“Lenient Bail” for Corruptionsters: Who Legalizes Millions for NABU-Linked Suspects

In Ukraine, conversion centers and even legitimate-looking companies offer a relatively new service: for 10—30% they are ready to post bail for anyone. If, for example, 100 million UAH must be posted for an especially scandalous politician, such operators are willing to “take” 130 million UAH in cash and then deposit the needed sum to the High Anti-Corruption Court fairly “clean.” They keep 30 million as payment for their services.

This is reported by the outlet "Telegraf"

The law does not require verification of funds used for bail, so the only obstacle is the bank’s financial monitoring through the account used to make the transfer. But even that obstacle, as recent news has shown, can be easily circumvented.

The suspect himself is most often an officially poor senior official, customs officer, or government employee, so he has no chance of explaining where such a sum for bail came from. One of the most prominent figures in such stories appears to be businessman Vasyl Astion. His firm paid money in the case of former NBU head Kyrylo Shevchenko, for scandalous MP Mykola Tyshchenko, and even for a figure in the “Mindichgate” scandal, former justice minister Herman Halushchenko.

Who is Astion

Telegraf has at its disposal a WACS ruling on searches concerning the now-former deputy head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra. In that document NABU detectives asserted that part of Halushchenko’s bail was sent from the company Vostoktranslogistika, which is controlled by Astion. Law enforcement claims the businessman’s company provided the service for a commission. At the same time, Astion also dealt with judicial decisions, meaning he effectively influenced judges.

The official owner of Vostoktranslogistika is Dmytro Peredrii from Dnipro. He also ran Dniproagro, which is bankrupt. And Dniproagro officially belongs to the Astion brothers (Yevhen and Vasyl). For many years Peredrii has formally acted as the Astions’ top manager.

And his company Vostoktranslogistika has been used many times to pay bail. In particular, this firm in 2022 transferred 35,1 million UAH as bail in the "Ukrgasbank" case. That case also involved former NBU head Kyrylo Shevchenko. The court records conceal for whom exactly the bail was paid. Vostoktranslogistika deposited 5 million UAH as part of the bail for MP Mykola Tyshchenko. The latest case is 35 million UAH posted as bail for Halushchenko.

“On the Astion-controlled enterprise Vostoktranslogistika, namely on the account of the noted enterprise ¹ UA413005280000026005455050367, opened at JSC OTP Bank, funds in the amount of 40,1 million UAH were accumulated,” the WACS ruling states.

Of the 40,1 million UAH, only 35 million was spent on bail. Likely about 5,1 million UAH was the commission for services (approximately 14,5%).

Formally Peredrii appeared as manager or beneficiary in the following companies:

These companies are likely connected to Vasyl Astion through their manager. At the same time, he officially owns dozens of different companies, among them Amalthea, Verkhovtsevskyi OEZ, Kyiv Compound Feed Plant, and the mutual fund ZNVKIF "Genesis Capital."

The Astions control dozens of enterprises in Dnipropetrovsk region and other oblasts (grain cultivation, elevators, production of baby food — including Khorol Baby Food Plant, assets of the former Agromars / TM Havrylivski Kurchata). In media and court registries their companies often appear in the context of aggressive asset takeovers and corporate wars. In many cases Astion obtained assets thanks to judges’ decisions. It is therefore unsurprising that he guaranteed “proper court” rulings.

Astion privatized the state enterprise Zhytomyr Distillery Plant, as well as the state concern Ukrbud in October 2025 by paying 805 million UAH through the purchase of the company Techno-Online LLC.

The Astions previously officially owned stakes in Ukrainsky Kapital Bank (9,99% each brother until the end of 2020). This bank was fined 42,5 million UAH by the NBU for violating anti-money-laundering requirements — an amount almost twice the bank’s annual profit (23 million UAH). Part of the fine (2 million UAH) was imposed for failing to comply with currency operation laws and ignoring document checks of clients.

Telegraf has already written that Ukrainsky Kapital is linked to the activities of an informal office called Black Audit, which provided tax-minimization services, cash-out and capital extraction abroad under the guise of payments for non-existent import contracts (for example, purchases of clothing or building materials). It is quite possible the Astion brothers were involved in that informal office, although they no longer officially own Ukrainsky Kapital.

Dozens of fictitious companies were registered at the same mass-registration addresses (for example, a regular office suite in a Dnipro office building or under the names of straw citizens with hundreds of companies registered to them). The Astion brothers also register their companies in Dnipro. Vasyl Astion was a deputy of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council from the Revival party.

As NABU established, Astion also for a long time had the ability to influence Sense Bank and to use state institutions in schemes. Read more about Astion’s activities and Black Audit in upcoming publications.

On the origin of the funds

Telegraf examined rulings on bail returns from the court registry and identified the names of dozens of companies that deposited millions of hryvnias in bail. Some of these firms are connected to the people for whom they posted money; others appear to have provided paid services in this way. For example, in the case of Mykola Zlochevsky, the minister of ecology and natural resources during ex-president Viktor Yanukovych’s time, Avalon System LLC posted bail of 113 million UAH.

That company is now owned by Hanna Kyselova from Donetsk. The previous owner was Oksana Petryk from Chernihiv region. In the same case another 34 million UAH in bail was posted by Vseukrainska Yurydychna Rada LLC. That LLC reported 587 thousand UAH in losses last year. The head of the firm is former Burisma top manager Andriy Kicha. By the way, his mother, 69-year-old Tetiana Kicha, in 2012–2014 was an assistant to then-MP and now NBU head Andriy Pyshnyi.

For former head of the Main Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office Ihor Shcherbyna, bail of 2 million UAH was posted by Legal Company Energo-Lex LLC. That LLC is now renamed to Research Institute of Forensic Examinations and Legal Expertise. The company is currently owned by Oleksii Supruh, and from May 2017 to the end of 2024 the owner was lawyer Tetiana Kardashievska.

But bail did not help. WACS found Shcherbyna guilty of fraud, incitement to bribery, and illegal possession of weapons. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison with confiscation of property.

Bail in the case of Oleksii Tamrazov, former first deputy head of Ukrgazvydobuvannia, was posted by AS Investment LLC. This concerned 3 million UAH. Tamrazov was accused of taking a bribe of 200 thousand dollars to lift an arrest on the gas of Favorit System LLC. The official was detained when he received part of the bribe — 100 thousand dollars.

AS Investment is part of the corporate group of Oleksii Pravokhorenko. The group’s companies operate in warehousing, transport and fuel trading. Group assets include AS-Trans LLC, Fastiv Fuel Terminal LLC, Euro Nafto Group LLC, AS Investment LLC and others.

Back-office employees Lyudmyla Zorina and Lesia Ustymenko were released on bail thanks to 37 million UAH from the company Vangar. This firm was created in May 2025. The bail itself was posted in November 2025. Meanwhile the LLC’s charter capital is only 1 thousand UAH. The company is registered to 66-year-old Anatolii Sobol from Kamianets-Podilskyi.

Currently in Ukraine the origin of funds for bail is effectively not verified. The only mandatory check is the bank’s financial monitoring. NABU and other law enforcement agencies can search for the origin of funds in the course of other proceedings and investigations. However, bail checks do not happen by default. In June 2026 a draft law 15388 was registered in the Rada to introduce mandatory verification of the origin of funds for bail. But so far this bill has not even been considered in first reading.