Mykolaiv region initiates dismissal of judge for drunkenness

The Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice has initiated the dismissal of Oksana Zvyagina, a judge of the Bashtanka District Court of Mykolaiv Oblast, for violating the rules of judicial ethics.

This was reported by the Court Reporter.

As noted in the materials of the disciplinary complaint, on October 2, 2025, court employees found the judge in her office in an extremely serious condition with obvious signs of alcohol intoxication. Two empty bottles of alcohol were also found in the room - 0.75 liter Asti sparkling wine and 0.35 liter Aznauri 3 cognac. These bottles were photographed by eyewitnesses.

The judge's assistant reported in a memo that in the morning of that day, starting at about 9:00 a.m., Zvyagina had been drinking alcohol and instructed the court reporter to buy additional alcohol. After the lunch break, she said, the judge went to the store on her own and bought alcohol.

CCTV cameras in a store near the court recorded a woman resembling Zvyagina taking a bottle of cognac from the shelf and paying at the cash register. The visual resemblance was established by comparing the footage with a screenshot of Zvyagina 's interview with the High Qualification Commission of Judges in February 2024.

According to the assistant head of the court, on that day he saw the judge moving down the corridor with an unsteady gait, swaying, leaning against the walls several times, which was also noticed by visitors to the institution. After that, he reported to the head of the court, suspecting that the judge was intoxicated.

Around 14-15 hours, Zvyagina fell asleep at her desk, and it was impossible to wake her up. At the end of the working day, a court security officer again found the judge in her office in a helpless state: after checking her pulse and smelling alcohol, he concluded that she was unable to move independently. The court management decided to take her home.

The video surveillance cameras of the Bashtanka District Court recorded that on the same day, around 4 p.m., a court security officer was carrying an unconscious woman down the corridor, with several other people walking alongside. Subsequently, the judge's assistant's husband and the court security officer took Zvyagina to her apartment.

The next day, the judge did not come to work and did not provide any official explanation. At the same time, she wrote a message to the chairman of the court in which she apologized for her behavior, stating that the responsibility was entirely hers, and attributed the incident to personal circumstances. A few days later, on October 4, Zvyagina sent another apology, admitting her guilt and calling the incident a "disgrace."

However, already on October 9, according to court staff, the judge again made unethical statements.

There are no medical certificates that would officially confirm the judge's state of intoxication. At the same time, the disciplinary inspector concluded that the fact of drinking alcohol at the workplace and being intoxicated in the courtroom was confirmed by the totality of the available evidence. Oksana Zvyagina was suspended from the administration of justice until the High Council of Justice makes a final decision.

She was appointed as a judge in July 2024 by a decree of the President of Ukraine. Prior to that, she worked for six months as a consultant for the analytical and statistical work department of the Vinnytsia City Court, and earlier, until 2023, she served as deputy chief of staff of the Kalanchak District Court of Kherson Oblast.

Last year, judge Oleksandr Savin from Mykolaiv region was also suspended from his duties for refusing to take a test for intoxication and systematic violations of the law. He had previously received reprimands and violated financial control and ethics requirements.

Анна Бальчінос