Corruption In Kyiv. Who Ordered NABU's Back Office of Komarnitskyi and What Does Bankova Street Have to Do with It?

The anti-corruption bloc forces, and indeed such state institutions as the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine (SAPO), the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine (SACC) are not initially designed for the entire state machine but are currently the only point of support in the fight against top corruption schemes. In early February, representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) conducted searches in the premises of the IQ – A+ class business center in the Pechersk district of Kyiv, which is rented by businessman Denys Komarnytskyi, a native of the team of former Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi. In addition, it should be noted that criminal suspicions have already been brought against the participants of one of the exposed schemes, including the organizer and executors from the capital's authorities of our country. Denys Komarnytskyi is hiding from responsibility. Nevertheless, it must be said that the exposure of the owner of the back office of our capital - and it is there, starting in 2020 (!), that political power was converted into corrupt shares - has caused discrepancies in the assessments of commentators.

There are two main versions.

According to the first version, everything has already been decided with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). The situation is developing in this way because the political ladies on Bankova Street have appointed Timur Tkachenko to the post of head of the military administration of the capital. (He is also the brother-in-law of the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) Semen Kryvonos and a man of the president's new favorite, namely, Vice Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba. - Here and further, author's note.) It is worth noting that the upcoming elections forced the office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy not only to become more active at the level of government resources, but also to use the opportunity, against the backdrop of the war, to legally introduce their resource personnel to an important post in the capital's management system. So, to speak, now there is an opportunity to sacrifice a kind of shadow Denisov Komarnitsky, who holds a post in the IQ – Class A+ Business Center in Pechersk District of Kyiv, in favor of the legal entity Timur Tkachenko. In addition, it should be remembered that from the first day Timur Tkachenko began to actively take over the powers of the mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klitschko. The new head of the Kyiv City Military Administration is fully aware of the situation, as he was once an important and effective part of the capital's system, heading the "scheme" department for improvement. Thus, a situation arises where detectives will now conduct an investigation exclusively focusing on the side of Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klychko, and the Office of the President of Ukraine will finally take control of Kyiv and will appear to have nothing to do with it.

Second version. It should be noted that according to this version, representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) responded to a long-standing public demand and finally we reached the most complex and ambiguous place in the system, a kind of snake pit that was created during the time of Leonid Chernovetskyi, where the business interests of the capital's authorities and the office of the next president merged. In addition, it is worth emphasizing the fact that Denys Komarnytskyi, who ousted Vadym Stolar in 2019 and, with the help of the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, one can say that he captured the "capital's money flows", will sooner or later be detained by the police, the suspects belong to different statuses of influence that comes from the Kyiv City Council and the Kyiv City State Administration. All the above-mentioned people will make a deal with the investigation and will tell all the necessary information needed to resolve any issue.

It is also worth mentioning that (Secretary Volodymyr Bondarenko may soon be among them), and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) will receive an unprecedented opportunity to destroy global corruption in the capital of our country.

Looking at this situation, it is worth asking such questions: What is really happening? How did the corruption schemes laid down under Leonid Chernovetskyi manage not only to survive, but also to develop? In addition, the question arises: will the representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) be able to make a valuable breakthrough in Kyiv or are we witnessing another political spectacle of selection for the chief of the Kyiv post in favor of political leaders on Bankova Street?

In order to answer these questions and give an objective assessment of what is happening, we talked to many people in law enforcement agencies, the capital and central authorities.

Conflict of Interest of Semen Kryvonos

Of course, it should be noted that Semen Kryvonos is not a space alien in charge of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and is well aware of the political risks that this investigation entails. It should be said that no matter how you look at it, there is no getting around the conflict of interest associated with various members of the group of “close and trusted people” in key positions in the highest government of our country, which includes Timur Tkachenko’s “brother-in-law” Semen Kryvonos. In this regard, many of our interlocutors are absolutely sure that during the term of the current director, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) to reach Bankova Street. Here, however, it is immediately worth recalling that the representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) did not reach Bankova Street during the term of his predecessor Artem Sytnyk, as well as during the interim gap in the board of acting director Gizo Uglava, who was dismissed by Semen Kryvonos. In addition, it is important to note that his dismissal occurred as a result of an internal investigation, and he is also a defendant in a criminal investigation into the case of leaks of information to Bankova Street.

Therefore, it is not surprising that, discussing the high-profile case of our capital on their information resources, representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) especially focus on the date of the start of the investigation of Denys Komarnitsky - April 3, 2023. That is, it is necessary to emphasize the fact that Semen Kryvonos became the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) a month before. Moreover, it is worth noting that, according to our information, the development of back offices (including the Private Joint-Stock Company "Ukrainian Railway", within the framework of which representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) brought charges against the former adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine and deputy head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine (SAPO) Artem Shylo) began back when Gizo Uglava held the post.

That is, the development by Denys Komarnitsky and his companions lasted for almost two (!) years. Why mention these dates now? Thus, this is a response to those who, in order to say something loud and provocative, allow themselves to claim that Kyiv was ordered by Semen Kryvonos by political leaders on Bankova Street through the newly appointed Timur Tkachenko. Commenting on such statements, it is worth saying that such orders are not implemented in a month, and investigations are not conducted. That is, it must be said that it turns out that there is definitely nothing linear in this story. Everything can be much more complicated. Therefore, let's move on.

