Kherson Resident Faces Fraud Charges in ₴17M Land Seizure Scheme

A resident of Kherson region, together with other defendants, pulled off a scheme with false documents to seize land worth over UAH 17 million. The court extended the measure of restraint against the accused.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv.

The court has extended the preventive measure for a man suspected of fraud and forgery during the illegal seizure of land in Kherson region. According to the investigation, he, along with other defendants in the case, illegally registered ownership of 308 hectares of land using forged documents in August-September 2024, causing losses of more than UAH 17 million.

These are agricultural plots on the territory of the Tyahyn community in Beryslav district. The scheme was organized by several people who involved fake people, promising them UAH 1,000 each for registering fictitious property rights. One of the suspects, according to the investigation, was responsible for entering false information into the State Register through the ASC.

Back in February 2025, the suspect was chosen as a preventive measure in the form of detention with an alternative to bail. After an appeal, the bail amount was reduced to UAH 242 thousand, and the man was released from the pre-trial detention center. The investigation is currently ongoing, so the court extended the term of the obligations imposed on the suspect until May 20, 2025. In particular, he cannot leave the settlement, must surrender his passport and not communicate with other defendants in the case.

The case was classified as fraud on a particularly large scale and the use of forged documents committed by a group of people during martial law. If the suspect's guilt is proven, he faces up to 12 years in prison.

The director of the Kherson Regional Military District Administration is also suspected of extorting kickbacks of 10% to help in concluding contracts for repair work and influence on his subordinates. According to the investigation, he extorted money from entrepreneurs who wanted to get contracts. The court seized his property - apartments, cars and a stake in a private business.

In February, law enforcement officers uncovered a criminal scheme involving illegal land privatization in Mykolaiv region. The land surveyor knew that a 2-hectare plot within the Mishkovo-Pohoriliv village council contained a sewage treatment plant owned by another person. Nevertheless, he offered to register the ownership of the land in the name of a fictitious person in order to conclude a civil contract and legalize the property.

Анна Бальчінос