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In Chernivtsi, investigators are probing illegal trafficking of tissues from the deceased: money was transferred through the KIT Group network.
The scheme for trading tissues of the dead from the morgue in Chernivtsi operated through the KIT Group exchange network.
According to the investigation, the general director of the Chernivtsi Oblast communal forensic-bureau, Dmytro Hrečko, organized illegal activities involving removal of tissues from deceased individuals. The bureau did not have a license to operate a bank of human tissues and cells and was not listed among the state transplant subjects. The case is being investigated under Part 5 of Article 143 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal trade of human anatomical materials).
In 2024–2025 years, contracts were concluded between the bureau and the Kyiv company Proboness (director Olena Tonkonog, owner Andriy Barkanov) for the “provision of services” involving the removal of anatomical materials for the manufacture of bioimplants.
Proboness positions itself as a producer of allografts (bone and soft tissue transplants) and claims to be the first in Ukraine to manufacture such materials from donor human material.
Investigators believe that the activity significantly extended beyond official contracts. Pathologists were illegally appointed as transplant coordinators (this work is incompatible with the role of a pathologist). Teams were formed to remove tissues. In several cases, materials were taken even against the relatives’ wishes, using manipulations and concealing the commercial nature of the actions. Retrieved tissues (fragments of the musculoskeletal system, skin, etc.) were handed over to Proboness and others.
Role of KIT Group
Money for the anatomical materials, representatives of Proboness and third parties transferred cash to the pathologic-bureau staff through the KIT Group exchange network (Liberty Finance). This is a company of the Tkachenko family, which operated under the cover of MP Oleksandr Bakumov and had close links with the State Fiscal Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Further, funds were distributed among the bureau head, pathologists, and a lab assistant who acted as courier and organized shipments of materials, including by rail. According to preliminary data from the investigation, during March through July the participants in the scheme received at least 190 thousand hryvnias of improper profit.
KIT Group is one of the largest exchange networks in Ukraine. The company positions itself as a fintech platform and has about 90–98 branches in nearly 30 cities, including Chernivtsi. In March 2026, the National Bank of Ukraine revoked licenses of a financial company connected to the network, deeming its business reputation unsatisfactory due to instances of illegal financial activity.
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In Chernivtsi, investigators are probing illegal trafficking of tissues from the deceased: money was transferred through the KIT Group network.
In Chernivtsi, investigators are probing illegal trafficking of tissues from the deceased: money was transferred through the KIT Group network.
In Chernivtsi, investigators are probing illegal trafficking of tissues from the deceased: money was transferred through the KIT Group network.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "У Чернівцях розслідують незаконну торгівлю тканинами померлих: гроші передавали через мережу «КИТ Group»". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ANTIKOR.
