27 relatives with Russian passports were found in the financial disclosure statements of Odessa officials

In their 2025 financial disclosure statements, 27 Odessa officials and lawmakers listed family members with Russian citizenship. Most often, these were spouses—there were 18 such cases. The declared relatives also included children and parents.

This is reported in an article by Intenta, whose journalists analyzed 17,543 annual declarations from individuals who listed Odesa as their place of residence, as well as from officials and lawmakers in city, regional, and district government bodies.

During the analysis, information regarding family members’ citizenship, property, income, savings, bank accounts, and business interests was verified.

Among those who listed relatives with Russian citizenship are Muslim Bekhoev, a deputy of the Odesa Regional Council; Odessa City Council member Natalia Zhukova, Odessa District Administrative Court Judge Sergey Stefanov, and Yuriy Prymachenko, deputy head of a department at the Odessa Regional Prosecutor’s Office. Relatives of three Odessa Customs employees, a police investigator, and city council department staff members also hold Russian citizenship.

Ivan Tanov, acting head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ “Zatoka” Medical Rehabilitation Center, noted that his wife, a Russian citizen, received a Russian pension in 2025.

According to him, she has been abroad since the start of the full-scale invasion and does not hold Ukrainian citizenship. She had lived in Ukraine since 1991 and held a permanent residence permit. Her pension was paid through European banks.

Muslim Bekhoev explained to Intent that his wife has held Russian citizenship since birth.

According to the lawmaker, both of them are ethnic Chechens, and many Chechens received Russian passports against their will and without the option to choose the citizenship of another country.

Behoyev has held Ukrainian citizenship since 2018. His wife, according to the lawmaker, lives primarily in Ukraine but is currently in Georgia. Her elderly parents remain in Russia. His wife has not yet attempted to change her citizenship.

The lawmaker explained that the process was lengthy, and the full-scale invasion complicated the paperwork. She recently received her permanent residence permit.

Expert Serhiy Mytkalyk explained that, in and of itself, a relative’s Russian citizenship is not an automatic grounds for dismissing an official or barring them from holding office. At the same time, when processing security clearance for access to state secrets, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) may verify ties to foreign states and assess potential risks of influence or pressure.

In response to a request from Intent, the Odesa City Council stated that gathering such information does not fall within the jurisdiction of local government bodies.

Ірина Глухова