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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The Verkhovna Rada of the 9th convocation has been sitting far longer than planned. Because of the full-scale war, deputies elected back in 2019 are effectively serving a second successive term. Such mega-stressful conditions are taking their toll. Some parliamentarians are trying to resign their mandates, and some people’s marriages are failing under the strain of time and circumstances.
The Ministry of Justice records a boom in divorces in Ukraine, and Hlavkom finds confirmation of this trend in the Rada. The editorial monitoring captured dozens of civil cases in which members of parliament are ending long-term marriages. The wording in court rulings is mostly routine: “cohabitation did not work out,” “no common interests.” Behind the dry legal lines are personal stories that sometimes speak louder than standard explanations.
Among the parliamentary divorces, the case of MP Oleksandr Koltunovych (elected from the now-banned OPZZh, member of the deputy group “Platform for Life and Peace”) stands out.
A descendant held onto his MP father. But not for long
MP Koltunovych is 38 years old. In 2019 he was first elected to the Rada on the list of the Opposition Platform — For Life party. In the 8th convocation he was a paid assistant to MP Vasyl Nimchenko, who was then with the Opposition Bloc and is now a deputy from OPZZh.
In the declaration for 2019 Oleksandr Koltunovych listed one child in common with his wife Svitlana Kubalska-Koltunovych. By the end of 2024, when the politician went to court to divorce, he already had four minor children.
In his suit the MP explained why he wanted to end a nine-year marriage. He said cohabitation with his wife failed due to a lack of mutual understanding, loss of feelings, incompatibility of characters, and differing views on family values. He argued that they do not run a joint household. In his view, further joint life between the spouses and preserving the marriage are impossible and contrary to their interests.
MP Oleksandr Koltunovych is the father of six children
photo: rada.gov.ua
Koltunovych’s wife did not appear in court. However, she filed a motion with sensational content: she is pregnant and included a copy of an extract from her medical chart. She also stated that she lives with her husband and maintains a joint household with him.
In June 2025 the capital court refused to grant the Koltunovychs freedom to divorce, “because dissolving the marriage would be contrary to the interests of the spouses and their minor children.”
Despite the fact that in the declaration for 2025 another child named Emir appeared (before him were born Elina, Iola, Damir, and Teona), the politician again applied to the court seeking a divorce. At the time of preparing this material, the judiciary had not spoken finally (the next hearing is scheduled for 23 October).
We add that from a previous marriage Koltunovych has a son, Oleksandr, whom he also reports annually in his declarations.
A noteworthy detail: for the first time during Koltunovych’s parliamentary term, his declaration for 2025 included an entry about using a hotel room. It belongs to a state enterprise of the Rada apparatus, and the MP began renting the room in December 2025. This may indicate that a rift really opened between the Koltunovych spouses.
"Family" claims against Saakashvili
MP and "Servant" Yelyzaveta Yasko is also embroiled in court proceedings. Since April 2026 she has been suing her common-law husband, former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili. It’s worth adding that since October 2021 the politician has been in a Georgian prison.
Yasko has made two demands of Saakashvili. First — she wants to terminate his parental rights. Second — to collect child support for the child.
The essence of MP Yelyzaveta Yasko’s claims against Mikheil Saakashvili comes down to two demands: termination of parental rights and collection of child support.
Recall that in 1 June 2023 Yasko announced the birth of a girl whose father is Saakashvili. During 2021–2022 she listed the former Georgian president in her declarations; they lived together but were not married.
Yelyzaveta Yasko and Mikheil Saakashvili celebrating the 30 anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence
photo: Stanislav Hruzdev, glavcom.ua
From 2023 Saakashvili disappeared from Yasko’s declarations. Their joint daughter Yasko Yasmine Mikheilivna remained listed there.
In an interview with Hlavkom published in September 2024, Yelyzaveta Yasko reacted coldly to a journalist’s question about her communication with Saakashvili. The deputy emphasized that she no longer travels to Georgia. “He (Mikheil Saakashvili — Hlavkom) lives in his own reality, a very difficult one. Mikheil has, essentially, risked his life for Georgia and caused a lot of pain to different people by returning there now. And for what? For the future of Georgia. We see that, unfortunately, this step did not justify itself,” the MP stated.
Hlavkom asked Kyiv lawyer Dmytro Buzanov to model the theoretical development of Yasko’s case against Saakashvili. Important caveat: neither the editorial office nor the lawyer was privy to the evidence in the suit of the ex-president’s common-law wife.
According to the lawyer, Yasko will most likely receive child support. Both parents are obliged to support a child until adulthood, and this does not depend on their relationship. By the way, a father deprived of parental rights is not absolved of this obligation either, the interlocutor clarified.
“So the question is not whether the court will award child support, but how much. The plaintiff requests a third of the defendant’s income. The court may agree or reduce the share if the defendant proves he is in a difficult situation, has other children, or has health problems. Child support is awarded from the day the lawsuit is filed (part 1 of article 191 of the Family Code), that is, from April 2026,” Buzanov said.
