Mykolaiv Officials Earn Up to ₴1.4M in 2024 Amid Corruption Scandals

The salaries of officials of Mykolaiv City Council and the regional military administration include not only salaries, allowances and bonuses, but also significant additional payments that are used to address social and domestic issues even during the war.

TheCenter for Public Investigations analyzed which government officials received financial assistance from the budget in 2024.

First Deputy Mayor of Mykolaiv Vitalii Lukov received the most additional payments. In 2024, he received a total of UAH 828.7 thousand, of which UAH 141 thousand was paid as financial aid. In addition, the official received bonuses that were twice his salary. Interestingly, he does not own any real estate, but his wife owns a house and two land plots. Only a Nissan Note and a trailer are registered in his name.

Deputy Mayor for Humanitarian Affairs Anatoliy Petrov received additional payments in the amount of 91.7 thousand hryvnias. His total salary for the year amounted to UAH 723.1 thousand. Petrov also owns land plots and receives income from renting property.

Other deputy mayors, such as Serhiy Korenev and Yuriy Andrienko, also received significant financial benefits, including healthcare and living conditions allowances. In total, their income reached UAH 669.7 thousand(Korenev) and UAH 745.5 thousand(Andrienko).

Only two deputies of the Mykolaiv regional military administration received financial aid: Yuriy Hranaturov (UAH 95.4 thousand) and Mykola Marinov(UAH 82.8 thousand). Both officials have significant earnings: Hranaturov earned 1 million hryvnias, and Marinov earned 868.4 thousand hryvnias.

The head of the DEC, Vitaliy Kim, in turn, did not receive additional payments, although his salary amounted to UAH 1.4 million, which included a salary and allowances for access to state secrets.

Among the heads of departments of Mykolaiv regional executive committee, Vadym Ishchenko, director of the finance department, received the most additional payments - UAH 197.3 thousand. However, his department did not specify what these payments were for. The official also owns a land plot and several co-owned properties.

Director of the Department of Agricultural Development Olena Piskun received 152.7 thousand hryvnias in aid, and Director of the Department of Economic Development Oleksandr Korolev received 106 thousand hryvnias.

The officials' declarations indicate that most of them have foreign currency savings and property, including land plots, apartments, and cars. Only the mayor of the city , Oleksandr Senkevych, whose salary consists mainly of salary and bonuses, did not receive any additional payments in 2024.

The largest additional payments last year were received by the directors of departments of Mykolaiv city council, while the top management of the administration hardly ever applied for help. The salaries of many of them exceed one million hryvnias or are close to this amount. As for the city council, only the head did without assistance, while his deputies actively used it.

As for the corruption scandals in Mykolaiv region, they are increasingly resulting in verdicts that raise doubts about their fairness. High-profile detentions for bribery and embezzlement of budget funds often result in fines, suspended sentences, or even acquittals of suspects.

Анна Бальчінос