In addition, it is worth saying that, according to information from our sources in law enforcement agencies, the investigation of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) began with a demand to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine (SAPO) to provide case materials, which the opposition member of the Ukrainian parliament Heo Leros once publicly reported on. You remember this scandal in 2020, when we all heard the recordings from Denys Komarnytskyi's office in the same IQ – Class A+ Business Center in Pechersk District of Kyiv published by the People's Deputy of Ukraine. It is worth noting the fact that Heo Leros also handed over to journalists of the Bihus.Info group of anti-corruption and information projects a flash drive with copies of data from one of Denys Komarnytskyi's computers that were used in his work, seized during searches by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine (SAPO). It should be noted that after the examination, so-called concepts concerning the Kyiv construction market were found on the computer. It should be emphasized that according to the published materials, Denys Komarnitsky has become the main boss in the field of construction and public utilities of the capital in the last year. It is also worth mentioning that he was also a beneficiary of the Ukrainian State Construction Corporation "Ukrbudtrade", which was the general contractor for the construction of the Podilskyi Bridge in Kyiv. (The cost of the project was increased by the Kyiv City Council from 11.2 billion UAH to 19.9 billion.)

It is noted that the audio recordings made public by the people's deputy of Ukraine Heo Leros allegedly featured not only the now disgraced people's deputy Mykola Tyshchenko, who is the godfather of the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, through whom the very first deal of political leaders on Bankova Street with the mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klychko was concluded in 2019, but also the brother of the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Denys Yermak.

In addition, it should be emphasized that, according to information from our sources in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) could not and will never be able to obtain the case materials under any circumstances. The situation is developing this way because there are no official records of operational-search actions (OSR), including from the office of Denys Komarnytskyi, and documents. It must be said that all official documents and evidence were destroyed. This was done on the command of the former head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Ivan Bakanov. Only the records on the YouTube channel of the most popular deputy of Ukraine Heo Leros remained, whom the political leaders on Bankova Street technologically removed from the Ukrainian parliament, depriving him of the opportunity to express his ideas on the big platform.

It is also worth emphasizing the fact that (for our part, we wrote requests on this matter to both the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). It is also important to clarify that the People's Deputy of Ukraine also transferred the recordings to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). However, without the authorized originals, they were worthless and unnecessary for the investigation. In addition, we do not know for certain whether representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) contacted the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in 2020 with a request to provide the originals.

We also asked representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) about this.

According to our information, after the change in the leadership of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), adherents of the Denys Komarnytskyi gang still remain in key positions in this structure. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that when one of the persons involved in the investigation, Petro Olenych (Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration), was detained, dozens of contacts of employees of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) were found in the phone seized from him. It is worth noting that before delving into the investigation of the criminal activities of the capital's back office in the IQ – Class A+ Business Center in Pechersk District of Kyiv and explaining why this time, in the performance of representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), it has a chance of being successful, it is worth making an important literary digression.

The capital on the handbrake of Bankova Street

The essence of Vitalii Klitschko's long-term rule in the capital of our country, as well as the relationship between the Kyiv authorities and political leaders on Bankova Street, no matter which president sits there, can be reduced to one of our old quotes: "People who stole thousands of hectares of Kyiv land under Leonid Chernovetskyi and created dozens of budget schemes, to this day rent out the capital to politicians. In addition, it is worth noting the fact that for such people, the upcoming elections are not about the mayor and the city, they are about the distribution of shares in the Kyiv City Council between developers and businesses on the budget, - wrote the Ukrainian Internet publication ZN.UA in October 2020, on the eve of the local elections in which Vitalii Klychko participated. - It is worth saying that the current mayor Vitalii Klychko turned out to be a responsible "tenant". He turned out to be a good owner because he did not do any redevelopment, did not lead noisy companies. So that, God forbid, the owners do not spoil a good and comfortable situation.

Thus, with the appointment of Vitalii Klychko to the post of mayor of Kyiv, politics quietly and imperceptibly left the walls of the Kyiv City Council, finally giving way to simple and understandable contracts with the people needed at a particular moment." It is worth emphasizing the fact that during the first term (and the mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klychko became mayor and head of the Kyiv City State Administration in 2014, when, by agreement with Petro Poroshenko and Dmytro Firtash, he did not run for president), the city was essentially governed by Vadym Stolar, a native of the political opposition party "Opposition Platform - for Life" - once a favorite of Leonid Chernovetskyi, who sat in the office opposite Vitalii Klychko under the new mayor. Serhiy Berezenko and Oleksandr Kononenko decided issues on behalf of Petro Poroshenko in the Kyiv City Council. In parliament, Oles Dovhyi, who was once Leonid Chernovetskyi's main assistant in the Kyiv City Council, worked as a mediator for the fifth president of our country. Thus, it must be said that with the participation of all these people, Kyiv under Leonid Chernovetskyi was completely plundered, which the Ukrainian Internet publication ZN.UA was also the first to write about in detail.

At the same time, it must be mentioned that the political leaders on Bankova Street always had two key levers of pressure on Vitalii Klychko, which they constantly used to keep him in good shape, and business agreements in force. Thus, it must be said that the first effective lever of pressure for political leaders on Bankova Street is the security forces, the second effective lever of pressure is the appointment of their head of the capital's administration, as Viktor Yanukovych once did with Leonid Chernovetskyi, amending the law and appointing Oleksandr Popov as the head of the Kyiv City State Administration (under which the executive power of the capital is located).

