11 May 2026
(Iryna Bondarenko. PHOTO: suspilne.media)
The court has imposed a pre-trial restraint on Iryna Bondarenko, head of the Department for Physical Culture and Sports of Mykolaiv City Council. She is suspected of organizing a scheme of fictitious employment of persons liable for military service.
This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.
The court partially granted the prosecution's motion and ruled to take the official into custody until June 26, 2026. At the same time, she was granted an alternative in the form of bail in the amount of UAH 832,000.
The criminal proceedings were opened on December 25, 2025 under Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - misappropriation or embezzlement of property through abuse of office. The case involves the Sports Department of Mykolaiv City Council, the Peremoha Children and Youth Sports School and the Children and Youth Sports School No. 6.
According to law enforcement, sports officials, together with the heads of subordinate institutions, could organize a mechanism for fictitious employment of men of military age. The investigation believes that they were employed in sports schools for 5,000 USD, which allowed them to obtain reservations and avoid mobilization.
The case file mentions the possible involvement in the scheme of the head of the sports department, Iryna Bondarenko, who has been in charge of the structure since 2021.
Also mentioned in the proceedings are the director of the Peremoha Children and Youth Sports School Oleksandr Munch and the management of the Children and Youth Sports School No. 6. Separately, law enforcement officers are checking the role of the former head of the sports department, Oleh Mashkin, who is now a deputy director and boxing coach at the Olympic reserve sports school.
On January 20, 2026, investigators conducted searches at the Peremoha sports school. During the investigation, they seized documents related to the work of coaches and employees: timesheets, class schedules, employment orders, personal files, logbooks, lists of persons liable for military service, and staffing lists.
The investigator recognized the seized documents as material evidence, after which the court seized them. The arrest included materials on 13 people, including personal files of employees, lists of conscripts and official documents of the sports department and sports schools.
On April 29, Iryna Bondarenko was notified of suspicion of embezzling more than half a million hryvnias of budget funds.
Accordingto the National Police, the official could have hired her friends and relatives to work in controlled municipal institutions, who did not actually perform their duties but received a salary. The investigation believes that the official used these funds at her own discretion. She faces up to eight years in prison under the charged article.
During the searches of Bondarenko's office and residence, law enforcement officers seized documents, draft records, phones, bank cards, and other possible evidence.
In addition to the arrest, the court also ruled to remove the official from office until June 26, 2026.
However, the bail set by the court was paid for the suspect. According to Novosti-N, due to a delay in the paperwork, the payment confirmation was received late, so the official spent the night in a pre-trial detention center.
As Intent wrote, in January, law enforcement officers conducted searches at the Peremoha sports school, the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of Mykolaiv City Council, and other sports facilities in the city. The investigative actions were part of an investigation into possible abuse of office and obtaining undue advantage.
Анна Бальчінос