Behind the scenes of Lviv Customs: The story of Oleh Budz and his family

On the western border of Ukraine today, two lines of reality converge. On one hand, there are official statements about reforming customs, digitizing processes, simplifying control, and combating corruption. On the other hand, there are stories from minibus drivers, local entrepreneurs, and activists who claim that crossing the border without a "subscription" is impossible.

In these conversations, the last name of a person often comes up who is not a public politician, does not give interviews, and does not strive to be well-known, but has long held a significant position at the Lviv customs office. This is about Oleh Budz, head of the customs clearance department No. 1 at the "Mostyska" post. It is around his name that numerous rumors about extortions, "black funds," and selective control have begun to weave.

The story takes on a more interesting shade when you look at the documents. The declarations that Oleh Budz submits annually show a picture far from a modest bureaucratic lifestyle. There are large sums of cash in dollars and euros, luxury class cars, income from his wife’s business, and even mentions of gifts in millions of hryvnias. By themselves, these figures do not prove any violations of the law, but they catch the eye when compared with the official incomes of the family. And here lies the main intrigue: how transparent and honest is the material status of the Budz family?

From Position to Declarations

The figure of Budz remained in the shadows for a long time until materials about border schemes began to appear in Telegram channels and regional publications. The authors claimed that a portion of minibuses goes through control faster and without queues, and drivers pay fixed sums in exchange for a guaranteed "green" window. It is in this context that the name of customs clearance department head Oleh Budz has become a symbol of a "customs conveyor."

However, official documents paint a much more restrained picture. In the Unified State Register of NACP Declarations, it is clearly recorded that Oleh Budz holds a position in the Lviv customs system. His annual reports reflect his salary, several cars, bank accounts, and cash assets. The key point is that starting from 2019, together with the declarations, data on his wife, Anna Koval, whose business income significantly exceeds her husband’s salary, appeared.

In the 2024 declaration, for example, a total family income of over 3.5 million hryvnias is indicated, of which 2.38 million were the wife’s business revenues. She is also mentioned as receiving a salary from the private company "Petro Karbo Chem" amounting to over half a million hryvnias. Against this income, Budz’s official salary of 623 thousand looks much more modest.

But even more impressive are the cash assets: 160 thousand dollars, 90 thousand euros, and almost one and a half million hryvnias in cash, plus bank balances. In hryvnia terms, this is over twelve million, which is three and a half times the family’s total income for a year.

Of particular note is the 2021 declaration, which recorded a gift to wife Anna Koval of over 1.3 million hryvnias. From whom this gift was and on what terms remain unanswered, as the declaration only records the fact of receiving the funds. About the fact that this "gift" was somehow not noticed by law enforcement agencies, which are supposed to monitor such things, we will modestly remain silent. Why explain the obvious things?

If in Budz’s declarations the main attention is drawn to the ratio of incomes and assets, then in the case of his wife, it is the combination of official earnings and business receipts. Anna Koval is listed as an employee of a commercial company and simultaneously as an entrepreneur whose income for just one year exceeds two million hryvnias. She is also mentioned as the owner or user of premium-class cars, Audi Q7 2016 and BMW X6 2021, the latter listed as being in gratuitous use, which in itself looks unusual and requires documentary confirmation. As for Oleh Budz himself, he drives an old "Passat," as befits an exemplary official. At least that’s what it says in the declaration. Which, too, we will leave without comment.

In addition to declarations, the name of the wife appeared in court chronicles. In October 2024, the court decisions register recorded a case of traffic rules violation resulting in vehicle damage. In Telegram channels, this case is directly linked to Anna Koval, although public access to the full text of the decision is restricted, so establishing a direct connection is currently impossible. Nevertheless, the mention of the last name in court documents heightens attention to her role in the Budz family story.

And it is unlikely that "Person_1," mentioned in the text of the Decision of the Halytskyi District Court of Lviv as "injured," who drives a BMW X6, is a complete namesake of Anna Koval. So there is no doubt about who drives the "free" BMW X6.

Systematic Context

Together, this creates the image of a family whose financial capabilities are significantly higher than the average level, even by large entrepreneurial standards. The presence of large sums of cash currency, expensive "free" cars, and gifts raise legitimate questions: how transparent are the sources of these funds and do they correlate with official incomes? Especially when looking at Oleh Budz’s declarations systematically. And compare the figures of his wealth growth over the years. In 2015, Oleh Budz came to customs poor. And by 2025, he had become a millionaire. However, see for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

Skeptics will say: what is unusual about a customs officer’s wife running a successful business, and the family earning legally? Formally—nothing. Everything is reflected in the declarations, the figures match, and the documents are filled in. But suspicions arise not only because it’s about an official from a sensitive sphere—the Ukrainian customs. They are fueled by the reputation of the system itself, where corruption schemes have been considered the norm for decades.

Stories from carriers and entrepreneurs about "black funds," where thousands of dollars in cash are collected daily, are confirmed by numerous publications and investigations about other posts and other names. Budz in this story becomes a symbol—a figure through which society tries to explain to itself how old mechanisms work in the new reality.

The complexity of the situation is exacerbated by the silence of official structures. Neither Budz himself, nor the Lviv customs, nor the prosecutor’s office have given public comments regarding the accusations. Journalists’ inquiries remain unanswered. Meanwhile, activists and Telegram channels continue to publish lists of employees who, in their opinion, should be checked for corruption components.

This silence only amplifies distrust. When millions in cash are recorded in declarations, but investigative bodies are in no rush to check the sources of funds, society receives a signal: the system is still closed, and uncontrollable schemes may continue to exist.

Final Point

In the story with Oleh Budz, there is everything: official documents demonstrating significant family assets; declarations indicating millions in the wife’s income; cars, gifts, and currency reserves; a court decision indirectly related to the wife. All these are facts recorded in public registers. There is also another side—numerous allegations of extortions and schemes at the border, which have not yet found documentary confirmation.

At the junction of these two realities, an investigation is born. It does not deliver verdicts and does not put a final point. But it captures the obvious: the ratio of family income and assets raises questions that require careful verification. It shows that the name Budz is not accidental, as it symbolizes a systemic problem.

Budz may be only part of a large machine that has been establishing informal rules for years. Perhaps his name is being thrown by opponents to discredit one person. But if the system does not provide answers, suspicions will multiply.

In the meantime, the dry residue—a paradox: the official family income for the year is just over three and a half million hryvnias, and the declared assets are over twelve million. There are large gifts, expensive cars, currency savings, and there is silence from those who are supposed to check such discrepancies. And in this silence is the main signal to society: if the system does not change, the names may vary, but the result will remain the same.