The coming to power in 2019 of the team of Volodymyr Zelenskyy was marked by an operational "attack" on the mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klychko. The current President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy used the same effective methods to manage the situation. It is worth noting that the first head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Bohdan moderated the process with innovative approaches to solving complex situations. It is important to understand that the current President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy initially did not take the mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klychko seriously and had personal hostility towards him. As eyewitnesses say, it all started back when the current President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy worked as a toastmaster at events attended by the mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klychko. In this way, the cries and requests of the Ukrainian champion Vitalii Klychko "Vova, make us laugh" turned out to be even more fun for Vitalii Klychko himself and had unpleasant, unpredictable consequences in the future.

In September 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine under Goncharuk approved the dismissal of Vitalii Klychko from the post of the head of the Kyiv City State Administration, while the media simultaneously exposed Vadym Stolar and his henchman, the head of the Ukrainian State Construction Corporation (Ukrbud) Maksym Viktorovych Mykytas. (Who spoke up in the criminal case but never finished speaking.) We will omit the motives of Andriy Bohdan himself, who then tried to do everything possible and give Kyiv to another group of developers headed by Andriy Vavrysh. It is worth noting that in this difficult situation Vitali Klitschko was saved by his friend, New York Mayor Giuliani, as well as the fear of the Office of the President of Ukraine at the start of the term of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the "servants of the people" to suddenly be known as an authoritarian team. Political leaders on Bankova Street were frantically looking for a way out and found one. It must be said that at that time the resignation of Andriy Bohdan and the arrival of Andriy Yermak to serve in the Office of the President of Ukraine adjusted the office's strategy in relation to the mayor of Kiev Vitali Klitschko. According to the new strategy, Vitalii Klychko must be kept under control and in tough conditions, but at the same time it is necessary to also negotiate with him."

Already in February 2020, the first deal between the office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vitalii Klychko took place: instead of Vadym Stolar, Denys Komarnitsky took control of the "money flows". He is the former head of Leonid Chernovetskyi's faction in the Kyiv City Council, a friend of Mykola Tyshchenko, a people's deputy of the Servant of the People party and godfather of Andriy Yermak. It is worth noting the fact that since 2019, Denys Komarnitsky led Mykola Tyshchenko's election campaign for the post in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. In addition, it should be mentioned that he also headed his headquarters. Thus, Mykola Tyshchenko, after winning in Oleksandr Tretyakov's district, headed a group of about 12 "servants of the people" in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. That is why it turned out that Denys Komarnytskyi at the start of the deal represented the interests of Bankova Street, and Vitali Klitschko's long-time friend Artur Palatnyi represented the interests of the mayor of Kyiv.

Speaking on this topic, it should be said that in October 2020, local elections were held, in which Vitali Klitschko won not without the help of Denys Komarnytskyi and the networks of Alla Shlapak, built during the time of Leonid Chernovetskyi. It is worth noting the fact that (not only Vitali Klitschko took advantage of this service, but almost all the factions that entered the Kyiv City Council and which Denys Komarnytskyi stained with "electoral blood.") Then followed the second pact of Vitali Klitschko with Andriy Yermak, namely, the division of the Kyiv City Council commissions began. In addition, there was also a division of the plant between the first deputy of Vitalii Klychko and Andriy Yermak's man Oleksiy Kuleba. It is important to emphasize the fact that Timur Tkachenko then worked as the first deputy director of the Department of Urban Development of the Kyiv City State Administration and delved into the topic (read -he delved into the scheme) until 2023. But even then, the political leaders on Bankova Street clearly felt their disadvantaged position in Kyiv. Then the situation developed that the 12 deputies of the Servant of the People faction and Vitalii Klychko's refusal to take a person from Bankova Street to the post of secretary of the Kyiv City Council did not promise the opportunity not only to rule in the capital, but even to seriously influence decision-making.

It is necessary to mention the fact that the split between Denys Komarnitsky and the political leaders on Bankova Street emerged immediately after the local elections. One of the main tasks of Denys Komarnytskyi was not only to do everything possible to put the right people in the composition of different factions, but also to provide the political leaders on Bankova Street with their own secretary of the Kyiv City Council. After all, it is not worth forgetting that only the secretary can put the issue of removing the mayor from power to a vote. It must be said that only he can become a guarantee of solving issues as needed by the political leaders on Bankova Street. However, Volodymyr Bondarenko, at that time the man of Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klychko, became the secretary. At that moment, the situation did not unfold as expected. Thus, it turned out that Andriy Yermak had to personally conduct negotiations with Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klychko. But all that he ultimately managed to achieve was to replace the secretary of Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klychko with a budget commission without a golden share.

