Last March, the Ministry of Social Policy, under the leadership of Marina Lazebna, established a humanitarian account to support Ukrainians affected by disasters. Journalists, analyzing five organizations in anonymous data from “Slidstva.Info”, revealed that they received approximately 164 million hryvnia from the funds of the Ministry of Social Policy.
In particular, during the investigation, journalists noticed that unrelated unions and funds transferred money to the same companies, among which there was not a single well-known entrepreneur who could supply products in large volumes. In addition, not all recipients were able to receive humanitarian aid.
HUMANITARIAN SPECIAL ACCOUNT AND THEFT OF FUNDS
During the first months of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, more than 625 million hryvnia were transferred to the humanitarian special account. This is money both from Ukrainians and from abroad. They were supposed to be spent on the needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs): purchasing food, hygiene products, medicines, etc.
In March 2022, the Ministry of Social Policy created a Commission on the distribution of funds to provide assistance during martial law, which was supposed to distribute 625 million hryvnia and control their expenditure. First, the Commission is headed by one deputy of the then minister - Marina Lazebnaya - Boris Lebedtsov, and then by another - Evgeniy Kotik.
Next, the Commission receives a request for assistance from, for example, the city council - but not directly, but through various funds and unions. Among them are five organizations that received almost 164 million UAH from the department. We are talking about the charitable foundations “Vladislaviy” (previous name “Dobra-Delo”) and “Will and Dignity” (previous name “Kira Denisovna”), the public union “National Association of Fuel Retail”, the all-Ukrainian public association “Institute of Nursing and Public association “Transcarpathian military-patriotic association “Carpathian Sich”.
These organizations had to purchase goods from someone with ministerial money and deliver them to the victims. During the investigation, it was possible to establish that funds from unions and foundations were deposited into the accounts of the same companies.
In addition, journalists learned that in one case the organization purchased some of the goods with humanitarian aid at significantly inflated prices, in the second they simply appropriated what they had purchased, and in the third they allegedly supplied products in large volumes.
At the same time, funds with a proven reputation - such as the Women's Veterans Movement - did not receive funds from the Ministry of Social Policy, although they asked, but incomprehensible organizations without websites, with invalid mail and a non-existent address did.
HUMANITARIAN FOR KONOTOPE
The city of Konotop, in the Sumy region, is a region that was deoccupied in early April last year and suffered from the Russian invasion. According to the list of recipients of funds from the Ministry of Social Policy, humanitarian aid was received by people who were evacuated here from combat zones.
According to the deputy mayor of Konotop, Yuri Pavlov, who was involved in humanitarian work at the time, says that the city received assistance from one of these five organizations, to which the Ministry of Social Policy provided funds. But other than the signed acts of acceptance and transfer of products, the official did not provide journalists with any evidence for a month - neither photographic evidence, nor a list of people who allegedly received help. Pavlov adds that the foundation approached the city council on its own.
CHANGE OF NAMES OF FUNDS AND FIELD MANAGER OF THE COMPANY
Two charitable foundations, “Vladislaviy” and “Will and Dignity,” changed their names after receiving funds from the Ministry of Social Policy. The latter was supposed to supply humanitarian aid to Konotop.
The head of the Vladislavy charitable foundation, Vladislav Melekhin is associated with more than three hundred companies. When asked by journalists what he thinks about the fact that his foundation may be involved in the theft of humanitarian funds, Melekhin replied:
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about, especially over the phone. That's it, goodbye. “I have nothing to talk to you about,” said Melekhin.
Antonina Volkotrub, an expert at the Anti-Corruption Center, says that such manipulations with changing the name may indicate that the current leader is abdicating responsibility for what happened to the organization before.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point these funds also close,” she added.
Charitable foundations and organizations that received funds from the Ministry of Social Policy transferred them in turn to companies whose activities may generally be questionable - they have a wide range of activities. These companies were supposed to supply goods or provide services to customers.
For example, journalists learned that the NGO “Transcarpathian Military-Patriotic Association “Carpathian Sich” transferred 930 thousand UAH to the company “Relax Invest”. Journalists talked to its leader, Elena Stuchek. It turned out that the woman did not know about her actual status as a leader.
