The High Council of Justice proposes to dismiss a judge from Mykolaiv region because she got drunk at work

Bashtansky District Court of Mykolaiv Region. Photo: Judicial Authority

The Second Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice suspended Oksana Zviahina, a judge of the Bashtanskyi District Court, from office for unethical conduct.

The decision to bring the judge to disciplinary responsibility was made on 4 February, according to NikVesti.

It is known that in October 2025, the head of the court, Serhii Yanchuk, filed a complaint against the judge. According to the High Council of Justice's report dated 19 November, her secretary said that she had started drinking alcohol at 9 a.m. The judge instructed one of her subordinates to find her more alcohol, and after lunch she went to the shop herself. After that, the woman fell asleep, and in the evening a security guard found her asleep in the court's office.

«At the same time, there was a bag with an empty 0.75-litre bottle of ASTI sparkling wine in an open safe, and in the adjacent office №4, which is assigned to Judge Zviahina O.V., a 0.35-litre bottle of AZNAURI 3 cognac was found,» the report states.

Subsequently, footage from the Bashtanskyi District Court's CCTV cameras showed a security guard carrying an unconscious woman on his right shoulder, followed by a court employee and her husband.

The next day, the judge did not come to work and did not notify either the court staff or her supervisor of her absence. Oksana Zviahina wrote only the following message to the court president:

«Good morning, I apologise for yesterday. The girls are not to blame. It's me. I couldn't cope. PERSON 3 arrived and said he loved someone else. And he left. I thought I could handle it,» the message dated 3 October read.

On 4 October, she wrote to the head of the court again and apologised for her behaviour.

«Serhii Vasyliovych, I admit everything, I am the only one to blame. I apologise for this disgrace. I understand that my personal problems need to be solved differently. Please don't be angry with me, I am very grateful for your support. I don't know how to live with this now, because it hurts. And I hurt everyone. Forgive me if you can,» Zviahina wrote.

On 9 October, when court employees met her and asked if she would be staying in her office, Zviahina laughed and exclaimed loudly, «I'll be there in a minute, just let me pee», which could be heard by visitors. The document also states that after being handed the documents regarding her inappropriate behaviour, she refused to sign them and allegedly made unethical remarks to individual court employees. However, it does not specify what exactly she said or to whom.

The High Council of Justice gave Oksana Zviahina the opportunity to explain her behaviour, but she did not take advantage of this because she is on sick leave.

On 2 October, the High Council of Justice dismissed the head of the Pivdennoukrainsk Court, Oleksandr Savin.