Kivalov's record pension: how Odesa rector received almost 3 million hryvnias a year through the court

In Ukraine, the former MP from Odesa, Serhiy Kivalov, receives the largest pension of anyone except judges. The Pension Fund pays him almost 246 thousand hryvnias every month. A few years ago, his pension was 14 thousand hryvnias, but thanks to a court decision and a certificate from the university he heads, payments increased 17 times.

This is stated in the material of OBOZ.UA.

According to official statistics from the Pension Fund of Ukraine, the average pension in Ukraine is lower than the actual subsistence level, and every fourth pensioner receives no more than 3 thousand hryvnias. However, there is a category of people whose payments reach hundreds of thousands of hryvnias per month, and Kivalov occupies a special place among them.

The former MP, known for his influence on the judiciary, is now the president of the private International Humanitarian University in Odesa. It is thanks to this university that he managed to significantly increase his pension. In court, he provided certificates of his salary as an MP and record payments from the university, which allowed him to receive almost a quarter of a million hryvnias per month.

Back in 2020, Kivalov asked the Pension Fund of Ukraine to recalculate his pension based on his salary, but was denied. Then he filed a lawsuit and presented a certificate of a sharp increase in his salary at the university - it had increased five times in a few months, which allowed him to get the desired recalculation.

The decision was made by a judge of the Odesa District Administrative Court, who resigned in 2023. As a result, Kivalov became the richest pensioner in the country, receiving exceptional conditions that are not available to ordinary Ukrainians.

Attempts by journalists to get a comment from Kivalov were unsuccessful - his phone was turned off, and there has been no response to a written request to the university.

Meanwhile, in the South of Ukraine , pensioners receive payments that are lower than the national average. The average payments to pensioners in the southern regions are as follows: Odesa region - UAH 5,628; Mykolaiv region - UAH 5,548; Kherson region - UAH 4,968.

Ірина Глухова