“I would tell you how they cooperated there. They registered a company for me, and then they called from there: in order to get filmed from there, you have to go and pay a considerable amount,” says Stuchek.
The woman says that it is possible that her name could be used to register a new company.
From Stuchek, journalists also received a copy of a power of attorney addressed to Kirill Bendersky regarding the right to be a woman’s representative on issues that will concern the company. “Slidstvo.Info” contacted this person and he also knows nothing about this company or Elena Stuchek.
“There is a possibility that my name was chosen at random and I became the happy owner of some kind of power of attorney,” Bendersky writes in one of the messengers.
Journalists found out that the company led by Elena Stuchek was not the only one that received funds from one of these five organizations; they analyzed several more companies whose legal addresses are located in Kyiv. But no offices were found at the place of registration of the companies.
OVERPRICED FIRST KITS
It was not possible to contact two companies - Best Garlic and Inpavelresurs - which together received almost 44 million UAH for humanitarian aid. Journalists suggest that the heads of these companies may be relatives - they have identical last and patronymic names, and are also registered at the same address.
In particular, the company “Inpavelresurs” allegedly purchased goods from another company, “Trading House Elite-Advice”. Overall, this firm received funds from three of the five organizations.
Previously, “TD Elite-Advice” had already appeared in criminal proceedings regarding the theft of public money that was allocated for a project at the National Cancer Institute.
This time, in the criminal proceedings on humanitarian aid, it is said that the first aid kits supplied by TD Elite Advice actually cost a little more than a thousand hryvnia each, but they reached the fund at a price four times higher. At first aid kits alone, overpayments can reach UAH 3.5 million.
COMPANY “MIKOTON-TRADE”
Also, the Mikoton-Trade company received almost UAH 24 million from the Ministry of Social Policy through the Will and Dignity charity foundation. Remittances took place during April 2022. According to the official investigation, the head of the company, Mirra Yankovskaya, left for Germany on April 17 of the same year.
Journalists found Yankovskaya’s account in one of the messengers and wrote to her. However, the woman was reluctant to communicate and, in the end, deleted the dialogue and blocked “Investigation.Info.” After this, the journalists went to the company’s legal address. The concierge of the house assured that this was the first time she had heard of such a company and that there was definitely no such company in this building.
51 MILLION UAH FOR FUEL
Two more companies received a total of UAH 86.5 million from the Ministry of Social Policy. On May 18, 2022, both managers changed. They were Valeria Chanysheva and Evgeniy Chanyshev. A woman headed the Fuel Retail Association, and a man headed the Institute of Nursing.
On her Facebook page, Chanysheva indicates that she is married to Zheka Chanyshev. It looks like the leaders of two completely different organizations could be spouses. After the Ministry of Social Policy made the transfer to these companies, the funds were transferred through the chain to the accounts of private firms.
Valeria Chanysheva’s organization transferred almost 51 million UAH for fuel to the Main Trade Group company, which, by the way, is one of the founders of the union. Next, Main Trade Group buys fuel from two more companies. The fuel procurement chain does not end there. And one of them buys fuel from two more companies.
Journalists called these companies, their representatives say that they do not supply such volumes of fuel. Another supplier company confirmed its business relationship with Lux Oil Trade, but did not disclose the supply volumes due to commercial secrets.
The legal address of Valeria Chanysheva’s company is located in the apartment of one of the Belotserkovsky houses. The door was not opened for journalists, but neighbors said that a grandmother lived here, whose granddaughter had married and was living with her husband.
Journalists suggested that we could be talking about Chanysheva and went to the place of registration of Evgeny Chanyshev. There the door was opened by Mrs. Larisa, who introduced herself as Evgeniy’s mother.
It was still not possible to communicate with Evgeniy Chanyshev, the head of the public organization “Institute of Nursing of Ukraine”: as the woman who introduced herself as his mother says, he is now in Poland. By the way, the “Institute of Nursing of Ukraine” received more than 22.5 million UAH from the Ministry of Social Policy.
