Kherson regional administration officials under investigation for bribery

The leadership of the Ivanivka village military administration in Kherson region is suspected of extorting bribes from employees' bonuses. According to the investigation, they systematically received bribes from their subordinates.

This was reported by the Center for Investigative Journalism.

Viktor Debeliy, 66, the head of the Ivanivka village military administration (VA) in the Genichesk district of Kherson region, his first deputy, 40-year-old Victoria Shchastliva, and the head of the accounting and reporting department of the Ivanivka village VA are suspected of systematically extorting kickbacks from the bonuses of employees of the administration and the village council.

According to the investigation, between March 2023 and October 2024, they received more than UAH 930 thousand. All three face five to ten years in prison with confiscation of property.

The scheme consisted in the fact that the administration employees had to give part of their bonuses to the bank card of the head of accounting. Those who refused were threatened with deprivation of bonuses, disciplinary measures, transfer to idle time or dismissal. Individual kickbacks ranged from 20 to 91 thousand hryvnias.

Viktor Debeliy was imposed a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention until November 23, 2025. But he was released on bail of 605 thousand hryvnias. Victoria Shchastlivaya was given a personal commitment with a ban on leaving Kyiv. The head of the accounting department was chosen to be held in custody with the possibility of bail in the amount of 121 thousand hryvnias. The court also seized bank cards, a laptop, a phone, an external disk and notebooks that may contain evidence.

Previously, Viktor Debeliy headed a farm, was the village head of Shotivka (2010, Party of Regions), the head of the Ivanivka community (2015, self-nominated; 2020, Servant of the People) and since November 2022, the head of the Ivanivka village military administration. Viktoriia Shchastlivna worked at the Ivanivka District State Administration (2007-2015), was the secretary of the village council since 2015 and the first deputy head since 2020.

Law enforcement also completed an investigation into the head and employees of a national park in Mykolaiv region. Over two years, they illegally received millions of hryvnias and will now face trial. Subordinates were forced to give bonuses to the management every month, which amounted to 200% of their legal salary.

Анна Бальчінос