Ukraine ex-minister's home searched in connection with controversial lawmaker's fraud case
State Bureau of Investigation officers are conducting searches at the home of a former infrastructure minister, who may have been involved in a lawmaker's fraud scheme, the bureau's spokesperson told the Kyiv Independent on July 11.
Though the statement did not reveal the names of the people involved, Ukrainska Pravda reported earlier that the searches had been conducted at the home of former Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.
The raid is linked to the fraud case of controversial lawmaker Yevhenii Shevchenko, the news outlet wrote, citing sources in the bureau.
Shevchenko, who has been in custody since November 2024 on treason charges, now faces an additional charge of embezzling Hr 14.5 million ($350,000) from a Ukrainian company that was purchasing fertilizers in Belarus, the bureau and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said.
Ukrainian authorities did not say whether Kubrakov also faces charges in connection with the case.
Commenting on the news on social media, Kubrakov denied any involvement with "Yevhenii Shevchenko, Belarus, purchase of fertilizers, or any fraud."
The former minister said his last contact with Shevchenko took place before the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022 and was strictly on an official basis. He nevertheless affirmed his readiness to cooperate with law enforcement agencies, saying, "I have never hidden anything, and I do not intend to do so in this case."
Kubrakov served as Ukraine's infrastructure minister between 2021 and 2024, overseeing the key department during much of the full-scale Russian invasion. He was dismissed last May for unclear reasons.
While his dismissal was formally justified by the restructuring of Kubrakov's ministry, Ukrainska Pravda previously reported that the former minister fell out of favor with the Presidential Office.
After his dismissal, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov appointed Kubrakov as his logistics advisor.
Shevchenko is a controversial figure in Ukraine, known for his criticism of the EuroMaidan Revolution and frequent appearances in the pro-Russian media before the full-scale war.
Ukrainian authorities noted that the lawmaker, who was a member of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party before being ejected in 2021, frequently traveled to Belarus and met local business leaders, politicians, and dictator Alexander Lukashenko.
Belarus has been a crucial ally of Russia during its all-out war and provided its territory as a launching ground for Russian military operations against Ukraine.
The investigators "also documented that the lawmaker used his personal political and economic connections in Belarus to negotiate deals for the supply of Belarusian mineral fertilizers to Ukraine," the bureau said in a statement.
Shevchenko was charged with treason last November over allegedly "causing harm to the defense capability and information security of Ukraine."