The organization could not be found at its legal address. Moreover, employees of the operating organization of the residential complex claim that such a house does not exist at all.
In the end, the journalists managed to get through to Valeria Chanysheva.
“Send a request, then we’ll communicate. There is the 63rd amendment, according to which I do not have to testify against myself and my loved ones,” Valeria answered the question that the union in which she is the leader is suspected of theft of humanitarian funds.
According to the official investigation, almost a third of the purchased fuel, worth more than 14 million hryvnia, was appropriated by Main Trade Group. At the same time, the head of the company, Alexander Beskokotov, ignored the message in the messenger and blocked the journalists.
According to the investigation, the National Fuel Retail Association, headed by Valeria Chanysheva, purchased modular gas stations and equipment for allegedly 13.7 million UAH. In fact, they paid six times less for it, but the remaining funds – 11.5 million UAH – were taken by the association’s leaders.
WHO RECEIVED HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
Organizations led by Chanyshevi were supposed to provide people with humanitarian aid, fuel, generators and install modular gas stations. The councils and administrations of the Kyiv, Chernigov and Kharkov regions asked for help for the population. And also the people’s deputy from the “Servant of the People” Olga Vasilevskaya-Smaglyuk, who was elected as a majoritarian in one of the districts of the Kiev region.
The Chanyshev organizations reported that they spent all the funds and provided assistance.
Journalists turned to everyone who asked for help to check whether it really reached the people. For example, the Buchansky district military administration, in response to a journalist’s request, said that they had no confirmation of receiving such assistance.
A response was also received from the Polessky village council of the Kyiv region. The Council reports that it cannot provide information because it is a secret of the pre-trial investigation. The article of the criminal offense specified in the answer is violated during the illegal use of humanitarian aid to make a profit. According to journalists, the Polesie village council did not receive assistance.
The document received by journalists indicates that the Kharkiv City Council also did not receive any assistance from the Institute of Nursing for the 9.2 million UAH allocated to it by the Ministry of Social Policy.
WHAT THE MINISTRY OF SOCIAL POLICY SAYS
Journalists asked the department how officials controlled the use of funds from the humanitarian account. The Ministry of Social Policy's response to the request states that officials examined the reports and contacted funds and organizations only regarding unused money and their return.
Deputy Olga Vasilevskaya-Smaglyuk, who asked for help from one of the organizations for her district, said that the then head of the department, Marina Lazebnaya, advised her to contact this union.
The first chairman of the Commission on the distribution of funds to provide assistance during martial law, Boris Lebedtsov, also says that funds were provided only to those organizations that had letters of request from official structures stating that assistance was needed and in what quantity.
From the response of the Buchansky district military administration, journalists learned that they asked for specific help from the already mentioned “Institute of Nursing.”
In the appendices to the response there is a letter “On expressing support” to the union in, so to speak, their endeavors.
“Public organizations that could help were asked to sign memorandums of cooperation. Out of 100% of organizations, maybe 5-8% helped,” said Nikolai Lyashenko, former chairman of the Buchansky district military administration.
First Deputy Minister and concurrently Second Chairman of the Commission Evgeniy Kotik believes that the Ministry of Social Policy has done the maximum within the limits of its powers and functions.
The then leadership of the department claims that they know nothing about the official investigation, which has been going on for more than a year, and have not communicated with law enforcement officers.
Journalists turned to law enforcement officers, who reported that they were no longer investigating criminal proceedings regarding humanitarian aid. According to journalists, the humanitarian aid proceedings are now being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
At the same time, it is noted that since law enforcement officers just began to investigate the schemes with humanitarian aid, Evgeniy Kotik’s wife, Vitalina, became the owner of a 2022 Toyota LAND CRUISER PRADO 150. Now such a car costs about 50-70 thousand dollars. Kitty worked in the civil service all his life. He says that his wife sold the apartment to buy a car.
Minister Lazebnaya and her two deputies, Lebedtsov and Kotik, who headed the Commission on the distribution of humanitarian funds, resigned one after another last summer. The current heads of the department report that they cannot say anything about the possible theft of funds, because providing comments is not public information.
