After NABU released a video that detailed the "Clean City" special operation, during which large-scale schemes for the appropriation of Kyiv land were uncovered, many questions arose regarding Kyiv City Council deputies and KCSA officials who are featured in the investigation.
NABU, without having a court decision on the guilt of the involved persons, does not name their surnames. However, following the scandal that erupted, arrests and dismissals occurred in the Kyiv City Administration, and some names became known. At the head of the scheme was, quite expectedly, Denys Komarnytskyi, who is reportedly either still in Ukraine or has long left its borders. In any case, he is currently on the run. Among other loud names are Klychko’s deputy Petro Olenych, Kyiv City Council Secretary Volodymyr Bondarenko, head of the Kyiv City Council land commission Mykhailo Terentyev, deputy director of ME "Spetszhytlofond" Yuriy Leonov, deputy director of ME "Blahoustrii" Oleksiy Mushta. Furthermore, it is clear that the unnamed "member of the deputies’ land issues commission," who allegedly "earned" one hundred thousand dollars according to phone conversations, is Kyiv City Council deputy from "Batkivshchyna" Olena Marchenko. Therefore, the anonymous organized criminal group scheme of Komarnytskyi from NABU can be de-anonymized.
Who exactly is hiding under the phrase "trusted person of the scheme’s organizer" has not yet been determined with 100% accuracy. However, it is possible that this person is the "individual who cooperated with the investigation" - such a figure is mentioned in the criminal case materials, but their name is not disclosed. The video from NABU features some negotiations between the group’s participants, but the identities are blurred out and surnames are not mentioned. Although, often, it’s quite simple to guess their identities. Here, Kyiv City Council deputy from "Batkivshchyna" Olena Marchenko discusses the details of her reward for good work with Komarnytskyi’s assistant.
The amount discussed is 100 thousand dollars, which the grateful organizer paid her. And, according to her, his assistant "finally approved the bonus." Which Olena Marchenko "would be better off investing in something in the Carpathians." The money did not come to her for nothing - she works with developers regarding permit documentation. And she became a deputy thanks to Komarnytskyi.
In this connection, it is worth noting that Komarnytskyi had influence on the formation of party lists for most of the parties represented in the Kyiv City Council - the representative of Yuliya Tymoshenko is not the only one in his service. Among others are Mykhailo Terentyev (UDAR) and Volodymyr Bondarenko (non-factional, but elected via the same UDAR list). Although in the mentioned NABU investigation other deputies are mentioned fleetingly, it should be understood that Denys Komarnytskyi’s influence group in the Kyiv City Council is not limited to the named persons. He controls at least several dozen deputies, who have enough votes to pass the necessary decisions. Almost all of them are connected to the capital’s developers in one way or another.
What decisions did Komarnytskyi push through in the Kyiv City Council? They are not yet fully researched, but the essence came down to KCSA officials, who have access to information about Kyiv’s municipal property and land, informing Denys Komarnytskyi about where this property is located and helping to seize it. One scheme received the name "toilet scheme," where vacant plots of land would see some structure - a shed, a utility unit, a toilet - built, then it would be privatized, and the Kyiv City Council would be approached for land allocation "to service the building." The Kyiv City Council would allocate the land, generously, within the requested amount.
Afterwards, the land would be privatized, but since the Kyiv City Council’s decision was knowingly illegal, it would quickly be "sold" to another company or individual, who was then a "bona fide buyer" according to the law. And reclaiming the land becomes practically impossible. Accordingly, it can be predicted that the Kyiv City Council awaits a series of lengthy, expensive, and fruitless legal proceedings to return at least a portion of the land seized under Denys Komarnytskyi’s leadership. One person who searched for these lands and helped privatize them was Yuriy Leonov, deputy director of KP "Spetszhytlofond." In 2020, he ran for the Kyiv City Council from the "Servant of the People" party in the Darnytskyi district. Denys Komarnytskyi also supported his candidacy as deputy.
The construction on Vasylkivska Street, from which Yuriy Leonov received 50 square meters, involves the development of the Kyiv Communal Machine Building Plant "Kommash" territory at 28 Vasylkivska Street in the Holosiivskyi district of the capital. It was obtained by Komarnytskyi’s structures, with the help of Yuriy Leonov, among others, in 2021.
NABU’s tapes further discuss the details of the land commission’s work, giving the impression that the commission is run not by Mykhailo Terentyev, but by Olena Marchenko.
