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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The State Medicines Service repeatedly dismissed the director of the Pharmacopoeial Center, Olena Lavoshnyk, despite a court ruling that reinstated her to the position
Reporters from "Stop Corruption TV" investigated the State Medicines Service’s operations during Volodymyr Korolenko’s tenure. One of the key stories in the investigation was the conflict around the Kharkiv Pharmacopoeial Center: its director was dismissed, the court found the dismissal unlawful, but a few months later the service issued a new dismissal order.
More details in the investigation by Denys Stradetsky for "Stop Corruption TV."
The state enterprise "Ukrainian Scientific Pharmacopoeial Center for Quality of Medicinal Products" in Kharkiv falls under the management of the State Medicines Service. In February 2026 the service appointed an unscheduled audit covering the years 2024–2025. According to the State Medicines Service's official response, a report dated 10 April 2026 recorded violations of the law, deficiencies, and problematic issues, including in the handling of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and precursors. The service said it informed law enforcement about the findings.
However, the presence of violations at the enterprise does not by itself prove the director Olena Lavoshnyk’s involvement. A separate conflict unfolded around her dismissal.
First dismissal and court defeat
By order of the State Medicines Service dated 8 April 2026, No. 105-K, Lavoshnyk’s contract was terminated early. The grounds cited included conclusions of an internal investigation and improper performance of contract terms. At that time the service was headed by Volodymyr Korolenko.
The director disagreed and, through lawyer S. Tsymbalyuk, appealed the order in court. The court found the dismissal unlawful and reinstated Lavoshnyk to the position as of 9 April 2026. The decision emphasized that general references to improper performance of duties are insufficient: the employer had to prove specific breaches of the contract terms. Therefore the dismissal based on the circumstances set out in the commission chair L. Yablonska’s memorandum dated 26 March 2026 was declared unlawful.
Second order
It seemed the court decision should have settled the matter. But on 3 August the State Medicines Service issued a new order No. 295-k "On the dismissal of O. Lavoshnyk." The next day, 4 August, the Pharmacopoeial Center formalized an order implementing it. The document instructs Lavoshnyk to hand over documents and property and for the accounting department to make the final settlement. The order was signed by the head of the enterprise transformation commission, Lesia Dyachenko.
The second dismissal took place against the backdrop of a reorganization. According to the Pharmacopoeial Center’s response, by order of the State Medicines Service dated 25 September 2025 the enterprise is being converted into a company with a one-hundred-percent state share, and the procedure is still ongoing. When asked who controls it, the center replied that the head of the transformation commission, L. O. Dyachenko, reports to the head of the State Medicines Service.
Intersections and connections
Lavoshnyk herself links her problems to specific people. According to her, lawyer Viktor Kvashyn had close ties with Olesia Dyachenko’s husband, Oleksii Dyachenko, with whom he studied in the same class. Oleksii Dyachenko is now a judge of the Kyiv District Court of Kharkiv, and previously headed the legal department of the State Medicines Service.
Lavoshnyk also claims that relatives of Kvashyn and employees of his law firm were formally employed at the enterprise. Their dismissal, it is alleged, escalated into a conflict with provocations and accusations of corruption, which became the basis for her suspension. The former director says that at one time she refused to perform actions requested by the lawyer. The same video materials also asserted that Olesia Dyachenko was hired in Kharkiv after moving from Bucha, despite having no relevant professional education.
Reporters asked Olesia Dyachenko whether the enterprise had checked for possible sham employment and the reservation of positions for a number of people and whether those people were connected to the law firm "Kvashyn and Partners." Dyachenko replied that checks are conducted continuously, and for the rest she suggested sending a written request and asked in what capacity the journalists were asking such questions.
Unanswered questions
In summary, we have a state enterprise whose reorganization is led by a person subordinate to the State Medicines Service. Her husband previously headed the service’s legal department and is now a judge. Lawyer Viktor Kvashyn also figures in this story.
The main question remains open: what changed between the first dismissal, which the court found unlawful, and the second? Journalists were unable to get comments from Volodymyr Korolenko: he advised them to contact the press service. Meanwhile, the State Medicines Service itself is being liquidated, and its functions are to be taken over by the new Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Agency.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Двічі звільнена директорка: конфлікт довкола Фармакопейного центру, який реорганізовує Держлікслужба". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: StopKor.
