Fictitious employees, relatives, and hundreds of thousands of hryvnias: scandal-plagued Mykolaiv official returns to work

The Head of the Department for Physical Culture and Sports of the Mykolaiv City Council, Iryna Bondarenko, has returned to her duties. The Central District Court of Mykolaiv rejected the prosecutor’s request to extend her suspension from office. The official remains a suspect in a case involving the alleged embezzlement of more than 558,000 hryvnias in public funds through the fictitious employment of people at sports schools under her control. Nikcenter reported this on October 13, 2026, citing a ruling by the Central District Court of Mykolaiv dated September 23, 2026.

According to the case materials, investigators suspect Iryna Bondarenko of organizing a scheme in which people were formally hired by municipal sports institutions but did not actually perform their duties. They were nevertheless paid salaries from the public budget. The case involves Peremoha Children and Youth Sports School, Sports School No. 1, and Olympic Reserve Specialized Children and Youth Sports School No. 6. The proceedings also mention the official’s husband, Oleh Mashkin, who works as a deputy director and boxing coach.

The court ruling states that the head of the department may have coordinated the hiring of employees, recorded their working hours, and arranged salary payments. One of the alleged incidents concerns a man who was hired as a cleaner at Olympic Reserve Specialized Children and Youth Sports School No. 6 in July 2025. According to investigators, he did not actually work there but received a salary. The employment also enabled him to obtain a deferment from mobilization.

According to the case materials, Oleksandr Liutovych was paid 24,800 hryvnias during this period of employment. Court documents also refer to the man receiving a deferment for the duration of martial law. However, according to the YouControl analytical system, Liutovych has been engaged in business activities in Mykolaiv since 2025.

Another incident described in the investigation concerns Valerii and Liubov Mashkin, identified as the official’s father-in-law and mother-in-law.

In 2022–2024, Valerii Mashkin worked as a sports hall attendant at Olympic Reserve Specialized Children and Youth Sports School No. 6, while his wife Liubov was listed as a hall attendant at Sports School No. 1. According to investigators, the couple were actually living in Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivsk region, rather than performing their duties at the Mykolaiv institutions. They were paid more than 200,000 hryvnias in salaries over this period. Liubov Mashkin left her job in January 2024.

The investigation also describes two other cases of the alleged fictitious employment of women at the city’s sports institutions. One was hired as a hall attendant and cleaner at Sports School No. 1 and, after the institution was reorganized, as a cleaner at Peremoha Children and Youth Sports School. She was paid 181,600 hryvnias in wages over the entire period of her employment. Another woman was hired as a cleaner at the Mykolaiv Specialized Children and Youth Olympic Reserve Sports School for Athletics. According to investigators, she also did not perform her duties but received 145,800 hryvnias.

Overall, the proceedings concern five employees who were paid 558,000 hryvnias in public funds. The prosecution alleges that Iryna Bondarenko took possession of this money and used it at her own discretion. The court will make the final legal assessment of the circumstances.

In January 2026, the court ordered the seizure of property recovered during searches at the Sports Department. After reports about the investigative actions were published, Bondarenko publicly called the allegations of possible corruption schemes an attempt to “discredit” the department.

In April 2026, the official was notified that she was suspected of an offence under Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—the unlawful taking or misappropriation of another person’s property, or its embezzlement, under the circumstances specified in that provision. In early May 2026, the court ordered her pre-trial detention, with the option of posting bail set at 832,000 hryvnias. She was also suspended from office at that time.

The prosecutor’s office sought to extend the suspension, citing the risk that the suspect might influence witnesses or obstruct the investigation. However, Judge Halyna Podzihun rejected the motion. The court found that the prosecutor’s office had not provided sufficient evidence that Bondarenko was influencing witnesses. In addition, items and documents relevant to the proceedings had already been seized, and, in the court’s assessment, the pre-trial investigation was nearing completion.

The court also took into account that the official had no prior convictions and had a minor child in her care. In the judge’s view, continuing the suspension could negatively affect her family’s financial situation. However, the decision not to extend the suspension does not mean that the criminal proceedings have been closed or that the suspicions have been disproved. It concerns whether the official may continue working, not a determination of her guilt or innocence.