The director of a company in Mykolaiv received bonuses that were five times his salary

Andriy Vetsalo, Head of MykolaivkomunTrans utility company Andriy Vetsalo received bonuses totaling <b>UAH 770 thousand</b> in the first eight months of 2025.

This information became known from the company's official response to the <b>Nikcenter</b>'s request .

The official's financial payments raised a lot of questions. It turned out that Vetsal's bonuses sometimes exceeded his official salary by five times. However, in June, this difference reached a record level: with a salary of only 7 thousand hryvnias, he was awarded a bonus of 177.9 thousand hryvnias, which exceeded his salary by 25 times.

In total, according to the data provided, Vetsalo earned UAH 1 million as a director from January to August 2025. This amount includes not only bonuses but also vacation pay, which amounted to almost UAH 150 thousand during this period, and business travel expenses.

It is worth noting that Vetsalo has been the head of Mykolaivkomuntrans since 2018. In the previous year, he declared UAH 1.4 million in salary. Also in 2021, Vetsalo purchased a HYUNDAI Tucson crossover for UAH 1.1 million. All these facts indicate that the income of the head of the utility company is significantly higher than the average salary in the region.

The Central District Court of Mykolaiv has scheduled a preparatory hearing for September 24, 2025, in a criminal case regarding misappropriation or embezzlement of property on a large scale through abuse of office.

The proceedings involve the State Enterprise "Stepove" Stud Farm. According to the Opendatabot system , the company currently has 71 enforcement proceedings. In addition, in previous years, namely, in 2020, the chief agronomist of the State Enterprise "Plemreproductor "Stepove" was notified of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Due to improper attitude to official duties, the embezzlement of the state-owned enterprise's property - wheat harvest - amounted to UAH 700 thousand.

According to the YouControl analytical system , Stepove was registered in 2003 in the village of Stepove, Mykolaiv region. The main activity is the cultivation of grain crops, vegetables and melons, legumes, and breeding of dairy cattle. The authorized capital of the company is almost 50 million. The company's acting director is Oleksandr Sova, who also owns the construction company Budsystems Group. Previously, four other companies were registered in his name, which have now ceased operations.

Катерина Глушко