“Fake” divorce, enrichment by millions and criminal cases: who is Oleksandr Shevchuk?

Deputy mayor of Zhytomyr Oleksandr Shevchuk has become a subject of a criminal proceeding on suspicion of illegal enrichment and false asset declaration. Law enforcement believes the official may have concealed assets registered to his ex-wife after a “fake” divorce, and also acquired property whose value significantly exceeds his official income.

Somewhere they signed a fictitious contract for snow removal, even bought salt for 2,6 million hryvnias during an abnormally warm winter, dug up a bit of sand — and voila… A plot of land appears, a sizable house is built on it, and at the same time a new car is purchased. And most interestingly — all these acquisitions are disproportionate to the deputy mayor’s official income.

Our current subject has already been handed a suspicion and pretrial restriction in the form of detention with the option of release on bail, and law enforcement is working to suspend him from his position. The main allegations, as you may have already understood, are false declaration and the probable concealment of assets. We are talking about deputy mayor of Zhytomyr Oleksandr Serhiyovych Shevchuk. We have written about him before, including about the delivery of the suspicion.

Now our analysts dug deeper, and it turned out that the fictitious divorce and false declaration for 9,3 million hryvnias — that’s not all. Also interesting are the business ties of the alleged ex-wife of Shevchuk with his direct subordinates, as well as a substantial list of valuable property that was left unreported.

Results of the investigation

For the last ten years Oleksandr Shevchuk held not just high positions — he was in the very center of decision-making that concerned million-hryvnia budgets, municipal enterprises, and key spheres of the city's functioning. These were influential chairs that opened wide administrative opportunities.

From 2016 to 2019 year Shevchuk headed the municipal enterprise “Zelenbud” of the Zhytomyr City Council. Later he became head of the Department of Motor Roads (“UASH”), and already in 24 December 2019 year he received the position of deputy mayor responsible for the activities of the council’s executive bodies.

According to the distribution of powers, he is responsible for transport, communications, informatization and digital technologies. His competence includes coordinating the work of the transport and communications department, the municipal inspection and the department for the development of information technologies, supervising the activities of several municipal enterprises, making proposals to the mayor regarding the appointment of their directors, as well as leading commissions and working bodies on road safety, passenger transportation, evacuation and sustainable mobility.

There is a lot of work, and a lot of opportunities. But already in June 2026 year this career took on a different dimension: Oleksandr Shevchuk was notified of suspicion of illegal enrichment of more than 9,3 million hryvnias.

As stated in the official message of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, during the period of the full-scale invasion the deputy mayor acquired assets whose value significantly exceeds his lawful income. In particular, during 2021–2025 years the official purchased a plot of land on which he built a residential house with a total area of almost 200 sq m and a Volkswagen Touareg.

The Prosecutor General’s Office’s message also clearly states that, in order to conceal property and not reflect it in annual declarations, the official “fictitiously” divorced his wife in advance, but continued to live together with her and maintain a common household.

We will return shortly to this shared household, which, according to the investigation, was not reflected in the declarations. But now — about the criminal proceedings, which look no less “fat” than the positions our subject held.

Salt for a snowless winter and illegally extracted sand

During Oleksandr Shevchuk’s leadership at the municipal enterprise “Zelenbud” in 2016–2019 years and at the municipal enterprise “Department of Motor Roads”, which he led from March to December 2019 year, the structures were involved in cases of embezzlement of budget funds.

In particular, during Shevchuk’s leadership the municipal enterprise “Zelenbud” of the Zhytomyr City Council became a subject in criminal proceeding No. 42016061020000067. The investigation examined possible abuse of office and embezzlement of budget funds by officials of “Zelenbud”, in particular through illegal write-off of fuel and lubricants, as well as the possible misappropriation of 780 thousand UAH during the purchase of a specialized road vehicle from LLC “Brod-Vey Resurs Plyus”, which, according to the investigation, was supplied in violation of tender conditions and without the necessary registration documentation.

Even more interesting are the criminal cases of “UASH”, where Shevchuk was head for less than a year. As noted in the case materials, officials of “UASH” in the period 2019–2020 years, by prior conspiracy with officials of a number of economic entities, embezzled budget funds allocated for the city’s improvement. In particular, the investigation established that under the contract dated 07.08.2019 (at that time Shevchuk was the head) with LLC “Ekostroybud Plyus” for the purchase of 10 000 tons of sand for the amount of 1,936 million UAH, sand that was actually supplied was illegally extracted in Zhytomyr region, moreover the supply was not made in full, and forged documents and fictitious supply chains through controlled firms were used to cover the scheme.

In addition, “UASH” concluded a number of contracts with private and municipal VZHREP for sidewalk snow removal for more than 3 million UAH (already from December 2019 a different person was the head), but in fact the work was either not carried out at all or was done by UASH’s own machinery, and funds were misappropriated through payments to “straw” persons and fictitious equipment leases. The case materials also mention searches at the deputy mayor’s place of residence, where draft reports on providing budget transfers to UASH were seized.

The media also covered the purchase of technical salt for 2,6 million UAH in the snowless winter of 2019 year. As stated in the investigative journalism materials, it was precisely during the period when Oleksandr Shevchuk led UASH that the enterprise held a tender to purchase technical salt for winter road maintenance, and after the winner was chosen he, as director of the enterprise, signed the corresponding contract with the supplier. The researchers also note that despite the abnormally warm winter of 2019–2020 years, UASH purchased significant volumes of technical salt, analyze possible violations during the procurement and point to the existence of a criminal proceeding concerning the circumstances of the use of budget funds.

