Antique cars from Odesa are now in a museum in Moscow

In Odesa, a court seized the property of a suspect in high treason and embezzlement of budget funds during the repair of a shelter. The defendant in the case transferred dozens of vintage cars to a museum in Moscow to popularize the power structures of the aggressor country.

This is stated in the decision of the Peresypskyi District Court of Odesa.

The Peresypskyi District Court of Odesa granted the prosecutor's request to seize the property of a suspect in high treason and large-scale embezzlement of budget funds under martial law.

The investigation established that the suspect was involved in embezzlement during the execution of a contract for the overhaul of a shelter. In the course of the pre-trial investigation, law enforcement officers found that the budget money was misappropriated by unidentified officials.

In addition, it turned out that the suspect had transferred more than twenty vintage cars - mostly Soviet and American brands, including ZILs, ZISs and Cadillacs - for free storage to a museum in Moscow. According to the investigation, these cars were used to popularize Russia's security forces. Investigators noted that the suspect was aware that he was thus contributing to the activities of the Russian Federal Security Service and providing it with material support.

In addition, the investigators found that the suspect owns a number of real estate properties registered in the names of close relatives and trustees. One of the companies owned by the trustee owns a large shopping and office center. In 2025, bankruptcy proceedings were initiated against this company, which investigators qualify as artificial and aimed at concealing assets and facilitating property seizures.

During a search in June 2025 at the premises associated with the suspect, law enforcement officers seized cash, documents, contracts, and equipment relevant to the investigation.

As a result, the court ordered the seizure of the suspect's property in the framework of criminal proceedings under articles on aiding the aggressor state and embezzlement of budget funds.

The court also took the mayor of Vilkovo into custody and set him bail at UAH 39 million. According to the investigation, two heads of private companies set up illegal sand extraction from the Danube to build a private multimodal terminal.

Анна Бальчінос