Therefore, the representatives of the Office of the President of Ukraine always kept in readiness in advance the preparation of the methods of counteraction, namely - their head of the Kyiv City State Administration, whom they were about to appoint (the names of the candidates were constantly changing). At the same time, it is worth noting the important point that the representatives of the Office of the President of Ukraine supported their position and claims against Vitalii Klychko with the help of security forces. In addition, it is important to say that the law on the capital of our country, which could really bring order to the system of power in Kyiv (it is necessary to separate the powers of the mayor and the head of the Kyiv City State Administration, giving the executive power to the mayor of Kyiv) was not beneficial to anyone, namely, no one wanted such a law to be developed either by Vitalii Klychko or the political leaders on Bankova Street. The situation was this way because Vitalii Klychko had already gotten used to doing business and living in this format, and the representatives of the Office of the President of Ukraine, with their man who manages the cash flows of the head of the Kyiv City State Administration, do not need any order. It must be said that this is precisely why the strategy of the majority in parliament is the eternal adoption of a law on the capital that is of no interest to anyone. In our political realities, a profitable business compromise has always won in the end. If you put all this Jesuit policy into a chronological picture, then the true goals of the political leaders on Bankova Street are clearly visible, when the tame security forces try and run, but cannot achieve their goal. It is worth saying that by doing so they make the capital's business legal at their level.

A striking example

April 2020. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) documents a bribe of $125,000 to Vitali Klitschko's deputy Mykola Povoroznyk from one of the developers. Nothing could be proven in this case and Mykola Povoroznyk still holds his working position.

May 2020. A recording of a telephone conversation between Denys Komarnitsky and the deputy mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko, Vyacheslav Nepop, who is the long-time director of a municipal construction company called Zhitloinvestbud-UKB, was published online. The rude conversation between the owner and his vassal showed who is now the boss in the house. "The return under the umbrella of Vitali Klitschko and Denys Komarnytskyi and the active revival of the construction business and new construction projects that were frozen since the moment of squeezing out of Vadim Stolar's schemes, testifies to the fact that the masters of life have rested and can again successfully act. They are no longer afraid to act themselves and do not want to spend money on puppets," the socio-political weekly ZN.UA wrote then. It must be said that this was a shameful story. But it is also worth saying that it was such not only for the mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko but also for other people. Vyacheslav Nepop, like Mykola Povoroznik, continue to work as deputies to the mayor of our capital Vitali Klitschko for the benefit of the capital.

It is worth noting the fact that October 2020 passed under the anti-corruption banner of the People's Deputy of Ukraine Heo Leros, which, as we already understood, no one took into their team. It should be mentioned that at a briefing, the opposition People's Deputy of Ukraine of the Servant of the People party Heo Leros said that not long ago, the mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klytschko, without any competition, assigned UAH 359 million to the same company Eco-Bud-Trade LLC for the construction of the transport interchange of the Great Ring Road. People's Deputy of Ukraine Heo Leros also showed a clear trail from Denys Komarnytskyi to Mykolai Tyshchenko. It is worth noting that he showed this clear trail that leads not only to him. This statement was confirmed by the recordings of conversations from Denys Komarnytskyi's office published at the same time by Heo Leros. Thus, we already know the result of the work of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and most importantly, it is the destruction of the investigation materials along with traces of the participation in this case of the brother of the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Denis Yermak.

April 2021. Political leaders on Bankova Street are again trying to appoint their head of the Kyiv City State Administration. The new Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is already on the attack, declaring the possibility of such an appointment. Also at this time, Kyiv City Council President Vitalii Klytschko in response threatens to create an executive committee under the Kyiv City Council. It should be said that at the same time, searches are taking place by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine (SFS), including Artur Palatnyi, who was allegedly being monitored and documented for a long time. "We are talking about shares and percentages from the work of three or four municipal enterprises. Thus, the security forces ended up with a huge archive of information in the database. In addition, it is worth noting that according to Kyiv prosecutor Oleh Kiper, more than 60 searches have been conducted in these days within 10 criminal cases. It is also necessary to emphasize the fact that 11 suspicions were brought against former and current heads of municipal enterprises." According to the materials of one of the episodes of the criminal investigation, "the members of the criminal group, which includes about 20 people, including a former people's deputy (Artur Palatnyi), current and former people's deputies of the Kyiv City Council, receive monthly... from 5 to 7 million UAH in income from renting retail outlets illegally set up in underground pedestrian crossings of metro stations...".

The question arises: And what does this information give us? Does it mean that the political leaders simply agreed again and decided everything among themselves without unnecessary disclosure. It means that no one knows anything extra or compromising in the same back office. And the fair prosecutor Oleh Kiper, who is Andriy Yermak's "favorite political leader", who gave dozens of interviews about justice and the inevitability of punishment, with a clear conscience, while maintaining full influence on the capital's prosecutor's office, went from Bankova Street to Odessa. The question arises: Did he really go there instead of such bright personalities as Boris Kaufman and Oleksandr Granovsky? (Speaking of this topic, it is worth clarifying that not only political connections and the usual sabotage on the part of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) played a role, but also the petty self-interest of representatives of the city prosecutor's office, whose employees regularly received apartments from the Kyiv City State Administration).

October 2021. The State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine (SBI) comes out with an unprecedented accusation against the mayor of the capital and the head of the Kyiv City State Administration Vitalii Klychko about a possible 10 (!) billion, which are annually taken from the 65-billion budget of the capital in criminal schemes with public utilities. It is also worth noting that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy made quite angry statements at that time, and the current Minister of National Unity Oleksiy Chernyshov was casting for the head of the Kyiv City State Administration. Oh, how did it happen... Again, the security agencies did not finish their job, and where did those 10 billion go, I wonder?... Or, against the background of investments in the innovative project "Big Construction", the figure of almost 20% of the capital's budget did not seem large-scale to the entourage of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy?