One can also call Oleksandr Shevchuk’s tenure as head of UASH productive if one analyzes the number of tenders held during the period from March to December 2019 year. Overall, according to clarity-project data, 169 procurements with an expected value of 58.97 million UAH were successfully conducted. 155 contracts were signed for the amount of 51.27 million UAH. Some of the procurements conducted during this period fell under DASU monitoring.

Family matters

Now more detail about that very fictitious divorce, which is not a conjecture of journalists or the public but is based on official information from the Prosecutor General’s Office. It is these data we rely on.

This happened after sixteen years of marriage — in July 2020 year, when Oleksandr Shevchuk already held the position of deputy mayor of Zhytomyr. By the way, about the mayor’s advisor of this city who flew to Miami at public expense, we have already told earlier. You can familiarize yourself with that material via the link.

So, a significant part of the Shevchuk family’s property, including numerous apartments, a beauty salon and a hops complex, was re-registered to the wife by gift agreements precisely on the eve of the divorce.

Moreover, one of the real estate objects is owned by Shevchuk’s wife — Iryna Serhiivna Shevchuk — jointly with the current head of the municipal enterprise “Zelenbud”, which may indicate a close connection with structures subordinate to him. We are talking about a hops complex in the village of Pishchanka in Zhytomyr region with a total area of 810,0 sq. m. It was purchased back in 2011 year and divided in half: one half belongs to Shevchuk’s now ex-wife, the other — to Volokita Oleksandr Volodymyrovych, who currently heads “Zelenbud”. This is the same enterprise that Shevchuk previously led and whose activity now, according to his official responsibilities, falls within his sphere of coordination. Notably, this real estate is absent in Volokita’s declaration for 2025 year.

In addition, the Prosecutor General’s Office published information about Shevchuk’s newly built house on a plot in the village of Teteriv, Zhytomyr district, which he acquired while serving as deputy mayor.

It is worth noting that this plot belongs to agricultural lands, so the question arises of how an officially registered residential building could be erected on it.

At the same time, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the plot and the newly built residential house with an area of 200 sq. m were registered to Iryna Shevchuk. However, as of July 2026 year, such a house is not among the real estate objects in her ownership.

By the way, in the photo published by law enforcement, there is a car parked next to the house. If this is the same brown 2013-year Volkswagen Touareg purchased in 2023 year, then it is a vehicle that, according to the prosecutor’s data, does not correspond to the official income of the official. The value of such a car on the secondary market can range from 16 to 23 thousand dollars.

The ex-wife also owns another house in Zhytomyr on Pokrovska Street, which Oleksandr Shevchuk uses. She received the house by gift agreement in July 2020 year — shortly before the divorce that took place the same month.

The house area is 131,2 sq. m. It consists of three living rooms and utility premises.

And, as clearly visible in the photo, next to this house is the beauty salon of Shevchuk’s ex-wife. Before the divorce the official declared this premises of 106,4 sq. m as an office. However, already in 2020 year ownership of it was again re-registered to the wife by gift agreement.

In addition, the ex-wife owns an apartment of 30,8 sq. m in Zhytomyr on Korolenka Street, building 8, apartment **. Ownership of it was acquired on 1 July 2017 year. Before the divorce Oleksandr Shevchuk declared this apartment, and in 2020 year ownership of it was also re-registered by gift agreement.

Furthermore, Iryna Shevchuk owns another apartment of 48,7 sq. m in an old housing stock building in Zhytomyr on Marshal Zhukov Street, building 27, apartment **. Ownership of this object was acquired on 4 April 2007 year. Before the divorce Oleksandr Shevchuk declared this apartment as his wife’s property.

Property remaining with the official

After the divorce, it would seem that not much was left to Oleksandr Shevchuk. In short, officially he apparently has nowhere to live, but the possible business remains.

According to the declaration for 2025 year, he owns a plot of land in Zhytomyr purchased in 2005 year with a total area of 500 sq. m.

Shevchuk also declared a plot of land of 137 sq. m in Zhytomyr, the right to which, according to the declaration, he acquired on 26 September 2015 year. At the same time, according to an extract from the State Register of Property Rights to Real Estate, this plot is not in his ownership but is leased. The lease was granted by the Zhytomyr City Council in 2015 year for a term of five years.

So the question arises: was this plot later privatized, or does the declaration contain inaccurate information about the form of rights to it.

As was established in the course of the analysis, the official did not indicate in the declaration a real estate object of more than 1300 sq. m in the village of Oliivka purchased in 2011 year. This real estate object consists of a four-row cowshed building, which is not a separately located real estate object.

According to Google Maps data, on this territory next to the so-called cowshed of Shevchuk there is the Golden Fleece restaurant (Zolote Runo) and a constructed swimming pool.

What is the bottom line?

At present Oleksandr Shevchuk is a subject of a criminal proceeding on suspicion of illegal enrichment and false declaration. The penalty under the incriminated article provides for five to ten years of imprisonment.

At the same time, at the moment it is only a suspicion, and the final assessment of all the circumstances should be given by a court. Until a guilty verdict is passed, Shevchuk is presumed innocent.

At the same time, the conducted journalistic analysis made it possible to identify a whole series of facts that are quite indicative. We are not only talking about property that may have been left out of declarations, but also about business ties with people from the closest official circle, re-registration of assets before the divorce through gift agreements, as well as criminal proceedings related to municipal enterprises that the official headed in various years. Each of these facts alone does not prove the subject’s guilt, but taken together they form a picture that undoubtedly constitutes public interest and, in our opinion, deserves a thorough legal assessment by competent authorities.