You Fight, We Walk Out. How Deputies Flee Ukraine’s War Posing as Volunteers

You fight, we walk out. How deputies flee Ukraine’s war posing as volunteers

While real Ukrainians stood up to defend the country from Russian invaders, some elected officials, pretending to be volunteers and using the corrupt “Shlyakh” system, fled the war and their constituents to the West.

Journalists from the NGL.media project continue to analyze abuses of the “Shlyakh” system, focusing this time on local council deputies who left Ukraine as volunteers and never returned. Some stayed in neighboring Poland, others fate carried all the way to the United States, and some deputies have been collecting “humanitarian cargo” around the world for months that never reaches Ukraine.

Of course, these are far from all the local deputies who left the country after the invasion, since there are many other ways to leave besides “Shlyakh.” During their investigation, the outlet’s journalists found those who left by other means: whether accompanying relatives with disabilities (recall at least Dmytro Kopanchuk, son of People’s Deputy Olena Kopanchuk), or using letters from border guards, etc.

Some of the deputies in the investigation have already independently asked their councils to remove them and have ceased being deputies. But there are those who continue to retain that status, even though they either do not take part in meetings with their colleagues at all or join only by audio or video link. There are, however, local councils that have not met even once since the full-scale invasion.

Missing more than half of a local council’s meetings over a year without valid reasons is grounds for recall and loss of mandate. The local council can also propose this to the local branch of the party from which the deputy was elected, or the party branch can initiate recall themselves. There is also the possibility of recall at the initiative of voters.

* all data regarding male deputies in this article are current as of mid-September 2023 year

Deputies on “remote work”

On the morning of 31 January this year, the 31-year-old deputy of the Kharkiv Regional Council Vitaliy Abramov left the country. He was able to cross the border without problems because the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration entered him as a volunteer in the “Shlyakh” system. The car Abramov left in returned to Ukraine that same day, but without him.

Vitaliy Abramov entered the regional council from the now-banned pro-Russian party Opposition Platform — For Life (OPZZh), but in spring 2022 year, according to Suspilne, he left the party faction. At the time of the elections he worked in the department of the State Architectural and Construction Inspectorate in Kharkiv region, and before that as a private entrepreneur he received small public contracts. This year Kharkiv regional council sessions are held by video link and, according to documents, Vitaliy Abramov participated in them.

Journalists were unable to speak with Vitaliy Abramov, although his fellow deputies provided his phone number. The regional council responded to NGL.media’s official request with a form reply stating the electronic request lacked a signature.

Journalists discovered that Kharkiv RMA entered Abramov into the “Shlyakh” system. The first time was 10 August 2022 year at the submission of the Sargis Davtyan Charitable Foundation, and the second time was 9 November 2022 year at the submission of the charity foundation Help to Ukrainians 2022. The last permit was valid until 31 January 2023 year — the very day Abramov left. To prove the deputy’s volunteer activity, the head of the Help to Ukrainians 2022 foundation, Vladyslav Rostok’ian, sent NGL.media a copy of a declaration for 50 tourniquets imported by Abramov. Judging by the stamp impression on the document, Abramov brought these tourniquets on 23 January, that is, before his final departure abroad. Journalists asked Rostok’ian to clarify the delivery date, but received no explanation for several weeks.

Another Abramov colleague from OPZZh, the 35-year-old deputy of the Novomoskovsk District Council in Dnipropetrovsk region, Maksym Kryvda, according to a source in the State Border Guard Service, left the country back in December 2022 year. He left by train as a volunteer with permission from the Dnipropetrovsk RMA, according to which he was supposed to return by 15 January.

The day after his departure, Kryvda took part in a session meeting: he was connected by audio link along with another 11 deputies.

Kryvda’s mobile number is no longer in service, and he does not respond to emails. Novomoskovsk District Council chair Serhiy Khrapov told NGL.media he has not seen him since December last year. Some deputies who spoke with the NGL.media journalist also confirmed that he did not appear in person at council meetings this year.