February 3, 2022 - a few weeks before the full-scale invasion, political leaders on Bankova Street once again intensified the methods of strict control over the mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klychko. "Servant of the People" head of the commission on improvement Vladislav Trubitsyn, who was also predicted to become the head of the Kyiv City State Administration, accused the mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klychko of usurping power, pointing out that the mayor illegally creates district departments instead of district councils. It must be said that who is an old song and a long-repeated story ... However, it is worth noting the fact that on February 9, detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) exposed Trubitsyn extorting a bribe of UAH 1.2 million from a businessman. It is noted that he gave these bribes in exchange for permission to street trade. Let's remember this moment.

War as a pretext to seize Kyiv and prepare for elections

The full-scale invasion somewhat slowed down the desire and ability of political leaders on Bankova Street to reformat power in the capital in their favor. However, despite the difficult situation, the war did not reformat what was happening in the Kyiv City Council. However, it must be said that pictures of corruption are now painted not with oil, but with blood: “There is one large and unified faction in the Kyiv City Council. It must be emphasized that all land issues are considered in a package of 150-300 decisions. It is physically impossible to study these materials in a few days, - says our interlocutor, a people's deputy of the Kyiv City Council. - In addition, it is noted that the people's deputies of Ukraine vote by decision numbers, at a very high speed, returning several times to those decisions for which there were not enough votes. In this way, the people's deputies of Ukraine are trying to find answers to all the planned questions.

The heads of the commission do not react to any comments and remarks. At that time, only rare oppositionists were considered in this uncharted atmosphere as city madmen. Everything was the same as under Leonid Chernovetskyi, only during the war. In this way, the People's Deputies come exclusively to press buttons in the organized chaos, which is controlled by specific people." But today these specific people are definitely not political leaders on Bankova Street. The office of the President of Ukraine began to finally lose the capital just after Vladislav Trubitsyn was charged in the spring of 2022. It is said about (Vladislav Trubitsyn's second cousin is a close friend of the deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Oleh Tatarov.) As a result, it must be said that Vladislav Trubitsyn is fleeing to Israel, from the post of deputy mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klychko and Oleksiy Kuleba, the head of the Kyiv regional military administration, is also leaving. In addition, it must also be remembered that in the summer of 2023, the pleasant and coveted department for the improvement of the Kyiv City State Administration, where everyone is trying to work, leaves its head, namely Timur Tkachenko, and these positions are occupied by people from other political forces. In addition, it is worth saying that the Faction of 12 "servants of the people" a priori cannot greatly influence the adoption of important political decisions in our country. Although the Budget Commission of Ukraine is under the influence of Bankova Street (its head is Vitrenko from the Servant of the People political party), most of its members represent other factions, which decide the outcome of the votes. In addition, it is worth emphasizing the important fact that over the years a situational, but very effective majority has been formed in Kyiv City in the composition of such political parties as UDAR (Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform) Vitaliy Klychka) - a Ukrainian political party, "Batkivshchyna" a Ukrainian political party, “Batkivshchyna” is a Ukrainian political party of centrist directness, which is disliked by People’s Deputy of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko, and the “European Solidarity” Party (ES), which is a Ukrainian center-right conservative political party. And when it becomes necessary, political parties vote to achieve their interests, this means such political parties as “European Solidarity”, which is a Ukrainian conservative and center-right political party and “Servant of the People” - a Ukrainian centrist and “radical centrist” political party. It is also worth noting that the heads of district administrations, appointed by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are also slowly beginning to divide interests and go over to the side of the capital's authorities.

The golden share was in the hands of Denys Komarnytskyi, who at the start broke the agreement of the Kyiv City Council Minister Vitalii Klychko with Petro Poroshenko and since then has been successfully solving issues at the expense of the Ukrainian political party UDAR (Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms), represented by the Minister of Kyiv City Council Vitalii Klychko) - and the aforementioned small factions, where the majority is controlled by bribery and reliable people. As for the secretary of the Kyiv City Council Volodymyr Bondarenko, he was quickly recruited and transferred to the right side. In addition, it is worth noting that he was appointed to the post on a simple salary to Denys Komarnytskyi. Which, in fact, is confirmed by the records published by representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) last week. That is, at some point, Denys Komarnytskyi began to work with Volodymyr Bondarenko for himself. This development of events, of course, caused wild irritation among the political leaders on Bankova Street. This situation looked especially acute and inopportune against the background of the growing influence of Artur Palatnyi, thanks to whom Denys Komarnytskyi could not directly control the mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klychko. It is worth noting that it was Artur Palatnyi who set him up, who was in contact with Denys Komarnytskyi. That is, Denys Komarnytskyi had his own group of influence and used Artur Palatnyi's group of influence to ensure processes in the Rada and departments of the Kyiv City State Administration. It must be said that "the scheme worked particularly successfully and effectively in 2023-2024, when it became possible to collect votes to advance their interests even without the heads of parliamentary factions," says our interlocutor from the Kyiv City Council. In addition, it is worth noting that at some point it became difficult to say which of these groups was stronger.

