Court Reduces Bail for Kiliya Mayor

The court extended the pretrial detention order for Kiliya Mayor Vyacheslav Chernyavsky, who is suspected of receiving an illegal benefit on an exceptionally large scale, but reduced the bail amount.

This was reported by civic activist Anzhelika Karapetyan from the courtroom. 

According to her, the bail was reduced from 41.6 million hryvnias to 38 million. On May 28, the court imposed a pretrial restriction on the mayor in the form of detention with bail set at 41.6 million, and on June 2, the court suspended him from his position as mayor. Vyacheslav Chernyavsky is suspected of receiving illegal benefits and obstructing the implementation of a wind farm construction project in the Odesa region.

The Security Service ofUkraine detainedthe mayor of Kiliya on suspicion of extorting bribes during the modernization of the southern region’s energy infrastructure. The detainee allegedly attempted to obtain an illegal benefit of 35,000 U.S. dollars from a representative of a foreign-invested company.

In exchange for this sum, the mayor allegedly promised international contractors unimpeded approval of the permitting documentation for the construction of a wind farm in the port city. This project was intended to serve as an alternative energy source for residential buildings and social facilities in the local community, including hospitals, schools, and kindergartens.

If found guilty, the mayor faces imprisonment for a term of eight to twelve years, along with a ban on holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities for up to three years, and confiscation of property.

Vyacheslav Chernyavsky has been the mayor of Kiliya in the Izmail District of the Odesa Region since November 2020. Prior to that, he served twice—with breaks in between—as deputy mayor for the activities of the executive bodies of the Kiliya City Council and as director of agricultural holdings.

He was born on February 7, 1987, in the village of Shevchenkove, Kiliya District, Odesa Oblast. He graduated from Shevchenko Secondary School No. 1 (Grades 1–3) in Kiliya District, Odesa Oblast. He holds a college degree. In 2010, he graduated from the O.S. Popov Odessa National Academy of Telecommunications with a degree in “Economics and Entrepreneurship.”

Кирило Бойко