Fines of nearly 300,000 and a 10-year driving ban didn't help: the driver was repeatedly caught behind the wheel in the Korabelnyi district

Fines upon fines, and he's still on the road: how the system failed for years to stop a driver without a license

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10 Aug 2026

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The Korabelnyi District Court of Mykolaiv issued a verdict against Rudenko Rustam Volodymyrovych, who was found guilty of intentional non‑compliance with court decisions. Despite numerous fines and disqualifications from driving, including a period of 10 years, the man continued to drive the car “VAZ 211340” on the streets of the Korabelnyi district. The court rendered the verdict in criminal case No.488/3341/26 on 14 July 2026.

According to the case materials, the story began on 1 October 2024, when the Inhulskyi District Court of Mykolaiv found Rudenko Rustam Volodymyrovych guilty under Part 1 of Article 130 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses (КУпАП). He was fined 17,000 UAH and disqualified from driving for 1 year.

The verdict also cites a decision of the Korabelnyi District Court of Mykolaiv dated 28 November 2024 in case No.488/4271/24: under Part 1 of Article 130 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses an additional fine of 17,000 UAH and 1 year of driving disqualification were imposed.

The next, much harsher sanction, according to the verdict, was imposed on 14 August 2025 by the Inhulskyi District Court of Mykolaiv. Under Part 3 of Article 130 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses, the court set a fine of 51,000 UAH and disqualification from driving for 10 years.

However, even the ten‑year ban did not stop the driver. On 12 October 2025 at 09:05 Rudenko Rustam Volodymyrovych, according to the court, drove the “VAZ 211340” on Bohoyavlenskyi Avenue near the intersection with Torgova Street in the Korabelnyi district of Mykolaiv. The court found that in this way he willfully failed to comply with several rulings that had deprived him of the right to drive.

After this, administrative penalties continued. By a decision of the Korabelnyi District Court of Mykolaiv dated 3 December 2025 in case No.488/4604/25, a fine of 40,800 UAH and disqualification from driving for 5 years was imposed.

But already on 29 November 2025 at 14:10 the man was again recorded behind the wheel of the same “VAZ 211340” on Bohoyavlenskyi Avenue in the Korabelnyi district. By that time, earlier court decisions depriving him of the right to drive were already in force.

The next episode occurred on 12 December 2025 at 16:12. According to the case materials, Rudenko Rustam Volodymyrovych again drove the “VAZ 211340” on Bohoyavlenskyi Avenue in the Korabelnyi district of Mykolaiv, despite the active court bans.

This incident also became the subject of a new administrative proceeding. By a decision of the Korabelnyi District Court dated 29 January 2026 in case No.488/5455/25, the man was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 130 and Part 5 of Article 126 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses, and was fined 40,800 UAH with disqualification from driving for 7 years.

However, the series of trips did not stop. On 21 January 2026 at 22:00 the man, as established by the court, again drove the same vehicle, this time on Okeanivska Street in the Korabelnyi district of Mykolaiv. At that time he remained disqualified from driving for up to 10 years.

For this episode, by a decision of the Inhulskyi District Court of Mykolaiv dated 10 March 2026 in case No.489/10343/25, another fine of 40,800 UAH and 7 years of driving disqualification were imposed.

The criminal verdict materials also cite a Korabelnyi District Court decision of 16 March 2026, under which another 40,800 UAH fine and 5 years of driving disqualification were imposed.

The last of the incidents listed in the criminal proceeding occurred on 6 April 2026 at 13:30. Rudenko Rustam Volodymyrovych again drove the “VAZ 211340“, this time on Mayachna Street in the Korabelnyi district of Mykolaiv. The court noted that the man continued to ignore a number of rulings of the Inhulskyi and Korabelnyi District Courts.

After that, by a decision of the Korabelnyi District Court of Mykolaiv dated 6 May 2026 in case No.488/1820/26, a fine of 51,000 UAH and disqualification from driving for 10 years were imposed.

Thus, the administrative fines listed in the criminal verdict alone amount to 299,200 UAH. These are the amounts imposed by the court: the verdict does not state that all of them were actually paid.

Ultimately, the systematic disregard of court decisions moved from the administrative to the criminal sphere. Rudenko Rustam Volodymyrovych was charged under Part 1 of Article 382 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – intentional non‑execution of a court decision that has come into force.

At the court hearing the man fully admitted his guilt and expressed remorse. He did not deny that he knew about the court rulings and the disqualification, but continued to use the vehicle. As noted in the verdict, he explained his behavior by difficult financial circumstances and the need to earn a living, for which he needed the vehicle.

The court took into account his full admission of guilt, sincere remorse, active assistance in uncovering the criminal offense, and the absence of serious consequences. The court found no aggravating circumstances.

As a result, Rudenko Rustam Volodymyrovych was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 382 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and sentenced to 1 year of imprisonment. However, the man did not actually go to prison: on the basis of Article 75 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine he was released from serving the sentence with probation, with a probationary period of 1 year.

During this period he is required to periodically report to the probation authority and notify them of any change of residence, work, or study.

The verdict may be appealed to the Mykolaiv Court of Appeal through the Korabelnyi District Court of Mykolaiv within 30 days from the date of its pronouncement.