Political leaders on Bankova Street were frantically looking for ways to enter Kyiv as masters. It should be emphasized that the introduction of the capital's military administration on March 5, 2022, the head of which was no longer the mayor of our capital Vitalii Klychko, was the first tactical step of the representatives of the Office of the President of Ukraine in the new military strategy of capturing resources (the capital's budget in 2025 is UAH 90 billion) and the electorate (more than three million residents) of the capital.

Thus, it should be said that the case of military administrations in communities is opaque, anti-democratic and grew out of the confrontation between the central and local authorities during three years of war. The trick is that the powers of local government and the state at the community level (and Kyiv is primarily a community) are not separated by law and, in fact, the head of the military administration becomes the full-fledged owner of the city of Kiev. It should be emphasized that the predecessors of Timur Tkachenko, Generals Zhyrnov and Popko, did not express a clear desire to interfere in the executive power. But the political leaders on Bankova Street were waiting and preparing the ground to take the place they had been claiming and had long wanted.

In February 2024, a parliamentary temporary investigative commission on Kyiv was created, where the office, with the help of the people's deputies of Ukraine, kept Vitalii Klychko in suspense, sorting out the "problems of Kyiv" in small details. In addition, it is also worth noting that in December 2024, when the prospects for holding elections were very strong, General Popko was replaced by a man of the system: Timur Tkachenko became the head of the Kyiv city military administration. Thus, the Circle closed. Now, because the situation developed in such a way, today a mere "puppet" of the political leaders on Bankova Street - a native of the corrupt system of Kyiv - claims full power in the capital of our country. Against this background, Timur Tkachenko's Facebook posts about the creation of a working group that began to deal with the problems of corruption in Kyiv are intended, to put it mildly, for people who do not understand the current situation at all. Moreover, it must be said that everything happened for two specific reasons.

Firstly, according to our information, the current head of the Kyiv city military administration, responsible for the security of the capital, left it at the time of the full-scale invasion, settling somewhere in a tourist complex in Zakarpattia region. This politician, who appeared in the city on March 15, then still the head of the capital's improvement department, left Kyiv again and did not return until mid-April.

Secondly, as for the corruption that Timur Tkachenko is going to fight, we will name only one name - Ihor Polozun. Currently, he is the acting head of the Bucha District State Administration, and once - Tkachenko's henchman in the Kyiv City State Administration's Department of Improvement, with the help of which Timur Tkachenko solved his personal issues. These facts, according to our information, are recorded in the operational materials of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). We can only wish him good luck and success in his new job and career.

It should be emphasized that the scheme according to which it is possible to take control and management of an entire city has been worked out in the same Chernihiv, where after the removal of Mayor Atroshenko from power, the city mayor Oleksandr Lomako fought for two years with the head of the military administration, but the court first gave the budget to the military administration (legally, since the powers are not separated). It is worth noting that after all the events that happened, the government, using force structures, forced Oleksandr Lomako to resign. It should be said that a very similar scenario is being implemented in the capital of our country, Kyiv. The only difference is that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) is putting pressure on the capital of Ukraine Kyiv.

Operation of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). Main questions and answers

What was the strategy of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the investigation?

According to our information, literally a month after his appointment (March 6, 2023), the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) Semen Kryvonos, along with the defense industry, defined Kyiv as one of the priorities of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). Today, this is enshrined in the law system of our country. The detective unit, which has long been dealing with Kyiv, as well as the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (MIA of Ukraine), the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES of Ukraine), the Tax Service of Ukraine, etc., were given the opportunity not to deal with minor matters and not to strive to achieve the highest indicators, but to focus on large cases. Thus, according to one of our interlocutors, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has changed its philosophy of operation. It is worth noting that "as a result, of course, some minor cases were left without attention by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU)," he explains. "However, the emphasis was placed on the most important and black cases, the investigation of which can radically change the system. And this approach to conducting cases suited many. Detectives finally got rid of the constant routine and allowed themselves to risk immersing themselves in cases of systemic corruption."

For the development of the back office (about which at that time a fairly large number of investigations, including journalistic ones, had been written), a separate group of detectives was allocated within the unit, who dealt exclusively with cases and problems that arose in the capital. It is worth noting the fact that during the entire existence of such a state agency as the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), in addition to the case of Vladyslav Trubitsyn, in 2019 the case of the Kyiv City Council deputy Krymchak was also raised. In addition, it is necessary to emphasize the information that a case was also conducted on the investigation of corruption in the Kyiv Utility Company Association of Green Construction and Exploitation of Green Plants of the City "Kyivzelenbud". It is worth mentioning the fact that all three cases are currently in court.

"The case of Denys Komarnytskyi, uncovered by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), goes far beyond the Kyiv authorities," a source in law enforcement agencies clarifies. "We are talking about the largest criminal group in the country today. Land, municipal property, building permits, budget schemes... It must be said that in order to successfully and effectively record corruption in Kyiv, it was necessary to document everything at the stage of drawing up plans, when the tender is being prepared, and the conditions are being discussed. Because then, in order to work successfully and well, a mechanism was activated that had been so well-established over the years (and we remember that this mechanism was set up when Leonid Chernovetskyi was the mayor of Kyiv), that it is very difficult to attach to specific money, to specific people associated with corruption. It must be emphasized that all resources, spheres of influence and money are distributed in advance. In such a situation, all members know their percentage. The schemes are built in such a way that everything is carried out practically legally, that is, everything looks as if real services of real companies are supposedly being paid for."

