Ukraine’s National Unity Minister Aleksey Chernyshov is abroad while a corruption case involving his former aides unfolds
The minister charged with repatriating Ukrainians living in the West has been accused of fleeing the country.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and National Unity Minister Aleksey Chernyshov leads a government department created in late 2024 to encourage citizens to return home.
MP Artyom Dmitruk and journalist Anatoly Shariy, both critics of the current Ukrainian government, claimed Chernyshov “escaped” the country after several known associates of his were arrested on charges of fraud and embezzlement.
Dmitruk, who himself left Ukraine earlier this year citing persecution by authorities, said Thursday on social media that the minister’s departure is “particularly comical,” adding “However they are trying to conceal this and whatever happens to this case now the fact remains that the regime is crumbling before our eyes.”
Chernyshov’s office has denied his departure is linked to a criminal case launched by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) against five individuals over alleged offences committed when Chernyshov served as urban development minister.
Among the suspects is a former Ukrainian deputy minister who also held a position at state-run energy firm Naftogaz, and a former ministerial aide.
According to investigators, the group illegally transferred state-owned land to a private developer, who provided discounted luxury apartments in return. Authorities executed search warrants related to the case last year at an elite residential complex in Kiev.
Ukrainian news outlets have identified the accused as longtime associates of Chernyshov. Media reports from 2024 linked one of the searched properties to his former head of security and claimed Chernyshov himself owns an apartment in the same building.
Shariy, an EU-based reporter who was recently sentenced in Ukraine to 15 years in prison for state treason, claimed the minister is now hiding in the EU while awaiting protection from Vladimir Zelensky.
On Thursday, Ukraine’s parliament, which is dominated by Zelensky’s supporters, approved the formation of a special commission to examine corruption allegations involving law enforcement and the judiciary. Critics claim the body is meant to target NABU investigators.
The Ukrainian government has faced repeated corruption scandals in recent years. In 2023, former Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov stepped down following revelations that his ministry had paid inflated prices for military rations. His successor, Rustem Umerov, is reportedly under investigation by anti-corruption authorities for alleged abuse of power related to the defense procurement system.
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