In 2021 year Maksym Kryvda worked for three months as director of the communal enterprise “Mar’yanivske” of the Hubyna settlement council in Dnipropetrovsk region. According to YouControl, as of 2022 year he also headed the local OPZZh branch in Dnipro.

Another current deputy of Kharkiv District Council, the 39-year-old Stanislav Lebedev, according to a source in the State Border Guard Service, also used a train to cross the border. He left Ukraine in November 2022 year, after which he disappeared. Lebedev, who became a deputy from OPZZh, indicated in his declaration that he was unemployed and had no income, the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center reported. In 2021 year Lebedev did manage to find work, immediately in a managerial position — he was appointed director of the communal enterprise “Underground City,” where he worked a little over a year.

Stanislav Lebedev

The Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine entered Stanislav Lebedev into the “Shlyakh” system. All phone numbers journalists located for him are already inactive, and the district council reported that Lebedev did not attend any of the session meetings held during 2022–2023 years, but he did not submit a resignation statement.

Earlier, in September 2022 year, the 43-year-old priest and deputy of Kherson District Council from European Solidarity, Ihor Semenikhin, left. He left on the very first day of the permit issued by Kherson RMA. Semenikhin should have returned by 27 September, but something went wrong and he disappeared. The deputy’s phone is now out of range, and he does not respond to messages in messengers, although he appears to be fairly active on his Facebook page.

Ihor Semenikhin

Kherson District Council deputy chair Yurii Mariiev told NGL.media that the council has not convened since the full-scale invasion by Russian invaders (which is understandable), and at the last meeting on 23 February 2022 year Ihor Semenikhin was absent. Overall, Mariiev described his colleague positively: “He is a very decent person, he always stood for supporting our army.”

Ihor Semenikhin worked for many years as a military chaplain in the State Border Guard Service, although he did not formally serve in the military. Shortly before leaving Ukraine, Semenikhin visited military personnel with fruit, which he wrote about on Facebook. And already in November 2022 he published a photo with his 21-year-old son Mykola, who appears to live in Chicago. “Long-awaited meeting,” Semenikhin captioned the photo, so he likely left for the United States to be with his son.

According to the outlet’s sources among border guards, the 46-year-old deputy of Soledar City Council, Serhiy Petrov, left the country in March this year. At the beginning of 2023 year he was the subject of a Suspilne report. That story noted Petrov worked 25 years at the state enterprise Artemsil, and after the Russian invasion he left with his family for Dnipro, then to Pavlohrad, where he started working in a mine.

Serhiy Petrov

A month after that report was published, Serhiy Petrov left Ukraine — the Volyn RMA entered him into the “Shlyakh” system. By September 2023 year Petrov posted a photo from Poland with his daughter on social media.

Serhiy Petrov did not respond to NGL.media messages. The Soledar city council said sessions are not held due to hostilities but refused to share Petrov’s contacts. Volyn RMA claims they entered Petrov into “Shlyakh” at the request of the charity foundation We Believe in Ukraine, so they issued the permit but allowed travel for a maximum of two weeks. The head of the We Believe in Ukraine foundation, Anatoliy Shvab, said he recalls a request from a military unit for which Petrov was to bring a vehicle. But he does not remember how it ended, nor the unit’s name.

The 36-year-old deputy of Dobropillia City Council in Donetsk region from the controversially reputed party Order, Artem Sunduchnikov, left abroad in March 2023 year based on a decision by Zhytomyr RMA. They say they issued the permit at the request of the St. Michael’s Cathedral in Zhytomyr. Orthodox Church of Ukraine priest Bohdan Boiko confirmed that this occurred. According to him, Sunduchnikov himself asked to be entered into “Shlyakh.” The church distributes food to displaced persons, so Sunduchnikov was to bring food, but after receiving the permit he simply disappeared.

