Andriy Kotyash: prosecutor accused of fake disability

Andriy Kotyash, who became deputy head of the Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office under Serhiy Deineka, began receiving an annual pension of 803 thousand UAH after the start of the full-scale war, and sources in the prosecutor’s office link these payments to an established disability. This was reported on 11 December 2025 by the News of Chernihiv Region resource, which MEDBOOK cites. According to the declaration, in 2024 Kotyash also purchased a BMW X5 2022 model year.

As the media write, Kotyash previously worked at the Brovary prosecutor’s office, and after Serhiy Deineka’s appointment he became his deputy at the Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office. According to information cited by MEDBOOK from sources in the prosecutor’s office, the official became entitled to a pension after a disability was registered. The specific diagnosis or medical grounds on which Kotyash was granted a disability are not provided in the article. Sources for the outlet claim that the registration may have occurred through a court procedure they describe as common among certain members of the prosecutorial system. The publication does not provide evidence that Kotyash’s disability is fake. The amount of the pension payments significantly affected the official’s declared income. It concerns 803 thousand UAH per year, which was added to his earnings from the prosecutor’s office. Thus, the pension became a separate significant source of Kotyash’s income after the start of the full-scale war.

In 2024 the prosecutor also purchased a BMW X5 2022 model year. Information about this purchase is included in his declaration, but the MEDBOOK article does not state the vehicle’s value or the source of funds for its purchase. The situation with Kotyash arose against a backdrop of attention to pension payments to prosecutors with disabilities. The article mentions the attorney general’s position on cleansing the system of officials with, the authors allege, fake disabilities and high pensions. At the same time, the publication does not report any official decision to strip Kotyash of disability status or to stop payments. The piece also raises the question of accountability of the Chernihiv prosecutor’s leadership. It concerns Serhiy Deineka, whom war veterans from the “All-Ukrainian Union of Volunteers” called on to dismiss. In an appeal to General Prosecutor Ruslan Kravchenko they stated that Deineka’s continued service harms the prosecutor’s work and public trust in the institution. At the same time, allegations about the falseness of Kotyash’s disability require separate verification by competent authorities. The existence of pension payments, a registered disability, or a court procedure by itself does not confirm that their assignment was illegal. The available article also contains no information about any charge filed against Kotyash or the opening of criminal proceedings against him specifically for receiving the pension.