How did they manage to get to the back office?

According to our sources, the operatives listened to Denys Komarnytskyi for almost a year and a half. In addition, it is reported that the wiretapping and video cameras in the back office were installed with the help of the business center security. Communication of all visitors was encrypted, surnames were almost never mentioned (more often, just "call signs" were used, because it must be said that these "heroes" have their own war), the names of objects and sites also were encrypted. Investigators literally solve puzzles to collect the necessary information on this case.

How does a criminal group work?

It is necessary to remember the fact that "all political forces present in the Kyiv City Council are in the share. In addition, it is worth noting the fact that each party has its own quota in the budget. Also, each party has its own heads of public utilities, who report to their bosses, the leaders of the factions. In order for voting to take place, there is mutual bargaining and agreements: like, if you give me something or help me somehow, then I will also help or give you something. Thus, we can say that they made an equivalent exchange between themselves. That is, in this way it is necessary to emphasize the fact that the pie of all sorts of benefits in the form of money, resources and influence is divided into parts by the hands of Denys Komarnytskyi and his closest partners. The most offended and in an unpleasant position now are the people's deputies of Ukraine from the "Servant of the People" party.

The question arises why suspicions were brought for a small, insignificant scheme of only 12 million, because in essence it does not particularly affect anything?

According to sources, representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) had to carry out the operation earlier than planned, since there was a leak of information about the installed wiretapping. That is why Denys Komarnytskyi managed to escape. However, it must be noted that in the current situation, the investigation took one, namely the most ready-made episode out of possible dozens. It should be said that the investigators took the information that had already been extracted from many hours of recordings, almost a year and a half old. In addition, it is worth noting that the investigators have thousands of hours of conversations, seized computers, phones and other equipment.

Speaking on this topic, the question arises, what is the essence of the scheme?

The fact that huge leased plots of land without an auction went to specific developers, because someone's building was built there on time and it was already considered private property, has been written enough by both the media and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). The main thing is that this is one of many active schemes in which suspicions are brought against all participants in the chain, namely, we are talking about the customers and performers. In addition, this list can also include the owner of the back-office Denys Komarnytskyi, Vitalii Klychko 's deputy Petro Olenich (they took control of land management and digitalization), the head of the land commission Mykhailo Terentyev, as well as smaller clerks who prepared documents, etc. It is also worth noting the fact that some of the defendants in the case were released from the pretrial detention center on bail. (By the way, it must be said that a rare honest bird flies into the Kyiv City Council, but it happens. Viktoria Ptashnik, who broke away from the flock of the Ukrainian conservative and center-right political party, "European Solidarity", last year drew the attention of her fellow people's deputies of Ukraine and prosecutors of the Solomenskyi district of Kyiv to the inadmissibility of unfair and cunning schemes.")

A logical question arises. What is the difficulty of the investigation?

It is necessary to emphasize the fact that “in addition to the fact that the group of detectives has a lot of work to do to study a huge array of materials and collect evidence, the problem is also that Kyiv is a difficult object for investigation. This situation has arisen due to the combination of the positions of mayor, head of the Kyiv City State Administration and Kyiv City Council,” says our interlocutor. “In addition, it is worth noting the fact that with the appearance of the head of the military administration in the system of power, the situation has become even more complicated. Now who is responsible for what has become completely unclear. It is noted that Vitalii Klychko, the mayor of Kyiv, appoints the heads of all departments, and Timur Tkachenko seems to manage them. The head of the Kyiv City Military Administration uploads videos of illegal construction to the Internet, but whose authority is this actually within? In addition, such important questions also arise as who should the detectives deal with? Who should they ask questions to? It is worth noting that this chaos, organized at the legislative level, is a very good background for the continuation of corruption.”

It should be said that the unification of the financial functions of the state and local government is a black hole, where it is useless to enter without the necessary knowledge. Therefore, on the first small cases, detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) learned and understood the system. Speaking on this topic, it is worth saying that they began to deal with the case of Denys Komarnytskyi, already understanding what no one in Ukraine understands about the system of power in the capital of our country, Kyiv.

Is it possible to reach the mayor of the capital Vitalii Klychko?

As we have already said, Artur Palatnyi is a key partner of Denys Komarnytskyi from the team of Vitalii Klychko. It is worth noting the fact that Denys Komarnytskyi was the first in this scheme, but the first among equals. According to our information, the voice of Artur Palatnyi is not on the tapes of the Operational Investigative Activity. However, it must be said that Denys Komarnytskyi was in constant contact with him. Thus, on the tapes, Denys Komarnytskyi conditionally calls Artur Palatnyi "Neighbor". In addition, it is noted that their meetings, the results of which Denys Komarnytskyi often talks about, took place somewhere outside the city where they went. Therefore, when the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) will present suspicion to Artur Palatnyi, it is just a matter of time. But the question arises, how to connect Artur Palatnyi to Vitalii Klychko? It is noted that there is no criminal liability for political ties. Thus, the question is whether other evidence will be found or Vitali Klitschko will publicly become disappointed in Denys Komarnytskyi, who acted behind his back, and did he really not know anything?

