How Justice Minister Maslov Transferred the Personnel and Schemes of Former Ministers Mindich to Himself

Personnel reshuffles in the Ministry of Justice, as usual, did not lead to real staffing changes. The chief schemer Haichenko still clings to the deputy chair, and his protégé Kupriyanova continues to pick clean the State Scientific Center “Institute of Forensic Examinations named after Honored Prof. M.S. Bokarius” of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. And now the main question for the new Minister of Justice Denys Maslov is — did he come to break the schemes of Mindich’s predecessors or simply take their personnel, connections, and established mechanisms under his control, if Haichenko and his protégé Kupriyanova, who are linked to the sale of expert opinions, the raiding of public procurements, and the destruction of evidence for money, still remain in the system?

In September 2026, Kupriyanova’s contract expires, but her future has already been decided — she will remain in the Ministry of Justice system and most likely will keep her position as head of the Institute of Forensic Examinations, because she ensures a steady flow of cash upward. In a fairly short time, Kupriyanova managed to work at DniproNDIISE, bringing into the accountable Zaporizhia branch Hrychyna, who, on Kupriyanova’s tip, obstructed expert examinations in a number of criminal proceedings.

It is no secret that for a certain sum of money, within the walls of DniproNDIISE any case could be buried, and the methods for this were absolutely varied: from destroying objects of study to delaying the deadlines for conducting an examination and preparing the needed conclusion. A striking example of Kupriyanova’s system at work is criminal proceeding No. 12024087060000154, in which a ready handwriting expert conclusion, after materials were taken for an “internal check,” disappeared along with the physical evidence. Despite thousands of identical cases, Kupriyanova ended up not behind bars but in the director’s chair of the “Institute of Forensic Examinations named after Honored Prof. M.S. Bokarius” of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, not without the help of Haichenko, her lover, where she continued to operate according to the established algorithm.

But it didn’t end with expert conclusions, because billions of budget funds pass through expert institutions. By prior arrangement with Haichenko, Kupriyanova, on behalf of the Institute of Forensic Examinations, initiates tender procurements whose winners are firms of her relatives and close acquaintances. As a result, budget funds from the Institute’s accounts flow to companies connected to them, and goods and services for the state institution are purchased at inflated, effectively “astronomical,” prices so that the Haichenko–Kupriyanova organized group gets maximum profit.

At the same time, Haichenko effectively put the alienation of debtors’ property through the state enterprise “SETAM” on a stream. Through electronic auctions, real estate, cars, and other property pass into the “right” hands, and the necessary decisions for this are ensured by close executors and officials. One indicative example is the Nissan Leaf 2018, on which an arrest had been placed as early as 05.10.2023, preventing its alienation. Despite this, 13.02.2024 state registrar Oksana Noveiko-Vadis registered a pledge on the car in favor of LLC “Helexi Finance” for the amount of 150 thousand UAH, after which private bailiffs Maryna Neliuba and Vitaliy Kolomiiets opened enforcement proceedings No. 80112854 and No. 80598894 and handed the vehicle for sale through SE “SETAM,” and it was sold.

To all this are added schemes for embezzling budget funds during tender procurements. In just recent years the Ministry of Justice concluded contracts for 656,5 million UAH, of which 498,1 million UAH — for the operation of state registers, 90,2 million UAH and 36,4 million UAH — for electricity, 25,7 million UAH — for natural gas, and 6,2 million UAH — for software for cyber protection. This is, in fact, the siphoning and appropriation of hundreds of millions of hryvnias through designated suppliers, and the largest contract for 498,1 million UAH was concluded with SE “National Information Systems” without open tenders under the pretext of “no competition for technical reasons.”

By the way, we have already sent dozens of complaints and reports of criminal offenses, which cover 1000 addressees. In addition, we achieved the opening of criminal proceedings:

Office of the Prosecutor General — No. 42024000000000916 under part 3 of art. 206-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;

Investigative Department of the Main Police Department in Kyiv — No. 12024100000000722 under part 2 of art. 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;

Investigative Department of the Main Police Department in Kharkiv region – No. 12025220000000846 under part 1 of art. 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,

Territorial Department of the State Bureau of Investigations in Poltava — No. 62026170020004710 under part 5 of art. 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – but despite this, Kupriyanova and Haichenko remained in the system.

And now the question to the new Minister of Justice Denys Maslov: where are the personnel purges? After everything that has happened for years around expert institutions, public procurements, and the sale of property through “SETAM,” society should see not another reshuffling of chairs but concrete staffing decisions. If the people around whom these schemes were built remain in the system, then what exactly has changed with the arrival of the new minister? Maslov received the Ministry of Justice with new powers — now the question is only whether there will be enough political will to carry out a real personnel purge, and not leave the old system working under new leadership.