10 February 2026

Case on accusation of judge's son in murder in Odesa region to be considered from the beginning

(Ivan Ablov. Photo: Slidstvo.info)

The Ovidiopol District Court of Odesa Region has resumed consideration of the case of Ivan Ablov, the son of a judge of the Kyiv District Administrative Court, who is accused of stabbing a sportsman, Ihor Hergel, who worked as a security guard.

As the judges noted in their ruling, this was due to the replacement of the judge.

The fact is that the case was considered by a judge who was suspended from work by the High Council of Justice in early December 2025 - he was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to two years in prison, but was released from serving his sentence due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.

According to the investigation, during the New Year's celebration in a country cottage in Odesa region, 27-year-old Ivan Ablov stabbed athlete Ihor Hergel, who worked as a security guard, to death with a kitchen knife. Ablov then fled the scene.

Criminal proceedings were opened on January 1, and on January 4, Ablov was notified of suspicion of premeditated murder.

On January 15, 2024, Ablov came and surrendered to the police himself. On the same day, the court remanded him in custody without bail.

Ivan Ablov 's father is a judge of the now liquidated Kyiv District Administrative Court, Yevhen Ablov. He is known for his scandalous court decisions. For example, in December 2013, he ordered special forces to disperse Maidan activists, and in 2017, he recognized the scheme of purchasing the so-called "Avakov backpacks" as legal, thus helping the son of the then Minister of Internal Affairs to avoid punishment.

In May 2024, Skhemy published a photo of Ivan Ablov driving around Odesa in a Land Cruiser 200 belonging to his mother. According to media reports, the son of judge Yevhen Ablov has been at large since April 26, 2024, when the preventive measure expired.

Кирило Бойко

You may also like:

Nov. 6, 2026

The boathouse premises were returned to Kherson University

Only 2 percent of Ukraine's certified real estate agents are based in the Odesa region

"The First Emoji" and Petroglyphs: Alla Glavenchuk on the Discoveries in the Mykolaiv Region

A case involving the fraudulent provision of meals to children has been referred to court in the Mykolaiv region

A court security official from the Odesa region mistook an apartment for a room in her financial disclosure statement