During the full-scale war with Russia, Ukrainians have repeatedly witnessed thoughtless decisions by the authorities to spend budget funds: on tiles in dozens of rear cities, and asphalt in front-line cities, multi-billion dollar road junctions in the capital and tens and hundreds of millions on roads throughout Ukraine, as well as TV series, drums, vegetable cutters...
Another multimillion-dollar budget expenditure is compensation for rental housing in Kyiv for people's deputies. From March 2022 to April 2024, 64.5 million hryvnia have already been spent on this. During this time, 160 people’s deputies took advantage of the right to compensation, which is 40% of the entire deputy corps.
Journalists from Slidstva.Info analyzed the declarations of people's representatives and found that some buy Rolexes and real estate abroad and at the same time take compensation for rent in the capital. Moreover, a number of people’s deputies rent housing for more than 60 thousand hryvnia per month, which exceeds their salary.
BENEFITS FOR THE RICHEST
According to the declarations of people's representatives, the richest among those asking for compensation from the state are several representatives of the Restoration of Ukraine group.
Deputy Oleg Voronko took 237 thousand hryvnia from the budget during 2022. In his latest declaration, the people's deputy indicated almost 1.5 million dollars, more than 1 million euros, as well as hundreds of thousands in other currencies.
Evgeniy Yakovenko received more than half a million hryvnia in compensation for more than 2 years of full-scale invasion. At the same time, the deputy has 950 thousand dollars, 830 thousand euros, almost 2 million hryvnia of personal savings. His wife also has tidy sums in dollars, euros and hryvnia.
Valery Gnatenko received 434 thousand hryvnia compensation during 2022-2023. At the same time, he and his wife have more than 3 million hryvnia in savings, who last year also earned more than 4 million hryvnia.
Journalists from Slidstva.Info tried to communicate with representatives of Restoration of Ukraine, but the deputies did not answer calls and messages.
APARTMENT IN SPAIN, INVESTMENT IN POLISH REAL ESTATE AND NEW AUDI
One of the most revealing was the story of “Servant of the People” Yevgeny Petrunyak. During the full-scale war, the deputy received 486 thousand hryvnia in compensation, however, he forgot to indicate rented housing in the declaration.
In September 2022, Petrunyak’s wife purchased an apartment in Spain with 130 square meters and invested more than 1 million zlotys in two Polish developers.
At the end of April this year, the deputy purchased an AUDI S7 2023 and indicated the price was half the market price.
Journalists from Slidstva.Info called Petrunyak and asked about his declaration. The people's deputy asked to send him a written request, assuring that he would definitely provide answers to all questions.
Journalists sent a request and reminded about it several times during the week. Later, Slidstvo.Info tried to communicate with the people’s deputy by phone again, but Petrunyak blocked the contact and ignored phone calls from other numbers. In conclusion, Evgeniy Petrunyak never responded to the request.
“CALLING TO PROVOKE”?
Another “Servant of the People,” Vladlen Neklyudov, was outraged by the journalist’s question and said that there is no housing, and therefore he has the right to rent and receive compensation.
The people's deputy rents an apartment with an area of 116 square meters in one of the most prestigious residential complexes in the center of Kyiv - Novopecherskie Lipki. The cost of an apartment of a similar area next door to the people's deputy starts from 65 thousand hryvnia. At the same time, the monthly salary of a deputy does not even reach 57 thousand hryvnia.
People's Deputy Igor Negulevsky from Servant of the People calls the question of renting an apartment, for which he takes compensation from the state, “personal”, so he refuses to talk about it.
But in the advertisements at the address where Negulevsky rents housing, journalists found offers for an apartment of a similar size - from 60 thousand hryvnia per month. This is more than the people's deputy's monthly salary.
ROLEXES, ELITE FLEET AND HOTEL COMPENSATION
During the first year and a half of the full-scale invasion, people’s deputy from “For the Future” Sergei Labazyuk received 316.5 thousand hryvnia compensation for accommodation in the Kyiv hotel.
