Ukrainska Pravda: Deputy PM’s home searched in corruption case
In May 2025, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) conducted a search of the residence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for National Unity Oleksiy Chernyshov, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
The investigation concerns the alleged illegal transfer of land to developer Serhiy Kopystyra, head of KSM Group.
According to investigators, during 2021–2022, when Chernyshov headed the Ministry of Regional Development, ministry officials created favorable conditions for Kopystyra to acquire a land plot in Kyiv for residential construction. The land was reportedly sold at nearly five times below market value, potentially causing state losses exceeding UAH 1 billion.
During the search, authorities discovered a copy of The Collected Works of Skovoroda, Volume One, valued at $1,000, which, according to investigators, was gifted to Chernyshov by Kopystyra.
In parallel with the search of Chernyshov’s residence, law enforcement detained two of his close associates: Maksym Horbatiuk, a former pro bono adviser to the minister who later became Commercial Director of a Naftogaz subsidiary, and Vasyl Volodin, former State Secretary of the Ministry of Regional Development and current Naftogaz board member
These arrests occurred while Chernyshov was abroad on an official trip.
On the night of June 10–11, 2025, the Deputy Prime Minister left Ukraine for the Czech Republic by train and has not returned since. From there, he traveled to Austria, where impromptu meetings were arranged, and then to Strasbourg.
According to the report, Chernyshov may remain abroad until at least July 10, when the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference opens in Rome.
The Ukrainska Pravda outlines several possible scenarios:
- He may be dismissed during an upcoming Cabinet reshuffle (tentatively set for July 15);
- He may return to Ukraine after a "rescue plan" is agreed upon;
- He may receive formal suspicion while retaining his post — similar to Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Antimonopoly Committee;
- NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) may ultimately find no grounds for procedural action.
Chernyshov began his political career in 2019, when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed him Head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration.
Less than six months later, he became Minister for Communities and Territorial Development. In 2022, he was appointed CEO of Naftogaz of Ukraine. However, in December 2024, he returned to the Cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for National Unity.
