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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Parents and other relatives of the family of the first deputy head of the Odessa Customs and his son Oleksandr, who works in the central apparatus of the State Customs Service, over several years gifted them more than 830 thousand hryvnias in cash, a Range Rover, and real estate. The Odessa Life journalists analyzed the customs officers’ declarations and identified likely donors. The editors have not yet managed to determine where the relatives got the funds for such gifts.
Vitaliy Cherkunov at the end of 2024 year became the first deputy head of the Odessa Customs; previously he held a similar position at the Bukovyna Customs. His son Oleksandr works in the central apparatus of the State Customs Service in Kyiv. Vitaliy Cherkunov’s brother, Serhiy, was previously the deputy head of the Sumy Customs.
According to declarations, in 2020–2025 years, members of the Cherkunov family received more than 830 thousand hryvnias in cash gifts.
In particular, Tamara Cherkunova, who at the time of the investigation was 87 years old, over six years gave Vitaliy Cherkunov, his wife Lyudmyla, and grandson Oleksandr more than 250 thousand hryvnias. Another 72 thousand hryvnias, in 2020 year, Vitaliy Cherkunov declared as a gift from Ivan Cherkunov.
Oleksandr Cherkunov’s wife Hanna received 465 thousand hryvnias in cash from Yuriy Mishchenko and Larysa Kostenko. According to Odessa Life, these are Hanna Cherkunova’s parents.
In 2024 year Oleksandr Cherkunov used a Range Rover Sport 2010 model year, the owner of which was Tamara Cherkunova. She was 85 years old at the time.
According to journalists’ estimates, on the secondary market such a car, depending on configuration and condition, cost from $12,5 to $22 thousand, about 550–980 thousand hryvnias at the time of publication of the investigation. Subsequently Tamara Cherkunova ceased to be the owner of the car, so it was likely sold.
After the start of the full-scale invasion, the family of Oleksandr Cherkunov acquired more real estate and land. According to declarations, most of these assets were received by the couple as gifts or gratuitously.
In 2024 year the wife of the customs officer became the owner of a land plot of 0,1 hectares in Hlevasi near Kyiv. In the same year she declared a non-monetary gift from Yuriy Mishchenko worth 200 thousand hryvnias—this was the same amount stated as the value of the plot. The declaration also lists two unfinished dacha houses in Hlevasi.
In 2022 year Oleksandr Cherkunov received as a gift a plot of 0,1 hectares in Zhytomyr region. His wife, in the same year, gratuitously received a neighboring plot of the same size by decision of Radomyshl City Council.
Earlier, in 2018 year, Oleksandr Cherkunov was gifted a residential house and two land plots in the village of Kyiliv in Kyiv region.
Photo_Selo Kyiliv
Property received as a gift is also in Oleksandr’s parents. In particular, his mother, Vitaliy Cherkunov’s wife, has a three-room apartment in Kyiv with an area of 120 square meters, which was also received as a gift.
Oleksandr Cherkunov’s wife, in the declaration for 2025 year, indicated that she worked for the Kyiv City Council, where she held various positions since 2018 year. At the same time, according to declarations, since 2021 year her income consisted mainly of small social benefits and gifts.
Comment from an expert: Serhiy Mytkalyk, head of the board of the NGO “Anti-Corruption Headquarters,” in a comment to Odessa Life emphasized that such significant “gifts” provide a direct basis for NKREK to conduct a check:
“If NKREK determines that neither the official nor his parents had proven legal sources of income for expensive gifts, this may indicate signs of violation of financial control requirements or other offenses, including signs of illegal enrichment or declaration of false information.”
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Родичі подарували родині замначальника Одеської митниці понад 830 тис грн і Range Rover". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Our Money.
