Pensions from Russia and 100,000 rubles in cash: what was found in the financial disclosures of Odesa officials

In the 2025 financial disclosures of Odesa officials, a Russian pension belonging to the wife of the acting head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ “Zatoka” center was discovered, along with cash in rubles held by two other officials.

This is reported in an article by Intenta.

Journalists analyzed 17,543 annual financial disclosure statements for 2025. These include statements from individuals who listed Odesa as their place of residence, as well as officials and representatives of city, regional, and district authorities.

They searched for references to Russia in the sections on family members, citizenship, property, income, savings, bank accounts, and business interests.

Pension from St. Petersburg

Ivan Tanov, acting head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ “Zatoka” Medical Rehabilitation Center, noted that in 2025, his wife, a Russian citizen, received a pension from the Russian Pension Fund office in the Krasnoselsky District of St. Petersburg.

According to Tanov, his wife has been abroad since the start of the full-scale invasion. He explained that she is a Russian citizen and does not hold Ukrainian citizenship. She had a permanent residence permit in Ukraine, as she had been living there since 1991.

The woman received her pension not in Ukraine but through European banks, Tanov explained.

The mere fact of receiving such a pension does not prove a corruption offense or collaboration with the aggressor state, noted expert Serhiy Mytkalyk.

At the same time, he said, if a person lives in Ukraine, the method by which the pension is received should be verified, taking into account currency and sanctions restrictions.

Cash Rubles

Two other declarants reported cash savings in Russian currency:

• Mykola Bishlyaga, a member of the Odesa Regional Council—20,000 rubles;
• Serhiy Menzhunov, head of a sector in the Odesa City Council’s Department of Economic Development—80,000 rubles.

Menzhunov explained to Intent that he has had the rubles for over 20 years. When asked why he still keeps them, the official replied, “What, am I supposed to throw them away?”

As expert Serhiy Mytkalyk explained, holding Russian rubles in cash is not prohibited by Ukrainian law in and of itself. However, after February 24, 2022, the National Bank of Ukraine introduced currency restrictions that have significantly complicated the exchange of rubles through Ukrainian banks and official exchange offices.

Ірина Глухова