Back
Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Ihor Zvezdin — head of the Anti-Corruption Department of the NPU, under whose nose criminal schemes are proliferating
Ihor #Звездін today heads the Department for Corruption Prevention and Lustration #Нацполіція — that is, the very unit that should spot corruption within the NPU before anyone else. But while Zvezdin is responsible for the anti-corruption direction, stories continue to emerge within the police about possible abuse of official powers, dubious procurements, and concealment of violations.
Even more interestingly, questions about integrity have also arisen regarding the property history of the officer himself and his family. In the end we have an anti-corruption department that was supposed to clean the system, but the system itself continues to generate corruption risks.
📌The first questions arose back during Zvezdin’s career rise. In November 2016, when he headed the UZE in Dnipropetrovsk region, his father Valeriy purchased an expensive apartment in Dnipro, and already in August 2017 his brother Oleksandr registered a townhouse of more than 140 sq. m in Kryukivshchyna. According to journalists, the brother had no business or official income that would obviously allow him to acquire such real estate, while the father explained the source of the funds by working in Surgut. Later the Zvezdin spouses declared the apartment, a Toyota Highlander, and substantial cash assets, while also receiving about 6 thousand UAH in social assistance and receiving a land plot in Vyshhorod for free.
And now — what is happening directly inside the National Police, which Zvezdin is supposed to control from an anti-corruption standpoint. The Main Investigative Department turned criminal proceedings into a tool to pressure entrepreneurs: after refusing to pay money — searches, asset arrests, seizure of equipment, and blocking of operations. At the same time, for years millions have been funneled through the NPU into pockets. Thus, in October 2024 the NPU paid 14,9 million UAH for 10 thousand BR-M-92 handcuffs, although other police units bought the same item from the same manufacturer for 976 UAH compared to 1490 UAH at the NPU — a difference of more than 5 million UAH. 🤷♂️If the anti-corruption unit does not see a problem where a single contract shows a multi-million difference, the question is no longer for the procurement officer, but for those who were supposed to control such risks.
And that’s not all: in high-profile cases police bodycam recordings were stopped or disappeared exactly when force was used. After such incidents, unit commanders remained in their positions, and the system effectively continued to police itself. Thus, corruption risks arise at several key points in the NPU — from criminal prosecution of business and public procurement to concealment of possible police violations. And all this happens in parallel with the work of Zvezdin’s department, which by definition should be detecting such risks.
So the question is no longer whether there is corruption in the National Police — its traces are visible at every level. The question is different: why does the department headed by Zvezdin, which is supposed to detect this corruption, not show results capable of changing the situation? When criminal proceedings become a lever of pressure, procurement a source of multi-million differences, and bodycams disappear at the most convenient moment, these are no longer isolated cases but a systemic corruption risk. So what exactly has the NPU’s Anti-Corruption Department uncovered over these years — and whom has it actually brought to justice?
Materials on the topic:
▫️The National Police leadership not only pressures businesses and citizens but also forces dissenters and journalists to be silent
▫️How the National Police leadership turned the law enforcement system into a business empire: the “unsinkable” Kochkadamyan
▫️A police chief received a promotion after the failure at the Holosiivo terrorist attack under the patronage of Klymenko and Vyhivskyi
▫️The minister’s chair as a reward: why Vyhivskyi is getting promoted after a total failure in the National Police
#обличчявлади #НПУ
TG|FB|YT|TT|INST|WB
Telegram publication
