The mayor of Pivdennoukrainsk was found guilty of assaulting his deputy but was not punished

The court found Valery Onufrienko, the mayor of Pivdennoukrainsk, guiltyof assaulting his deputy but exempted him from punishment due to the statute of limitations. He was also ordered to pay the victim 10,000 hryvnias in compensation for emotional distress.

This is stated in the verdict of the Arbuzinsky District Court of Mykolaiv Oblast dated November 9, 2026.

According to the court, on the morning of March 3, 2022, the mayor convened a meeting of the city council’s executive committee. They discussed issues related to community life during martial law, specifically residents’ access to a shelter at the lyceum.

A conflict arose between the mayor and his deputy during the meeting. According to the court, the defendant moved toward her, but those present stopped him. The deputy left the room and went to the office of the first deputy mayor.

A few minutes later, the man entered that office. The court determined that he struck the victim at least three times in the shoulder, neck, and head and knocked her to the floor. Bystanders pulled him away.

Medical examinations revealed swelling of the soft tissues of the woman’s face, neck, and shoulder. These injuries were classified as minor bodily harm.

The mayor did not admit guilt. According to him, during the meeting, the victim yelled at him and used profanity. In the office, according to the defendant, she lunged at him with her fingernails extended, and he merely pushed her hands away.

The court found the defense’s arguments to be unfounded. It relied on the testimony of the victim and witnesses, the records of investigative experiments, expert opinions, and a video recording from the reception area. The recording shows the deputy entering the office at 8:50 a.m., followed by the mayor. A few dozen seconds later, a woman is carried out of the office.

The prosecution charged the mayor under Part 2 of Article 350 of the Criminal Code. This article provides for liability for causing bodily harm to a public official in connection with the official’s duties.

According to the prosecution, the conflict arose over the distribution of humanitarian aid in the form of medication. However, after listening to the audio recording of the meeting, the court reached a different conclusion. The issue regarding the medication was resolved when the victim agreed with the mayor’s position, and the altercation erupted during a discussion about access to a shelter at the school.

This issue, the court concluded, pertains to education and civil defense, not the areas under the deputy mayor’s purview. Therefore, in the court’s view, the prosecution failed to prove a connection between the blows and her official duties.

The court reclassified the mayor’s actions under Part 1 of Article 125 of the Criminal Code—intentional infliction of minor bodily injury. This constitutes a misdemeanor. The court also did not consider martial law or the victim’s subordinate relationship to the defendant to be aggravating circumstances.

As a result, the court imposed a fine of 850 hryvnias. However, it immediately exempted the man from this penalty because more than two years had passed since the incident.

In addition, the court granted the victim’s civil claim and ordered the defendant to pay 10,000 hryvnias in compensation for emotional distress.

Ірина Глухова