Three months after the searches, the security services served a notice of suspicion of embezzlement of ₴2.2 million on the director of the blood transfusion centre in Mykolaiv

The director of the blood transfusion centre in Mykolaiv has been notified that he is under suspicion of embezzlement. Photo: SBU

Law enforcement authorities have notified the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Blood Transfusion Centre that he is under suspicion. Investigators believe that he organised the sale of donor plasma to a private company at an undervalued price, causing the centre to suffer losses of over 2.2 million hryvnias.

This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine and the Mykolaiv District Prosecutor’s Office on 8 September.

The investigation indicates that in March 2026, the blood transfusion centre entered into a contract with a private company for the sale of fresh-frozen plasma. According to law enforcement officials, the head of the organisation knew that the centre did not have sufficient quantities of plasma that met the terms of the contract. Despite this, he allegedly instructed his subordinates to include more than 661 litres of fresh-frozen plasma in the consignment, which had a significantly higher value. According to their findings, this was sold to the private company under the guise of plasma of a different category — at a substantially lower price.

The director of the blood transfusion centre in Mykolaiv has been notified that he is under suspicion of embezzlement. Photo: SBU

Law enforcement officials claim that the plasma in question was suitable for clinical use but was sold under the guise of plasma intended for fractionation.

The director has been served with a notice of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — misappropriation, embezzlement or taking possession of property through abuse of official position on an especially large scale. According to NikVesti, the individual in question is Serhii Matviienko.

NikVesti reported on the searches at the blood transfusion centre back in June. Exactly three months ago, on 8 June, the court ordered the seizure of the institution’s accounting records and equipment, which had been confiscated by investigators.

Later, in a conversation with NikVesti, Serhii Matviienko stated that the facility had never sold plasma suitable for transfusion to patients to private companies. According to him, only material that could not be used in medical facilities was sent for processing.