As for the procedure for terminating a father’s parental rights, it’s much more complicated, the lawyer says. He believes the court sees this as an extreme measure. Moreover, the Supreme Court consistently emphasizes that rights are terminated only when the father consciously and through his own fault fails to fulfill his duties and it is impossible to change his behavior. Nonpayment of child support alone or living in another city or abroad is usually insufficient grounds. The court ascertains whether the father is interested in the child at all and why the situation developed this way.
However, there are cases when such suits to terminate parental rights were satisfied.
“So everything in the case will be decided by the evidence. If the plaintiff proves that the father for years did not care about the daughter, did not maintain contact even remotely, did not support her and did not try to change the situation, the chances are good. If there is little evidence, the court is more likely to dismiss the suit to terminate parental rights. The conclusion of the child services is important and mandatory in such cases. And since 5 August 2026, cases to terminate parental rights are also considered with the mandatory participation of a prosecutor,” Dmytro Buzanov summarized.
An unpublicized divorce of a VIP family
On 15 May 2024 MP Larysa Bilozir (deputy group “Dovira”) last publicly celebrated Family Day. A photo was posted on her Facebook page with her husband Andriy (the son of the legendary composer Ihor Bilozir and People’s Artist of Ukraine Oksana Bilozir) and three children.
Andriy and Larysa Bilozir’s former family had two daughters and a son
photo: Larysa Bilozir/Facebook
“Family is the place where we are always awaited and loved, where we are understood and supported,” the MP wrote.
In the following 2025–2026 years, Bilozir’s Facebook no longer showed any family photos on that date. Another telling fact: on her birthday, 24 September 2026, Larysa Bilozir thanked everyone close to her via social networks. Yet her husband Andriy did not appear on the list of close people. As Hlavkom found out, that’s because he was already an “ex.”
In 20 July this year a Kyiv court dissolved the marriage between Andriy and Larysa Bilozir, which lasted 21 years. Larysa was the initiator of the divorce.
Larysa Bilozir initiated the breakup with Andriy, the son of the well-known composer Ihor Bilozir
photo: rada.gov.ua
In her statement of claim she noted that for a long time she has not maintained family relations with her husband Andriy; they do not run a joint household and have no mutual rights and obligations. She also added that she does not plan to restore marital relations with the respondent.
For his part, Andriy Bilozir did not oppose satisfying his wife’s claim, which he notified the court of in writing.
“During the court’s consideration of the case it was established that the parties do not run a joint household, do not maintain marital-family relations, and have lost feelings of respect and love for each other. Since the cessation of marital relations and since the filing of the claim with the court, there has been no reconciliation between the parties. Each party does not consider preservation of the family possible,” the court ruling states.
Hlavkom contacted the MP’s ex-husband Andriy Bilozir. He refused to discuss the substance of the case, saying he “saw no point in giving any comments.”
They divide property
In addition, Hlavkom counted about another ten current MPs who split from their partners over the past three years. At the end of 2023 MP and Fatherland member Andriy Puziychuk divorced; in 2024: Mykola Babenko (deputy group “Dovira”), Ivan Krulko (All-Ukrainian Union “Fatherland”), Serhiy Alekseyev (“European Solidarity”), Serhiy Nahorniak (“Servant of the People”), Artem Chornomor (“Servant of the People”).
Last year the marital status “married”/“wife” was lost by MPs: Oleksandr Puzanov (deputy group “Platform for Life and Peace”), Musa Mahomedov (independent), Yuliia Hryshyna (“Servant of the People”), Dmytro Kostiuk (independent).
By the way, MP Kostiuk signed over part of his property to his ex-wife Iryna, with whom he has “no mutual understanding and differing views on life.”
MP Dmytro Kostiuk gave his ex-wife Iryna an apartment in Zhytomyr region and an old SUV
photo: rada.gov.ua
On 8 October 2026 changes in the elected official Dmytro Kostiuk’s property status were published in the declaration register. In particular, based on a division of joint property agreement, the MP’s ex-wife received an apartment of 34,1 sq. m in Zviahel, Zhytomyr region, and a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, 2000 year of manufacture.
MP Yuliia Hryshyna received a house near Kyiv after the divorce
photo: rada.gov.ua
Divorced MP Yuliia Hryshyna became the owner at the beginning of September of a house of 277,2 sq. m in Vyshhorod near Kyiv. Previously the property was jointly owned by the MP and her former husband, who ultimately gave her his share.
Separately, Hlavkom recorded two MPs who were one step away from family breakdown. They are Oleksandr Ustinov from the Holos faction and Serhiy Taruta from All-Ukrainian Union “Fatherland.” Both in 2025 year changed their minds about divorcing and informed the courts that they were withdrawing their claims.
Another interesting point. One protagonist of a three-year-old publication, "Servant" strongman Vasyl Virastyuk, continues an active court campaign against his ex-partner Inna Virastyuk. His claims were aimed at reducing the amount of child support for two sons, since the MP now has a new family and a young child. He also said many expenses are eaten up by his own medical treatment, as he has a disability group since 2017. However, such arguments did not work in court and his suit was dismissed. Meanwhile in another case that is under review, Virastyuk seeks to have the court relieve him of the burden of paying child support.
Vitalii Taranenko, Hlavkom
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Бум розлучень у Раді. Багатодітний нардеп тікає від вагітної дружини, а «слуга народу» вимагає аліментів від Саакашвілі". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ZmiOne.
