From the Tax Service to "Ukrzaliznytsia": How Mykhaylo Makarenko continues to rob the state

From the Tax Service to "Ukrzaliznytsia": How Mykhaylo Makarenko continues to rob the state

The head of the station "Production Unit of the Kharkiv-Passenger Station" Mykhaylo Makarenko previously worked at the tax inspectorate.

In both positions, the official was noticed for his desire to profit from state funds. But instead of facing justice, the man is still lining his pockets with taxpayer money.

Where does the station manager’s wealth come from?

Everyone is saying that the fight against corruption should double during wartime, from the president to ordinary citizens. There are many anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine that occasionally report high-profile exposures. But such cases often concern top officials, while mid-level managers remain "in the shadows," continuing their corrupt dealings.

One such official who is fond of state funds is the head of the station "Production Unit of the Kharkiv-Passenger Station" Mykhaylo Makarenko. It would seem that holding a rather modest position, our hero should not attract the attention of law enforcement. Why would they care about a station manager?

But one can think this way only if one does not look closely at the figure of Mykhalo Makarenko. Because when examining the declaration, questions immediately arise. For example, Mr. Makarenko owns eight land plots with a total area of 7500 m2. In addition, the official owns two apartments with a total area of almost 150 "squares," a country house, and cash totaling 650 thousand hryvnias.

Tax inspector-bribe taker

It might seem that such fortunes won’t surprise anyone, but where do such assets come from for a simple station manager? The answer lies in Mykhaylo Makarenko’s biography. At one time, the man worked in the regional tax inspectorate, where he got the nickname "Envelope" due to his desire to solve issues through money in envelopes. Once, Makarenko even "got caught": in 2016, capital law enforcement officers caught him taking a bribe. According to the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the extortionist demanded 150 thousand hryvnias from a representative of a commercial enterprise in exchange for not interfering with their business activities.

The law enforcement officers detained the fiscal during the receipt of part of the bribe in the amount of 124 thousand hryvnias. The tax inspector received 26 thousand UAH the day before. Ultimately, the official made a deal with the investigation and received only a fine of 25.5 thousand UAH. Agree, not much, relative to the amount of the bribe.

However, the mentioned episode is far from the only one in the career of the tax-railway official. Those close to Makarenko emphasize that from the beginning of his work in the tax office, the official tried to engage in extortion from everyone he could reach. Even taxi drivers and cigarette sellers suffered, from whom Makarenko collected "rent" every month. Those who refused to pay could say goodbye to thoughts about honest entrepreneurship—as well as business in general.

Embezzling "Ukrzaliznytsia"

Just for this, Mykhaylo Makarenko should be in prison. Instead, he holds the position of head of the station "Production Unit of the Kharkiv-Passenger Station." It seems that profiting from such a position in a state enterprise is quite difficult. But not for an experienced bribe taker, especially when you have access to multimillion-dollar tender procurements where you can "make a profit" almost at every position.

For example, when you purchase accounting books for settlement operations for over a million hryvnias. You indicate that you want to purchase 1,800 pieces, as the Makarenko unit did in 2023. And it seems to be just 581 UAH per copy. But looking at the announcement, such printing can be found for 100 UAH per unit. Feel the difference? And this is one of hundreds of procurements!

It’s not hard to understand what illegal amounts Mykhaylo Makarenko receives in his position. We are talking about millions of corrupt hryvnias, essentially stolen from taxpayers. And this is during a full-scale war. Thus, we have questions for law enforcement: one mid-level official alone steals millions from the state. And how many such Makarenkos are there in total?! So isn’t it time for our anti-corruption bodies to deal with each one individually? Of course, it takes effort, but the benefit to the state is hard to overestimate!