It was not possible to determine where Artem Sunduchnikov is now. The deputy’s phones are out of service.

During the war, Dobropillia City Council deputies do not convene or make decisions, NGL.media was told by the city council reception. All decisions are made personally by the head of the Dobropillia City Military Administration, Andriy Bondarenko.

“Artem Sunduchnikov simultaneously with his deputy role worked as head of the heat-supply communal enterprise ‘Dobro.’ He resigned from the position the day I was appointed [7 September 2022 year], so we did not work together. After a new director was appointed, questions arose for Sunduchnikov, but no one could find him. And as a deputy I also did not work with him,” Andriy Bondarenko told NGL.media.

The seven former

Seven more local council deputies not only left the country but also renounced their deputy powers. In other words, they decided not even to pretend they care about the future of the communities that elected them.

For example, in Ternopil region the 36-year-old deputy of Chortkiv City Council from the Strength of People party and former head of Chortkiv municipal guard, Nazarii Pyptyk, submitted a statement of early termination of powers on 26 January 2023 year, and three days later he crossed the border as a volunteer, sources tell the outlet. Already by 6 February, Pyptyk’s colleagues voted for his dismissal and removed him from the permanent commission on deputy ethics and legality. Journalists could not obtain his comment.

Nazarii Pyptyk

Kyiv RMA entered Nazarii Pyptyk into the “Shlyakh” system; they say he was due to return by 26 February.

“A military unit applied with the corresponding letter requesting permission for Pyptyk Nazarii Volodymyrovych to leave Ukraine via the ‘Shlyakh’ system,” Serhiy Biletsky, deputy head of Kyiv RMA, said in response to NGL.media’s request.

Chortkiv mayor Volodymyr Shmatko recorded a video address in February 2023 saying several city officials had gone abroad, including Nazarii Pyptyk. According to him, Pyptyk resigned from his job shortly before leaving the country.

“I thank Nazarii: he has been with us in the east dozens of times and dozens of times abroad. We also have information that he left via a humanitarian route provided by other volunteer organizations… He is collecting cargo and plans to return. When that will be and where he is now, I do not know. But he wrote to me that he will return to Chortkiv soon and continue helping us and the Armed Forces,” Shmatko said then.

Nearly ten months have passed since the mayor’s remarks, yet Pyptyk has not returned to Ukraine with the promised humanitarian cargo. Now Volodymyr Shmatko tells NGL.media that although Pyptyk remained abroad, he still transfers some assistance to the local charity fund Pokrova Chortkiv.

The head of that fund, priest Andriy Levkovych, clarified to NGL.media that during his time abroad Nazarii Pyptyk transferred 12 thousand UAH to the fund’s account, but did not send any humanitarian cargo.

The 37-year-old OPZZh deputy of Boryspil City Council in Kyiv region, Serhiy Pashyn, missed all session meetings this year according to roll-call voting results. At the time of the elections in 2020 year he worked as first deputy head of the Bila Tserkva local prosecutor’s office, but according to YouControl he filed a declaration the same year before resigning. According to an NGL.media source in the State Border Guard Service, he left the country back in April 2022 year using the “Shlyakh” system.

Serhiy Pashyn

Chernivtsi RMA entered the local Kyiv region deputy into the “Shlyakh” system at the request of the charity foundation World of the Future. As the head of that foundation, Alla Zorii, claims, Serhiy Pashyn still helps them. “From abroad he fully organizes all the aid, finds funding, donors. I last saw him about a month ago abroad. But I was told that a few weeks ago he was in Ukraine, but I was not there at the time,” Alla Zorii said. She promised to pass on the request for comment and NGL.media’s phone numbers, but Pashyn never called the journalists.

It seems he was long undecided about whether he wanted to remain a deputy in Boryspil. The city council said that in August Pashyn first submitted a statement to terminate his powers early, but then withdrew it. However, at the council meeting on 10 November, Boryspil city councilors deprived all OPZZh deputies of their powers, including Pashyn.

