Searches at Vice Prime Minister Chernyshov: NABU investigates multibillion land case
Approximately a month ago, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office conducted searches at the current Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov.
This was reported in the article by «Ukrainian Pravda».
According to the publication’s sources, the searches were conducted as part of a case regarding the illegal transfer of land to developer Serhiy Kopystyr (KSM Group).
The investigation found that officials of the Ministry of Regional Development, led by Chernyshov, created conditions in 2021-2022 for Kopystyr to obtain a land plot in Kyiv for the construction of a residential complex. The land was appraised at almost five times below market value, potentially causing state losses of over 1 billion UAH.
The publication noted that the searches of Chernyshov were conducted almost a year after the first court order on this matter. Journalists reported on the intentions of the NABU to conduct searches back in June 2024. However, investigative actions were not carried out.
At that time, four sources in anti-corruption bodies informed UP that there were no searches due to the influence of NABU director Semen Kryvonos on the detectives. On the day the journalistic investigation on this matter was released, Kryvonos was supposed to attend a meeting of the anti-corruption committee of the Verkhovna Rada. However, the NABU director did not appear.
The sudden acceleration in the case is jokingly attributed within the anti-corruption bodies themselves to a possible struggle for influence over President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Participants in this struggle include the head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak and one of the key supporters of Zelenskyy’s advisory team and co-owner of "Kvartal 95" Tymur Mindich, who also has influence over the Cabinet of Ministers.
However, according to journalists, this version seems unlikely. NABU detectives have been conducting extensive work as part of the case since July 2023, when Kopystyra was detained on suspicion of attempting to bribe Chernyshov’s successor - the then Minister of Community Development Oleksandr Kubrakov. The latter, in cooperation with the anti-corruption agency, documented this attempt.
During the searches of Chernyshov, a book «Collected Works of Skovoroda, Volume One» valued at $1000 was found, which according to the investigation, was gifted to him by Kopystyr.
Last week, law enforcement detained two close associates of Chernyshov:
- an advisor to the minister on public grounds, who later became the commercial director of a subsidiary of NJSC "Naftogaz of Ukraine" Maksym Horbatyuk;
- former state secretary of the Ministry of Regional Development, a member of the board of NJSC "Naftogaz of Ukraine" Vasyl Volodin.
20 June 2025 ã., 10:59
