1,6 million in eight months, doubled salaries and hidden pay for leadership: how money is distributed in the Odesa Regio...

1,6 million in eight months, doubled salaries and hidden pay for leadership: how money is distributed in the Odesa Regional Military Administration

While Odesa RMA head Oleh Kiper hides his own salary, his subordinates have already received more in the eight months of 2026 than they did in the entire previous year. Finance Department Director Maryna Zinchenko was paid 1 592 786 UAH compared to 1 355 745 UAH for the whole of 2025. The difference is 237 041 UAH, and there are still four months ahead, including December, when last year she was paid about 336 thousand UAH. The figures were obtained by journalists from official RMA responses to a request dated 28 September, reports Bankova Mail.

Five of seven officials have already exceeded last year’s incomes. Transport Department Director Oleksandr Haiduk — by 217 thousand UAH, head of international cooperation Kateryna Marchenko — by 114 thousand, Kiper’s deputies Dmytro Radulov and Anton Shalyhailo — by 62 thousand and 45 thousand UAH. Deputy Andriy Fihiel received 93% of the annual sum for 2025 in eight months, and Economics Department Director Oleksii Dmytrenko approached last year’s total in just seven months. Culture Department Director Olena Oleynyk was paid almost 1,5 million UAH for January–August versus 967 thousand for the whole of 2024, the Center for Public Investigations found.

The sharp rise was ensured by new salaries and orders from the RMA leadership. Cabinet Resolution No. 114 of 30 January 2026 set the base rate for a department director at 53 021 UAH. Kiper’s orders No. 1216/A-2025 of 12 November 2025 and No. 142/A-2026 of 26 February 2026 introduced increasing coefficients. The first was justified by the status of a territory of possible hostilities; the basis for the second was not disclosed by the administration. As a result, a director’s salary reached 106 042 UAH, and the RMA deputy head’s — 99 414 UAH. The increase was recalculated retroactively from 1 January.

But payments were not limited to base salaries. In May Radulov was paid 322,5 thousand UAH, in August — almost 179 thousand; Oleynyk received over 181 thousand in August. One-time material assistance to certain leaders reached 125–145 thousand UAH, and more than 440 thousand UAH of Zinchenko’s payments were for recalculations and “other payments.” Longevity bonuses reached 30% for directors and 50% for deputies, and monthly bonuses were up to 30% of salary.

The administration again refused to disclose the salaries of Kiper, first deputy Oleksandr Kharlov, and deputy Oleksii Khymchenko, citing their status as servicemen and national security. They also did not show payments for Chief of Staff Volodymyr Zavadskyi. The Ecology Department replied that the required summary does not exist, although it had previously provided similar data. Education cited the limited publicity of the military administration. Of 21 subdivisions, information was provided by 14, despite the ombudsman’s position that payments of budget salaries are not confidential information.

Zinchenko’s story is not limited to a million-level salary. During checks of declarations for 2022–2023 years, NAPC found 38 previously undeclared land plots of her son. Experts valued 37 plots at 9,38 million UAH, while in documents their combined value was about 2,2 million. In the declaration for 2025, the official listed more than 50 real estate properties, 7,7 million UAH in cash, a Volvo EX30 for 1,7 million UAH, and over 8,3 million UAH in income from property disposals. Zinchenko was also mentioned in an investigation of food procurement for frontline regions at inflated prices, where the inquiry estimated the budget damage at 9,2 million UAH. That is a separate investigation, not proof that the current salaries are illegal.

For January–August Zinchenko has already received 237 thousand UAH more than for the whole of 2025. At the same time, RMA documents disclose the orders on increases, bonuses, and additional payments to subordinates, but not the amounts paid to Kiper and his closest leadership.

Incredible, but true...