25 July 2026
(PHOTO: Collage by Intent)
On July 24, reports emerged of possible searches at the homes of Andriy Babenko, a member of the Odesa Regional Council and founder of the “Samson” security agency, and Oleg Radkovsky, deputy chairman of the regional council. There has been no official confirmation yet.
Odesa-based journalist Iryna Hryb reported on the searches at Babenko’s residence.
According to Grib, the searches were allegedly conducted as part of an investigation into illicit enrichment and money laundering. The journalist did not specify when exactly the investigative actions took place, nor did she provide any other details.
Intent reached out to Andriy Babenko himself for comment and is currently awaiting a response.
There have also been reports of searches at apartments and businesses linked to Oleg Radkovsky, deputy chairman of the Odesa Regional Council and leader of the regional branch of the “Batkivshchyna” party.
Intent reached out to the Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in the Odesa region for comment. The press service of the prosecutor’s office stated that it had no information regarding which agency is conducting the pre-trial investigation and was unable to specify who could comment on the situation. The prosecutor’s office also suggested that this information might be subject to investigative secrecy.
The editorial team continues to investigate the circumstances and plans to update this report once official comments are received.
On July 9, the prosecutor’s office, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the police reported the detention of the deputy chairman of the Odesa Regional Council in connection with a case involving a possible criminal scheme. He and his alleged accomplices were suspected of extorting $50,000 from a local businessman.
According to the SBU, in exchange for this money, the deputy allegedly promised the businessman unimpeded processing of permits for the construction of a cottage community near the port city. If the developer refused to pay, he was allegedly threatened with artificial delays in the preparation of the necessary documents.
The suspect’s last name was not officially disclosed, but several media outlets reported that the individual in question was Oleg Radkovsky —a conclusion supported by the published photos.
As for Andriy Babenko, in May 2025, the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) conducted a full audit of his financial disclosure statement as a member of the Odesa Regional Council and identified a number of violations and inaccuracies.
According to the NACP, this pertains to his financial statements for 2023. Specifically, Babenko declared over 17 million hryvnias in income but was unable to confirm its source. He was not officially engaged in any business activities, so, in the agency’s view, he could not have earned such sums legally.
Ірина Глухова