A community leader in the Mykolaiv region is suspected in a case concerning compensation for destroyed property: the court has suspended him from office

A shelled house in the Shevchenkove community, 2022. Illustrative photo: Suspilne Mykolaiv

The State Bureau of Investigations is investigating an alleged scheme to illegally obtain compensation for property purportedly destroyed as a result of shelling. Those implicated in the case include Oleh Pylypenko, head of the Shevchenkove community, his deputy for reconstruction and digital transformation, and a community officer.

This is evidenced by rulings of the Inhulskyi District Court of Mykolaiv dated 7 October, according to NikVesti.

According to the investigation’s findings, the case concerns possible abuse of official position between 2022 and 2026. The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) believes that the community police officer, in collusion with officials, facilitated the inclusion of false information in official documents in order to obtain unlawful compensation for destroyed property.

As stated in the case file, applications for compensation for the property were submitted on behalf of the police officer’s wife and two children, for whom he is the legal representative or guardian. Following the consideration of the applications, a housing certificate for 646,393.80 hryvnias was issued to each of the three individuals. The total amount exceeds 1.9 million hryvnias.

The criminal proceedings are being investigated under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — «Abuse of power or official position» — as well as Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — «Official forgery». The community official is also charged with aiding and abetting the abuse of official position under Part 5 of Article 27 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Oleh Pylypenko, head of the Shevchenkove community. Photo from his Facebook page

On 7 October, the Inhulskyi District Court in Mykolaiv imposed bail as a precautionary measure on the suspects. For the community head, Oleh Pylypenko, the court set bail at ₴499,200; for the other two suspects, at 266,240 hryvnias each.

The court also ordered the suspects to refrain from communicating with witnesses regarding the circumstances of the criminal proceedings. The restrictions apply to 23 witnesses, members of the Shevchenkove Village Council’s executive committee and experts.

In addition, the court suspended Oleh Pylypenko and his deputy from their posts until 6 December.

It should be recalled that at the start of the full-scale invasion, the Shevchenkove community found itself close to the front line. On 10 March 2022, the Russians took Oleh Pylypenko and his driver prisoner whilst they were near the village of Liubomyrivka. He spent 93 days in Russian captivity and returned home on 10 June 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange.