News Feed

Law enforcement searches Spanish property owned by former Odesa military enlistment officer

2 min read
Law enforcement searches Spanish property owned by former Odesa military enlistment officer
The former head of Odesa's military enlistment office Yevhen Borysov at a court hearing at a district court in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 25, 2023. Borysov is accused of illegally enriching himself. (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) announced on Dec. 14 that it had searched a property in Spain owned by the former head of Odesa's military enlistment office.

The SBI did not release a name, but the title and details of the case matched that of Yevhen Borysov, who has been under investigation for corruption since July 2023. Borysov is accused of illegally enriching himself with more than HR 188 million ($5 million) through his official position.

He was fired from his position in June 2023 after an investigation revealed that he bought a property in Marbella, Spain, during the full-scale invasion valued at almost four million euros ($4.4 million). Borysov claimed that the property was for his retired mother.

The fallout from the news prompted President Volodymyr Zelensky to order a probe into the practices of military enlistment offices throughout the country. The inspection revealed widespread abuses. Zelensky ordered the heads of all the regional offices to be dismissed as a result.

The SBI said it had seized several apartments and other properties in Odesa and six luxury vehicles allegedly belonging to Borysov.

The Kyiv Court of Appeal ordered Borysov to pre-trial detention on Nov. 15. He is suspected of four other criminal offenses besides illegally enriching himself. If convicted, Borysov could receive a prison sentence of up to 12 years.

EU determined to persuade Hungary to support Ukraine aid, accession talks
The 26 European Union member states are determined to overcome Hungary’s objections and move forward with several key priorities for Ukraine in one of the most “complex, complicated, and difficult European Councils.”
Article image

Avatar
Nate Ostiller

News Editor

Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Read more
News Feed

Seaborne crude flows averaged 3.12 million barrels a day over the four weeks to July 6, a 3% decline from the previous period ending June 29, according to tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. That's the lowest level recorded since the four-week period ending Feb. 23.

Show More