A judge from Mykolaiv was punished in connection with a case involving the discharge of a soldier from military service

For more than three years, the High Council of Justice considered a disciplinary case against Serhiy Shcherbina, a judge of the Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv. As a result, the judges issued a warning due to violations identified during the consideration of a case related to the dismissal of a mobilized military serviceman.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations, citing a decision by the High Council of Justice.

The basis for the disciplinary proceedings was a complaint filed by a military unit in February 2023. In addition, the Third Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice opened another proceeding on its own initiative, after which the two cases were consolidated.

The review concerned a civil case regarding the reinstatement and dismissal of a military servicemember during mobilization. While examining the case, the disciplinary inspector noted possible violations of the automated case assignment system. Before the case materials were transferred to Shcherbina, several other judges were excluded from the assignment process, some of them on grounds not provided for by the rules governing the automated document management system.

The High Council of Justice concluded that, under these circumstances, the judge should have considered recusing himself due to doubts regarding the legality of his assignment to the case. That is why, in May 2026, the Disciplinary Chamber opened additional proceedings, which were consolidated with the military unit’s existing complaint.

In his explanations, the judge noted that he was working during a period of constant shelling of Mykolaiv and was rendering decisions under wartime conditions. He also suggested that the disciplinary complaint might have been related to other decisions rendered regarding the commander of the military unit.

After reviewing the materials, the High Council of Justice imposed the mildest disciplinary sanction on the judge—a warning.

As reported by Intent, Serhiy Shcherbyna, the head of the Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv, provided false information amounting to over one million hryvnias in his 2021 financial disclosure statement. The National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) found that the judge had concealed information about his wife’s property and corporate rights and had underreported his financial assets.

Анна Бальчінос