MP from Mykolaiv region is at the center of a scandal with Russian firms

The MP from Mykolaiv region is involved in an investigation into possible lobbying of businesses linked to sanctioned Russian entities. The companies of his acquaintance receive government orders for aircraft repair despite their ties to Russian citizens.

This was reported by the public online platform Spilno.

The head of the Verkhovna Rada subcommittee on defense industry and MP from Mykolaiv region, Ihor Kopytin, came to the attention of journalists because of his alleged support for companies associated with businessman Roman Mileshko. These are companies that regularly receive government orders for aircraft repairs, despite their ties to Russian beneficiaries and sanctioned entities.

According to media reports, Roman Mileshko is a longtime acquaintance of Kopytin, a former cadet of the flight institute and an employee of the MP's company Rotor Ukraine. He is connected to Kopytin through business ties and mutual acquaintances: Volodymyr Khilkevych, an aide to the MP, worked for Mileshko's company, and his election trustee ran another company with the same owner.

The journalists found out that Mileshko's companies rent equipment from sanctioned companies associated with Russian citizens. In particular, we are talking about Amis (FZE) and Linker (FZE) from the UAE, which are controlled by the Palchikov family, Russians who continue to pay taxes to the Russian budget. It was from them that a Mi-17 helicopter was purchased in 2024, which was then used by another Mileshko company, NZ Operations. In addition, another company associated with him, Constanta, leases an AN-74T aircraft from the same Amis.

Among the businessman's partners is also a Georgian citizen Aleko Tkemadze, who is linked by the media to pro-Russian politician Bidzina Ivanishvili. Together, they founded a number of companies that are also involved in the scheme.

According to the media, the fact that the country's defense modernization is actually in the hands of a person associated with companies that cooperate with Russian business is a serious signal.

Ihor Kopytin, a representative of Mykolaiv region in the Verkhovna Rada, has consistently stated in his declarations that he lives on one salary. However, in 2024, he purchased a Volvo car worth more than a million hryvnias, which is much more than his annual income.

Анна Бальчінос