On Serhiy Pashyn’s Facebook page the last post is dated 30 March last year. After the NGL.media journalist contacted him via personal message, he blocked her and closed his profile.

The 54-year-old deputy of Pokrovska District Council in Kryvyi Rih from the Vilkul Bloc “Ukrainian Perspective,” Yurii Krasnozhon, who was deputy chair of the council, left the country in January 2023. Krasnozhon crossed the border at the Rava-Ruska–Hrebenne checkpoint in Lviv region and, according to sources, had not returned to Ukraine as of mid-September.

Yurii Krasnozhon

Krasnozhon is likely now in Poland. He managed to leave the country thanks to an order from Dnipropetrovsk RMA. They reported that they allowed him to travel abroad three times. He did indeed leave the country several times and returned. The last permit was valid until 26 January 2023 year — on that day he left and did not return.

In summer local journalists wrote that Yurii Krasnozhon was on unpaid leave. The district council told NGL.media that from January to August this year Krasnozhon did not attend council sessions, and he was granted leave eight times — both paid and unpaid. In August he was deprived of deputy powers.

The 40-year-old deputy of Bucha District Council in Kyiv region, Sviatoslav Kutsenko from Batkivshchyna, left abroad with permission from the Ministry of Infrastructure and, according to the outlet, has also not returned. Kutsenko has a rather controversial reputation: he voted for scandalous decisions, and in 2017 year he was stripped of deputy powers in Irpin City Council.

Sviatoslav Kutsenko

In January 2023 year Kutsenko crossed the border by car at the Krakovets–Korchova checkpoint with Poland. His phone number is now out of service, and the district council told NGL.media that in February Kutsenko joined the session by video link, and at the next session in May he was absent. In August his powers were terminated early at the deputy’s request.

The 43-year-old deputy of Zolochiv District Council from Strength and Honor in Lviv region, Borys Dovbeta, left Ukraine through the “Shlyakh” system back in April last year — thanks to Zolochiv District Council’s request to Lviv RMA. His permit was valid until 6 May 2022 year, Lviv RMA reported.

Borys Dovbeta

According to Zolochiv District Council chair Orest Kavetsky, Dovbeta previously transported humanitarian aid from abroad, so the council asked RMA to let him travel. Kavetsky said Dovbeta submitted a resignation from his mandate, and in June this year his request was granted. Where Dovbeta is now is unknown. “I have not communicated with him since he left the country,” Orest Kavetsky told NGL.media.

Last summer the 47-year-old deputy of Dnipro District Council from Servant of the People, Vitaliy Dorokhin, also left the country with permission from the Ministry of Infrastructure. According to documents on the council’s website, the deputy consistently skipped council meetings.

Vitaliy Dorokhin

Chair Maksym Leshchenko said that on 2 June this year Dorokhin submitted a statement refusing his mandate and his powers were terminated early in September.

The 32-year-old Roman Reznik, elected to Saksahansky District Council of Kryvyi Rih from Servant of the People, also resigned early. “The council took note of his statement and removed him from the deputy corps. Another deputy has already taken his place,” district council chair Vasyl Starovoit said.

Roman Reznik

It turned out Roman Reznik left the country as early as August last year, and his deputy mandate was revoked this summer. According to Ukrtransbezpeka, Lviv RMA entered Roman Reznik into the “Shlyakh” system and he left the next day after receiving the permit. The public organization Theatre Khlib from Mykolaiv in Lviv region petitioned Lviv RMA for Reznik’s exit. Recall that Theatre Khlib and its affiliated local branch of Prosvita topped the list of organizations linked to the largest number of men fleeing via “Shlyakh.” It later emerged that these organizations are led by the 34-year-old Nataliya Mukha, close to relatives of the head of Lviv RMA.