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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
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Kovalchuk arrived for searches at his protégé's place
4 November, SBU officers (Rivne division) conducted searches at Motor Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 0741 in the village of Strumivka near Lviv and at the home of its manager — Volodymyr Shevchuk (a house in the village of Kulchyn registered to his wife Oksana). Law enforcement officers worked in Shevchuk’s office. Later the official, accompanied by a lawyer, SBU officers, and the National Police Internal Security Department, left the premises.
Deputy head of the Regional Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Rivne, Volyn, and Zhytomyr regions Pavlo Kovalchuk arrived at the scene. He confirmed that the searches were being conducted as part of a criminal proceeding but refused to disclose details. SBU spokeswoman in Rivne region Anna Svintsitska confirmed the fact of investigative actions but declined to say whether they concerned a specific official.
📌 This is not the first visit by law enforcement to this group. In January 2026 they had already conducted searches at both the workplace/residence of Pavlo Kovalchuk and at Volodymyr Shevchuk’s. At that time the police confirmed the actions were part of an open criminal proceeding; no one was charged. Sources pointed to a possible corruption scheme involving the administration of practical driving exams (approximately around 300 dollars for the “service”).
Kovalchuk then said he “understood why this was done” and advised looking for the complainant. Almost ten months have passed since then. No suspicions have been announced, no one has been removed from their position, and Kovalchuk continues to work in a leadership role and even comes to “support” subordinates during new searches.
We have already noted that Kovalchuk is a former employee of the Dnipro Criminal Investigation Unit (UBOZ), who oversees a number of people in service centers. Among them:
✔️ Volodymyr Shevchuk (Strumivka) — acting head, manager of MSC No. 0741. He started as a cleaner; now, according to channels, he oversees the issue of licenses and vehicle registration.
✔️ Oleksandr Shevchuk (Kovel) — also acting head.
✔️ Brothers Vyacheslav and Vitaliy Khodiryovy — assist in the “processes.”
The classic scheme in MIA service centers (formerly MREO) looks like this: control over practical exams, “arranged” examiners, expedited registration/re-registration of vehicles, help with license plates, transfers of ownership. Money is taken in cash or through intermediaries. The regional-level manager (Kovalchuk) has levers of influence over appointments, inspections, and “closing” issues, while local managers (the Shevchuks) carry out the operations directly.
The fact that Kovalchuk himself was previously the subject of searches, and now calmly arrives at searches at Shevchuk’s and remains in his post, is telling. Either the case is weak and has no prospects, or there is protection at a level that allows maintaining control over the system even during investigative actions.
📖 In parallel, Kovalchuk figures in a cryptocurrency story. He declared large assets on WhiteBIT (WhiteBIT Coin, Tether, Sleepless AI Token) with a total declared value of about 7,8–8 million UAH. After publications, NACP conducted a check and found false information amounting to almost 7,87 million UAH. The agency’s conclusion: the crypto assets are not substantiated by proper evidence (i.e., they may simply not exist in the declared volume). Kovalchuk explained the origin as investments through a fund in Hong Kong and the sale of real estate.
He joined the civil service in the summer of 2024 from business — initially as a chief specialist in the anti-corruption sector of the same service center, and then quickly rose to deputy head at the regional level. Shevchuk was appointed to the managerial position despite having been a cleaner. Previously Kovalchuk got him off in a drunk driving case.
The leadership of the Main Service Center of the MIA does not comment on personnel decisions; the situation remains unresolved. But the mere fact that a person already targeted by searches arrives “for searches at his people” and continues to lead says a lot about the real state of control in this system.
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