A former customs officer from the Kherson region is under investigation by the SBU

The SBU has notified former Ukrainian customs officer Dmytro Afanasiad, who sided with the Russian authorities following the occupation of the Kherson region, that he is under investigation. According to investigators, he headed the illegal Kherson customs post.

The Center for Public Investigations examined how the former honorary customs officer of Ukraine began collaborating with the occupying authorities.

The criminal case has been under investigation since June 2025. Afanasiadi is suspected of collaboration and voluntarily taking a position in an illegal law enforcement agency. He is originally from Skadovsk and worked in the Ukrainian customs service for more than two decades prior to the occupation.

In April 2026, it was established that after the seizure of the Kherson region, he joined the occupation administration. According to media reports, he headed the illegally established Kherson customs post, which is part of the Russian Federation’s Federal Customs Service, and also held a position in the occupying Crimean customs service.

He began his career as an inspector at the Skadovsk Customs Post and later became the head of that unit. In 2009–2010, he served as deputy chief of the Kherson Customs Office, which was then headed by Vitaliy Bulyuk. Later, he worked in Odesa, where he managed the “Odesa-Port” customs post and also served as first deputy head of the customs office. From 2010 to 2012, he headed the Zaporizhzhia Customs Office, and from December 2012 to April 2014, he headed the Sumy Customs Office.

At the same time, even before the occupation, his name had appeared in a criminal case. In December 2013, law enforcement officers detained Afanasiadi and his deputy while they were receiving over 78,000 hryvnias. The case was later closed due to insufficient evidence.

After the occupation, he returned to the customs sector, this time serving under the Russian occupation authorities.

During his tenure, Dmytro Afanasiadi was awarded the rank of First-Class Customs Service Advisor and the title of “Honorary Customs Officer of Ukraine.” After leaving customs, he worked in the private sector, and in 2018, he became the first deputy mayor of Skadovsk.

Анна Літман