03 June 2026
(ILLUSTRATION: Intent/AI)
Alla Ivanova, a forewoman for the operation of the housing stock of production site No. 3 of the Porto-Frankivsk Housing and Communal Services, was sentenced in Odesa. According to the investigation, the official was involved in a scheme involving fictitious employment of so-called "dead souls" and illegal reservation of men from mobilization.
The Center forPublicInvestigations found out the details of the case.
Municipal Utility Company "Porto-Frankivsk" is one of the largest communal enterprises in Odesa. It maintains the housing stock, landscaping, repairs buildings, and eliminates the consequences of Russian shelling. After amendments were made to its charter, the company was also officially involved in the work to eliminate the consequences of armed aggression.
According to the investigation, the status of a critical enterprise was the basis for the scheme.
According to the verdict of the Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa, in February 2024, the acting director together with the head of the HR department organized a mechanism of fictitious employment. Subsequently, the heads of departments, deputy directors, chief engineer, and heads of production sites were involved.
The investigation believes that the scheme operated at least until July 2025. The people were officially employed by the utility company, although they did not actually work there and did not show up for work.
Nevertheless, they were accrued seniority, social guarantees, paid vacations, and salaries. Part or all of the money received was transferred to the organizers of the fraud.
The case file indicates that the heads of the sections entered false data into the time sheets on a monthly basis, indicating the hours allegedly worked. After the documents were approved by the management, the accounting department officially calculated salaries.
Later, the money was transferred to the bank cards of fictitious employees, and then transferred to other accounts or transferred in cash through intermediaries. The investigation also revealed cases of using other people's bank cards and PINs to withdraw funds.
One of the key elements of the case was the illegal booking of conscripts. According to the investigation, the men were specially employed by the utility company so that they could get a deferral from mobilization.
Since the company had the status of a critical enterprise, its employees could be booked through state registers. After formal employment, the men's data was entered into the system through the Diia portal, although they did not actually perform any work.
Thus, the utility company that was supposed to ensure the functioning of the city during the war was actually used to obtain a fictitious status of a critical worker.
The verdict states that the company employed acquaintances and other people as locksmiths, plasterers, cleaners and site foremen. Some of the people were assigned to production sites #2, #4, #5 and #8. In total, according to the investigation, about 90 people could have been falsely employed through the scheme.
The court separately considered the role of Alla Ivanova, a forewoman at production site No. 3, who cooperated with the investigation and entered into a plea agreement.
Law enforcement officials believe that the woman knew about the existence of "paper" workers, but continued to enter false data into the time sheets. She did not react to the absence of these people at work, and distributed their duties among the real employees of the enterprise.
The investigation established more than UAH 1.5 million in losses at one production site alone. Of this amount, more than UAH 1.27 million was illegally paid in salaries, and another UAH 281 thousand was unjustifiably paid in unified social tax.
Law enforcement officials emphasize that this is only one episode of the criminal proceedings. Given the number of fictitiously registered employees, the total losses could be much higher.
The court approved the plea agreement between the prosecutor and Ivanov.
She was sentenced to three years in prison, a fine of 17,000 hryvnias, and a ban on holding positions in government related to organizational, administrative, and economic functions for two years.
However, the convict was released from serving her sentence on probation for one year. During this time, she must regularly report to the probation office, notify the court of any change of place of residence or work, and not leave the territory of Ukraine without permission.
Also in Odesa, the court sentenced Yuriy Gulla, head of production site No. 1 of the Porto-Frankivsk Housing and Communal Services Company, in a case of fictitious employment at a utility company.
Last year, Intent and the Center for Public Investigations found that even after criminal proceedings were opened, the status of critical enterprises was renewed for some housing and communal services companies whose management was under investigation.
Анна Бальчінос