Knyazev, Hrytsak, and Muzhenko Received a One-Time Payment Larger Than Their Annual Salary Upon Dismissal

Former heads of security agencies upon their dismissal receive multi-million compensation from the state, which significantly exceeds their annual salaries. This is reported by Bihus.Info.

Thus, for example, former SBU head Vasyl Hrytsak, stepping down in the 2019 year, received more than 1,4 million hryvnias in severance pay. His annual salary at that moment was around 850 thousand hryvnias.

Former defense minister Stepan Poltorak, with an annual salary of about one million hryvnias, in the 2018 year received a payment of nearly two million hryvnias. It is interesting that he did not leave the post; the law required the ministry to be headed by a civilian minister, whereas Poltorak remained in military service. Thus, the former military officer left service, received a discharge payment, and effectively remained minister, but now as a civilian.

Former head of the National Police Serhiy Kniazev received more than 2,3 million hryvnias of a “one-time monetary assistance” upon leaving service. Here in the National Police, his annual salary was about 1,5 million hryvnias.

Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Viktor Muzhenko received upon dismissal 1,5 million hryvnias in monetary assistance, and additionally 268 thousand hryvnias as compensation for unused vacation.

Labor law attorney Viktoriya Polishchuk explains that the payments after dismissal are legal, but at the same time their size is not regulated: “There is no clear limit that when leaving, a civil servant cannot receive more than 200 thousand, or 100 thousand.”

For more on payouts to law enforcement after dismissal, see the report.

Earlier, we reported that the husband of the Attorney General, who holds a leadership position in Cyberpolice, Denys Kolesnik, resigned and received over 750 thousand hryvnias in compensation and severance, and a week later was appointed again to the same position.