While the deputy was being compensated for his accommodation from budget funds, Labazyuk purchased a luxury Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust watch for almost 400 thousand hryvnia. Also in 2022, the Labazyukov family’s vehicle fleet was replenished with new cars. The people's deputy uses two Porsche Cayenne 2019, one Land Rover Range Rover 2017 and a Mercedes-Benz S 400 2021. The people's deputy's wife, Violetta Labazyuk, is the head of the Khmelnitsky regional council, and, on the basis of an agreement, uses a brand new Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 2023. The cost of the car is from 7.5 to 15 million hryvnia, depending on the configuration.
Last summer, the Labazyukov family finally purchased housing in the capital Pechersk and stopped taking money for rent from the state.
REPLY ONLY IN WRITTEN
Several deputies agreed to provide written answers to Slidstva.Info’s questions. People's Deputy Andrei Zhupanin got married in September. His wife has an apartment in Kyiv, but the deputy said that he does not live with her because of her mother.
“Her mother lives in my wife’s apartment. She moved to Kyiv from Krivoy Rog because living in Kyiv is now safer and calmer for her. Considering that the wife’s apartment has an area of 43 square meters. m, it would not be easy for three adults to fit in it.”
The deputy did not indicate the cost of rent, explaining this by the confidentiality of information that can only be disclosed with the consent of the lessor.
On advertisement sites in the residential complex in Pechersk, the cost of apartments with an identical area to the deputy’s room starts from 60 thousand hryvnia. The monthly salary of a deputy is 51.5 thousand hryvnia.
Out of a dozen deputies, only two were able to provide answers about the cost of renting an apartment in Kyiv. Thus, deputy Maxim Pashkovsky indicated that the cost of renting his apartment, also in the Pechersky district, costs 37 thousand hryvnia.
“Part of the specified amount is compensated in the manner determined by the current legislation of Ukraine, the rest of the specified amount of rent is covered at my own expense,” says Pashkovsky.
The People’s Deputy also added that he supports changes to the Law of Ukraine “On the status of the People’s Deputy of Ukraine.”
“If society initiates a change in this Law, then there is no doubt about complying with the provisions of the Law without any “buts.” Do I support changes in Ukrainian legislation in this regard? Yes, that would be fair. I can say that even without changing the legislation, any wealthy people’s deputy who declares tens or hundreds of millions of hryvnias of income can refuse compensation at his own request,” said People’s Deputy Pashkovsky.
IS THERE A SOLUTION?
People's Deputy Yuri Kamelchuk states that 40 thousand hryvnia of a deputy's salary goes “to zero.”
“I don’t have housing either in Lviv or Kyiv, so I have to rent. Our salary level is 40-45 thousand hryvnia, this is enough to rent an apartment and for such food. Apartment plus utilities, plus transport. That is, 40 thousand hryvnia are spent to reach zero,” notes Kamelchuk.
The people's deputy also adds that he does not understand the expensive purchases of his colleagues and points to the moral and ethical side of the problem.
The editor-in-chief of the “Movement HONESTLY,” Alexander Salizhenko, who evaluates the lifestyle of the people’s representatives, is convinced that a solution to compensation for rent can be found in such a way that the interests of those who really need it are taken into account.
“Undoubtedly, this process can be regulated even more precisely. On the one hand, this should be done by the Verkhovna Rada Staff and the Regulations Committee. And it is precisely the competence of the NAPC to compare the lifestyle of this people’s deputy realistically, either regarding his declaration and his compensation, or for housing, or for transport. Therefore, if there is a desire, everything can be settled. Let’s hope that in the next convocation there will be some changes in this regard,” said the HONEST Movement expert.
In addition to millions in housing rental compensation, the state pays deputies for business trips, trips around Ukraine and abroad, and also pays the salaries of their assistants. Millions of hryvnia are spent annually from the budget for these purposes.
