dnepropetrovsk regional TCC Anatoly Pikalo . NACP monitoring established that during a year and a half of a full-scale invasion, the ex-military commissar acquired assets worth more than UAH 8.8 million. According to law enforcement officials, Pikalo registered several cars and two apartments in Dnepr under his father’s name, and an enterprise that purchased non-residential premises with a total area of about 500 m² under another family member.
In September, the ex-official was charged with suspicion under Part 1 of Article 368-5 - the acquisition by an official of assets that exceed his legal income by more than 6.5 thousand non-taxable minimums. The sanction of the article provides for imprisonment for a term of five to ten years.
The declaration of the former military commissar for 2022 indicates that his income amounted to 743.2 thousand UAH. He received this salary as the head of the Dnepropetrovsk OTCC. The only property that Pikalo declared was an apartment in Novomoskovsk, Dnepropetrovsk region, 49.4 m². He purchased this property in 2016.
Another military commissar, who was detained by the SBI in the summer, is the ex-head of the Zaporozhye regional TCC, and since July 2023, the head of the Donetsk OTCC and joint venture. Law enforcement did not release the name of the suspect. However, we are probably talking about Colonel Gennady Yaremenko, who held these positions.
According to the investigation, while working in the Zaporozhye OTCC, the military commissar, without legal grounds, sent close subordinates to the combat brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, allegedly to carry out combat missions. He prepared documents confirming that military personnel received certificates of direct participation in hostilities, thanks to which they were awarded additional combat allowances totaling 981.3 thousand UAH. And one of his subordinates provided documents to receive 700 thousand UAH of monetary assistance in connection with loss of ability to work due to alleged participation in hostilities.
From Yaremenko’s declaration for 2022, it is known that he earned 733.2 thousand UAH in the Zaporozhye OTCC. In 2021, his income was several times less - 317.7 thousand UAH.
Yaremenko’s wife bought a 2021 Mazda CX-5 in the first year of the full-scale invasion. The declaration states that the cost of the car at the time of purchase was 10 thousand UAH. The market price of such a car ranges from 20-25 thousand dollars.
Also, the wife of the military commissar keeps 10 thousand dollars in cash. The military commissar himself keeps the same amount in cash.
The former head of the Kharkov OTCC and joint venture, Vladimir Arap, who in July 2023 was transferred to the post of head of the Lugansk regional TPCC, also managed to earn money during the full-scale invasion. Law enforcement officers had no questions about his income. But judging by the declaration, in a short period of time at his new job, Arap received 1.6 million UAH. In Kharkov, in the same position in 2022, he earned 740.5 thousand UAH. And a year earlier - 488.9 thousand. UAH
In November 2023, the military commissar purchased an apartment in Kharkov of 74 m² for 1.3 million UAH. He has 583 thousand UAH in his bank account.
The wife of the head of the Lugansk OTCC in 2022 received 20.1 thousand UAH in salary at her main job. And also 315.04 thousand UAH of aid from Germany, which was paid to refugees from Ukraine.
Focus previously studied the declarations of people's deputies for 2022. During the full-scale invasion, the politicians' spouses acquired cars, apartments and accumulated millions of hryvnia .
Focus also reported that people's deputies began to get divorced en masse . Experts noted that the reason could be not only bad relations against the backdrop of the war, but also the old scheme of hiding property.
