Kovalov Yurii Volodymyrovych

Prosecutor Gathering in Kropyvnytskyi: Million Cash and Court Battle for Special Pension at 36

Yurii Kovalov is the former First Deputy Head of the Kirovohrad Regional Prosecutor's Office, whose name symbolizes the systemic appetites of the Ukrainian law enforcement elite. For a long time, he built his career in prosecutorial bodies, particularly in Kharkiv and Kirovohrad regions, but in 2024 his career abruptly ended due to a high-profile corruption scandal. Despite being dismissed and officially charged, the 36-year-old ex-prosecutor did not lose his nerve and promptly filed a lawsuit with the Kharkiv District Administrative Court against the Pension Fund of Ukraine, demanding to be granted a lifetime pension for years of service amounting to as much as 90% of a prosecutor’s salary. Even without an official position, Kovalov declared over 4.2 million hryvnias "under the mattress," which sparked public outrage regarding the real sources of wealth of the young law enforcement officer.

Bribe in Tesla Style, Front Persons, and Arrest by High Anti-Corruption Court

Behind the prosecutor’s prosperity were large-scale shadow schemes that were later officially documented by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP). According to the investigation, Kovalov demanded unlawful benefits from representatives of enterprises of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine for simply closing a criminal case, valuing his "services" at $13,500 and a luxury Tesla Model X electric car. To legalize the expensive car and hide traces of the crime, the official enlisted the head of the district prosecutor’s office, who helped find a front person to execute the power of attorney. The anti-corruption investigation ended with the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) sending the ex-prosecutor to the detention center with an alternative bail set at 3 million hryvnias, which was hastily paid on his behalf. At the end of October 2026, the court once again refused to lift the charges, leaving him under strict restrictions.