However, the Kyiv City Council’s commission is actually run by Denys Komarnytskyi, who does not hold any deputy mandate or any relation to the Kyiv City Council. This is confirmed by an intercepted conversation between Olena Marchenko and another scheme participant. In it, she says that Mykhailo Terentyev "received a grand 3.14 thrashing" from Komarnytskyi.
The further interception suggests that the schemes also involve KCSA deputy head Petro Olenych. But Denys Komarnytskyi still runs the show.
From Komarnytskyi’s conversation with Olenych, it emerges that, first, the KCSA deputy head reports to the "overseer," and, second, the "toilet scheme" for seizing Kyiv’s land is not the only one. Petro Olenych and Denys Komarnytskyi discuss property takeovers from former OPFL members, taking advantage of their lost political positions. As Olenych says, "I picked up what was poorly lying around." Among the "poorly lying" is a one-hectare plot in the NAU district. It was originally acquired against the law, so its takeover is not anticipated to cause issues.
The fact that the plot owner sold it doesn’t bother anyone: "We can settle it," assures Komarnytskyi to Olenych. The value of the mentioned plot on Heroiv Sevastopolia Street is that it was allocated for development. But the matter clearly doesn’t end with a single plot - Komarnytskyi and Olenych decide to audit all allocated land:
The further leak from NABU sends a big and fiery greeting to local governance in Kyiv and Vitaliy Klychko personally. Because the City Council session activities are guided not by its secretary Volodymyr Bondarenko, but by Denys Komarnytskyi, who has no relation to this council. Komarnytskyi orders Bondarenko to close the session.
The NABU interception also explains the scheme of how "dirty" real estate, meaning what Komarnytskyi’s group stole from Kyiv, is made "clean." There’s nothing clever in this process - the stolen just needs to be resold, then it becomes honestly bought. If you’re not lazy and do this resale two or three times, legally reclaiming the stolen becomes practically an impossible task.
How land moves from municipal ownership to private hands is explained in the intercepted conversation between land commission head Mykhailo Terentyev and KP "Spetszhytlofond" deputy director Yuriy Leonov. Everything genius, as you can see, is simple - you just need to properly draft documents and use your influence.
How much Kyiv land ended up in Komarnytskyi’s group is anyone’s guess. No one, not even NABU, will determine these sizes if, as per the old Ukrainian tradition, the case doesn’t fall apart. For which there are reasonable suspicions. But the theft scale can be assumed based on at least an excerpt from a NABU recording, where KCSA deputy head Petro Olenych tells Denys Komarnytskyi how he sends money to Switzerland: "We’ve already sent 300 million dollars for 15%." It refers to money being channeled through some conversion center at 15%. Interesting - will NABU search for this "conversion center"? After all, Olenych wasn’t its only client; a lot of interesting things can surely be found there.
Unfortunately, what NABU leaked into the public domain are just snippets. Many schemes, stolen property addresses, and participant names remain a mystery. But it’s clear that this grand theft scheme was made possible not only thanks to the connections and talents of its organizer Denys Komarnytskyi. Though this can’t be denied - Denys Komarnytskyi is undoubtedly an outstanding person, who managed to establish connections on Bankova Street (does anyone seriously think such a thing is possible without its representatives?), and to arrange enough deputies in the Kyiv City Council for implementing his schemes.
But it’s also undeniable that the scheme was made possible due to gaps in Ukrainian legislation. Primarily, this concerns the absence of a General City Planning in Kyiv. In its absence, permits for land privatization and construction are issued using so-called Detailed Territory Plans (DPT), which the Kyiv City Council adopts manually. How they are adopted is clear even from the fragments leaked by NABU.
What the outcome of all these leaks will be remains to be seen. Currently, some figures are in detention, some have been released on bail, and Volodymyr Klychko announced the dismissal of KCSA deputy head Petro Olenych, KP "Spetszhytlofond" deputy director Yurii Leonov, and KP "Blahoustrii" deputy director Oleksii Mushta. Regarding deputies mentioned in the investigation, including Kyiv City Council Secretary Volodymyr Bondarenko, the decision should be made by the Kyiv City Council. But the main question is not this and not even whether they will face justice. It’s who will occupy Denys Komarnytskyi’s vacant position as the "watcher" and take over the already tested scheme. Which, it seems, nobody intends to dismantle.