Or will everything be like Vitalii Klychko once "became disillusioned" with Vadym Stolar? It is worth noting that the mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko has already declared his readiness to assist the investigation and has removed all official figures in the investigation from their positions. Like, it's not me and I am not to blame for what happened at all. "The obvious guilt of the mayor of Kyiv Vitalii Klychko is that he allowed a complete mess and problems in the capital, where everyone steals and behaves as they want. It is worth noting the fact that Povorotnyk is getting rich in the medical sector, and Panteleyev is making a lot of money in the housing and utilities sector. In addition, it should also be said that Vyacheslav Nepop is increasing his wealth with the help of the construction sector, and Denys Komarnytskyi is making significant amounts of money on his schemes," says a source in law enforcement agencies of Ukraine.

The question arises, who else may appear on the tapes?

It should be said that the voice of the Kyiv City Council Secretary Volodymyr Bondarenko has already appeared on the 20-minute video published by representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). It is worth noting that given the peculiarity of the situation, there will be many more surprises and names that will be published in the future.

Will there be investigations on Bankova Street?

According to our information, the now disgraced People's Deputy of Ukraine and intermediary Mykolai Tishchenko on Bankova Street did not appear in Denys Komarnytskyi's back office during the period of investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). However, it is worth repeating that the array of recordings that the investigation has is huge and has not yet been fully studied. "If people on Bankova Street are not recorded on tapes, this does not mean that they do not exist in principle. And the suspects may begin to testify," our other interlocutor in law enforcement agencies is convinced of this.

It's time to give the floor to the supporters of the third version of who ordered the investigation for Denys Komarnytskyi's back office to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). It turns out that there is such a version too: "It's all about priorities and timing. After the case was opened in the spring of 2023, the investigators of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) could honestly do their job. And, most likely, they continue to do so. The question is different: why did Kyiv become a priority for the new director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) Semen Kryvonos? In addition, another important question arises: Why were all the conditions created specifically for working with him, and a separate group of detectives was allocated, etc.? It should be noted that the Government, through the hands of Semen Kryvonos, could use the investigators of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), simply not quite officially and not according to protocol."

"But even if we assume that Semen Kryvonos is controlled by political leaders from Bankova Street, the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) cannot interfere in the investigation purely procedurally," another interlocutor counters. "Moreover, it is worth saying that both he and the team of detectives are well aware of the strong, strict target they are under. Therefore, the current director, who is in a strict ethical framework, is unlikely to dare to go beyond it. He will behave in this way in this situation, because his going beyond the ethical framework will immediately become known to the public. In addition, speaking on this topic, it must be said that the situation can develop in exactly the same way as when it became known about the scandal with the leaks of information to Bankova Street. It is worth emphasizing the fact that such a development of events will finally spoil and put an end to his reputation."

Thus, in any case and in whatever version you believe, this story is a real test for the representatives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). It is worth noting the fact that only the results of the investigation can remove the shadow of suspicion, which is now very easily cast on the institution even by those who until recently unconditionally believed in the political leaders of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). In addition, it must be said that against the background of a deteriorated and unreliable law enforcement system (Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), National Police of Ukraine, State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine (SBI), Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BES)), which has long been tamed by unscrupulous parasites from the government structures of our country, this is a very serious challenge not only for the team and the current director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), but also for the anti-corruption bloc as a whole.

And it is worth saying that if problems can arise in these state institutions, then we can say that they will be relevant for the state. For representatives of which dignity inside should be no less important than the ability to defend it outside. The situation is this way because it is not only in the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). It is worth noting the fact that what has been happening in the capital for the last 20 years has nothing to do with protecting the interests of the community. Moreover, the situation in the capital of our country, Kyiv, is a concentrated truth about how corruption schemes operate at all levels of Ukrainian government, namely, we are talking about the central and local authorities. Almost all parliamentary parties are present in the Kyiv City Council, including "Servant of the People", a Ukrainian radical-centrist ruling political party, "European Solidarity", a Ukrainian conservative and center-right political party, "Batkivshchyna", a Ukrainian political party of centrist orientation, which is headed by the people's deputy of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko, and "Voice", a liberal and pro-European political party in Ukraine. In addition, the parties Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms (UDAR) and "Unity", a political party of Oleksandr Omelchenko, are also represented there. It is worth saying that all of them, unfortunately, are also involved in the deals and dubious schemes that unfold in their political activities and lives in the capital. It is worth emphasizing the fact that no matter how beautifully they speak to guests in the parliament hall and no matter how many drones these political leaders send to the front, the situation is exactly like this.

It is necessary to say that it may happen that power will soon change in Ukraine. In addition, it is important to emphasize that the entire criminal-political history of Kyiv, which we described, namely we are talking about the lack of a law on the capital, the opacity of the government system, the unreliability of the security forces and their tendency to take bribes - will always be the basis for corruption schemes to arise again and again. All this can happen even after the most large-scale revelations made by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). Political figures such as Leonid Chernovetskyi, Petro Poroshenko, Vitalii Klychko, Volodymyr Zelenskyy may change, but the back office will also manage all political processes. Developers will manage and control everything. And the new politicians, in turn, will simply receive their share of the money and continue to take bribes. The situation will develop in this way until the Kyiv City Council and the parliament are filled with political squads that will defend the interests of the community and the state.

Read this article in Ukrainian and russian.