Simunina Yulia Mykolaivna

Ukrainian politician, lawyer, and businesswoman, deputy of the Kyiv City Council of the IX convocation

In 2020, Simunina was elected to the Kyiv City Council with a high second position on the city-wide list of the now banned party "Opposition Platform — For Life" (OPZZh). After the termination of the party faction, Simunina became non-affiliated but retained a strategically important position within the permanent commission of the Kyiv City Council on architecture, urban planning, and land relations. Concurrently, she is the founder and head of the legal department of Central BTI LLC, while her family and husband, Dmytro Simunin (a former regional party member from Donetsk), are involved in the development and real estate trade sectors.

At the center of anti-corruption and reputational scandals

Simunina has been periodically suspected of concealing millions in assets, shadow business activities, and lobbying. In October 2026, the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) initiated investigations into her illegal enrichment following the submission of a fresh declaration, in which the deputy disclosed $658,000 in cash, 2.6 million UAH in entrepreneurial income, and 1.7 million UAH from the sale of property via the Dubai-based firm Kleemol Car Rental LLC, while concealing the actual value of a leased premium 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser SUV. Journalists uncovered that during the martial law period, Simunina actively expanded and promoted real estate business in the UAE through the controlled company Symbol Real Estate (whose online accounts were managed from Russia), and in May 2025, she fraudulently divorced her husband to withdraw elite assets from financial monitoring. In the Kyiv City Council, Simunina stood out for decidedly anti-public initiatives: she co-initiated a draft resolution by which the city effectively waived court disputes with developers, allowing for the destruction of the southern Osokorky ecosystem and the Nebryazh and Martyshev lakes in favor of commercial development. Furthermore, the media repeatedly published investigations regarding her parallel unofficial activities under the pseudonym "Yulia Lebedeva," linked to organizing an international escort business under the cover of beauty contests.