Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) and detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) 28 announced new suspicion against another participant in the criminal organization involved in raiding and money laundering. This concerns a former deputy of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council of the VII convocation. According to the investigation, the criminal organization existed for more than one year and included current and former members of parliament of Ukraine and high-ranking officials of the Office of the President.
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office reported the new suspicion. According to the investigation, members of the criminal organization are involved in the raider takeover of two enterprises, the combined value of whose assets amounted to 248 million UAH.
In addition, acting in prior collusion with representatives of one of the state banks, members of the organization during June 2026 legalized 150 000 000 UAH through accounts of controlled legal entities. The funds were used to pay bail for one of the participants in another criminal organization in the "Midas" case.
The leaders of the criminal organization — a current and a former member of parliament of Ukraine — recruited a businessman to use his connections and influence in the judicial sphere. According to the investigation, he was to ensure that judges of commercial courts rendered decisions in favor of companies or persons connected to the organization, and he also legalized part of the funds for the bail. The businessman's actions were qualified under part 2 of article 255, part 4 of article 28, parts 2, 3 of article 206-2, part 4 of article 28, part 3 of article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
The former deputy is identified as Vasyl Astion
The person in question is Vasyl Astion. The investigation asserts that the leaders of the criminal organization involved the former deputy in the scheme because of his ties and influence in the judicial sphere.
According to law enforcement, he facilitated decisions by commercial courts in favor of companies and individuals connected to the organization and also legalized part of the funds for bail. With the suspect's participation, two enterprises with assets worth 248 million hryvnias were raider-taken over, NABU reports.
Journalist Mykhailo Tkach previously noted that on the "Forrest Gump" tapes Astion appears under the name "Vasya." He also previously stated that the ex-politician is abroad, likely in Vienna.
Vasyl Astion was a deputy of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council from the Revival party in 2015–2020. From 2007–2012 he worked as an assistant to Member of Parliament Vitaliy Khomutynnik. In 2019 he ran for the Verkhovna Rada on the Opposition Bloc party list but did not win. Together with his brother Yevhen, he controls the agricultural holding Dnipro Agro Group.
Bought and lost a stake in Ukrbud
Informator wrote that in 2025 the Astion brothers and Maryna Aiab, who is considered a trusted associate of Maksym Mykytas, bought the state corporation Ukrbud for 805 million UAH. Later Aiab left the business, and the Astions' share fell from 2/3 to 1/3. Their current partner in Ukrbud is Kyiv lawyer and former military prosecutor Vitaliy Opanasenko.
Previously, Informator reported that businessman Ihor Kolomoiskyi commented on the "Forrest Gump" case, calling unacceptable the way conversations of former Deputy Head of the Office of the President Iryna Mudra with ex-MP Maksym Mykytas were recorded. We also wrote that bail for Iryna Mudra, which the court set as an alternative to detention in the "Forrest Gump" case, began to be posted in the amount of 20 million UAH.
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