Back
Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
During the full-scale war, Ukrainian officials continue to undertake international business trips, attending conferences, training programs, and meetings with foreign partners. At the same time, the duration of individual trips and their costs have drawn the attention of journalists.
According to OBOZ.UA in its exclusive material, the editors studied the official foreign trips of representatives of various state bodies in 2026 year. Journalists analyzed the orders for overseas trips obtained in response to information requests.
Almost 60 days abroad: the trip of the head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention.
One of the officials who most often traveled abroad turned out to be Viktor Pavlushyk, head of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption.
According to journalists’ calculations, by the end of September 2026 year he spent about 60 days on international business trips. This is roughly every third working day during the relevant period.
Throughout the year, the head of NACP visited France, Austria, the United States, Lithuania, Poland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Portugal.
The longest business trip of Pavlushyk lasted nine days. In March he went to Paris, where he represented Ukraine in the GRECO – the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe. The route also included a stay in Warsaw.
Journalists noted that the orders for his own trips were personally signed by the head of the NACP, leaving oversight of their execution to him.
Over 174 thousand hryvnias spent on overseas trips by the head of the Accounting Chamber.
Journalists also drew attention to the international trips of Olha Pishchanska, head of the Accounting Chamber.
In particular, from 19 to 22 May, the official was in Brussels for the annual meeting of the International Auditors Council of NATO. The very next day she traveled to Rome, where until 27 May she participated in the meetings of the governing board of EUROSAI. The overseas trip lasted from 19 to 27 May.
In September Pishchanska also visited Romania, where she participated in a conference dedicated to transparency and accountability of defense spending.
According to OBOZ.UA, total state budget spending on the head of the Accounting Chamber’s trips amounted to 174,7 thousand hryvnias.
Another representative of the institution, Yelyzaveta Pushko-Tsyblyak, was in Rome from 22 to 27 May. Her trip cost 92,8 thousand hryvnias.
At the same time, journalists note that the official meeting of EUROSAI’s governing council took place 25–26 May. Additional time could be related to travel.
Cyprus, Italy and training abroad.
Among National Police representatives, the director of the Department of International Police Cooperation Zura Abdeishvili stood out for frequent international business trips.
During 2026 year he visited the Netherlands, Spain, France, Belgium, and the United States. At the same time, international cooperation directly falls within his official duties.
Another National Police official, head of the Department of Main Inspection and Human Rights Protection Ruslan Horhachenko, had two overseas assignments.
One of them took place from 19 to 25 April in Limassol, Cyprus. The official purpose of the trip was participation in the congress of the European Confederation of Police EuroCOP.
Journalists gave particular attention to the head of the State Labor Service of Ukraine, Ihor Degner.
The official spent the year traveling abroad twice for training.
First, he visited Slovakia, where during a seven-day business trip he underwent training in OSINT — open-source analysis and usage.
Then, from 19 to 28 June, Degner was in Turin, Italy. There he underwent a training program dedicated to digital transformation of labor inspectorates and compliance with labor standards.
The Verkhovna Rada refused to disclose information.
Another problem uncovered by OBOZ.UA journalists was the refusal of the Parliament Apparatus to provide documents on MPs’ official trips.
Most state bodies to which the editors appealed provided the relevant orders and information about officials’ overseas trips.
In contrast, in the Verkhovna Rada they first explained that they did not have a pre-prepared list of such trips.
After a repeated request to provide copies of the orders, the parliamentary apparatus again refused.
This time they cited martial law and classification of information on MPs’ business trips as official.
Journalists did not agree with such reasoning and decided to appeal the denial.
OBOZ.UA reported filing a lawsuit with the Kyiv Circuit Administrative Court demanding the Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada disclose the relevant data.
It is worth noting that the fact of a prolonged overseas business trip does not by itself indicate a violation of the law. International meetings, negotiations, and training programs can be part of officials’ official duties.
At the same time, the transparency of such trips, the justification of expenses, and public access to the relevant information remain pertinent, especially under martial law.
OBOZ.UA journalists announced the continuation of a series of exclusive publications about Ukrainian officials’ overseas trips. In particular, the editors plan to separately study officials’ trips to Cyprus and Greece.
As a reminder: in the declaration for 2024 year judge Stanyk indicated only an apartment and a parking space, but investigators found in Kozyny, Kyiv region, apparently undeclared house for $7 million.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Італія, Франція, Кіпр і США: які закордонні відрядження оформлюють українські посадовці, – OBOZ". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: NARDEP 24.
