Sienkevych’s adviser responded to the water utility’s supervisory board’s allegations regarding their declarations: «I did not have such responsibilities»

Yulia Mincheva, an unofficial adviser to the Mayor of Mykolaiv. Photo from her personal Facebook page

Yulia Mincheva, an unofficial adviser to the Mayor of Mykolaiv, has responded to accusations made by Hanna Montavon, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the municipal enterprise «Mykolaivvodokanal». She stated that she is not responsible for overseeing the declaration process.

Yuliia Mincheva said this in a comment to a reporter from NikVesti.

As it emerged the day before, Anna Montavon, Chair of the Supervisory Board of «Mykolaivvodokanal», had written to Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych requesting that Yulia Mincheva be removed from her role in implementing corporate governance at the company. The appeal claims that during the formation of the Supervisory Board, Mincheva allegedly assured foreign members of the body that they were not obliged to submit declarations in Ukraine. The police are currently investigating this matter.

In response, Yuliia Mincheva stated that she had not provided any official or written recommendations regarding the filing of declarations.

«I did not give Anna any official or written recommendations regarding the completion of declarations; this is the responsibility of the anti-corruption officer at ME (ME «Mykolaivvodokanal», — note). Yes, we did have a conversation about filling in the declaration; I hope she sought advice on this matter from others besides me,» said Yuliia Mincheva.

At the same time, they had an informal conversation in which Yuliia Mincheva told Hanna Montavon that the system probably did not technically support an English-language interface.

«In an informal verbal conversation, I said that, as far as I know, the system does not technically support an English-language interface. That was in 2025,» she noted.

When asked to clarify whether her employment contract included a duty to provide advice on the submission of declarations, as Hanna Montavon had emphasised, the mayor’s adviser replied:

«I did not have such duties as a freelance adviser to the mayor. The anti-corruption officers of the enterprises are responsible for the completion of declarations and the support of this process,» concluded Yuliia Mincheva.

Yuliia Mincheva began working as a freelance adviser to Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych as part of the «Cities of Integrity» project in January 2024; he officially introduced her during the annual press conference. In 2025, she headed the Integrity Support Office within the Mykolaiv City Administration, having won the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative competition. The key task of the head, as stated in the competition, is to assist the city council in implementing integrity, transparency and accountability tools in the management of reconstruction processes, as well as participating in joint projects within the partnership between Denmark and Mykolaiv.

Supervisory Board of the Mykolaivvodokanal

The municipal enterprise «Mykolaivvodokanal» has become the first municipal enterprise to have a supervisory board. This is a collegial body that exercises strategic control over the enterprise’s activities, approves key management decisions and financial plans, and evaluates the performance of the management. It does not interfere in operational activities, influences the appointment and evaluation of the director, but will not dismiss or hire staff at other levels.

The decision to establish supervisory boards in Mykolaiv’s municipal enterprises was adopted in 2024 as part of corporate governance reform. Yulia Mincheva, an external adviser to the Mayor of Mykolaiv, noted that the supervisory boards would nevertheless be a governing body, rather than an advisory one, with responsibility for the decisions taken. They will bear both legal and financial responsibility for their actions.

In January 2025, a competition was announced to select independent members, and on 29 May 2025, its composition was approved by the city council.

The supervisory board of the municipal enterprise «Mykolaivvodokanal» comprises five members, including:

1. Andrii Haidutskyi (Ukraine), Doctor of Economics, Master of International Economic Relations (Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv) and RMA specialising in strategy and corporate governance (KDI School, South Korea).

2. Andrii Yefimov ( Ukraine), Master of Banking, with over 20 years of professional experience in finance, risk management and corporate governance.

3. Serhii Shkliar (Ukraine), Doctor of Law, specialist in international law (Institute of International Relations, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv) and business economics.

4. Bjørn Kaare Jensen (Denmark), a European expert in water management with nearly 40 years of professional and executive experience.

5. Hanna Montavon (Germany), founder and director of Mykolaiv Water Hub, a lawyer with international experience specialising in water infrastructure, public-private partnerships and legal support for municipal development.

In fact, a month ago in May, the Supervisory Board of the municipal enterprise officially approached the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption with a request to conduct an unscheduled inspection.