“Close the rotation” or “save your reputation”? Falko shared his version of the controversial meeting with Bondarenko

The city council secretary also sharply responded to Stadnik’s criticism

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16 Oct 2026

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The scandal surrounding Mykolaiv City Council Sports Department head Iryna Bondarenko has taken a new turn. After former Mykolaiv Regional State Administration head Oleksandr Stadnik publicly accused City Council Secretary Dmytro Falko of pressuring and threatening the official, Falko has commented on the situation. He confirmed that he had met with Bondarenko in person and suggested she resign voluntarily, and also spoke harshly about Stadnik himself.

Dmytro Falko told “NikVesti” in a comment.

As a reminder, on October 15, 2026, Korabelov.info reported the accusations against Falko. Oleksandr Stadnik claimed that the City Council secretary had allegedly given Iryna Bondarenko an ultimatum: resign and keep quiet, or face the possibility of new criminal proceedings. The former regional head described this as pressure on an official who, according to him, had herself exposed corruption violations at subordinate institutions.

Stadnik also said he believed the criminal case against Bondarenko had been fabricated, and called on law enforcement agencies and the country’s leadership to intervene. These allegations reflected his personal position and were not established facts.

Meeting at Soborna Square: Falko’s account

Commenting on the situation, Dmytro Falko confirmed that he had indeed met with Iryna Bondarenko this week. According to him, the conversation took place in public, at Soborna Square in Mykolaiv, where passers-by could see and hear them. The official’s husband, former Sports Department head Oleh Mashkin, was also present. The City Council secretary explained that he considered voluntary resignation the best way out of the situation.

“First of all, regarding the situation with the head of the Sports Department: yes, I met with Iryna Bondarenko this week. The meeting was at Soborna Square, and many residents who were there at the time saw us and may have heard us as well. Iryna’s husband, Oleh Mashkin, was also present. I expressed my view that, given the situation as it stands, the best decision for Iryna would be to submit a resignation letter of her own accord. In fact, I didn’t get the chance to give her all my reasons for thinking so, because after that I spent most of the time listening to Iryna and Oleh and their arguments as to why she did not intend to do that. What I did manage to tell her was that, in my opinion, if she resigns voluntarily now, it will allow her to preserve her reputation as a manager, because in practice she is not currently taking part in the department’s work; the department’s staff do not know what to do, people are resigning, and so on.”

Thus, Falko does not deny that he suggested she resign. At the same time, he says he did so because it would protect Bondarenko’s reputation and address problems within the Sports Department.

The City Council secretary’s account also indicates that Iryna Bondarenko and Oleh Mashkin disagreed with his suggestion and put forward their own arguments against resignation.

At the same time, in the account quoted above, Falko did not mention threats of new criminal proceedings, as alleged by Stadnik, and did not directly respond to that part of the accusations.

“Don’t be like Stadnik”: a personal response to the former governor

The City Council secretary also responded to criticism from former Mykolaiv Regional State Administration head Oleksandr Stadnik. Rather than engage substantively with Stadnik’s assessment of the criminal case, Falko sharply criticized the former regional head’s record and advised him not to bring up his time in charge of the region.

“As for Mr. Stadnik, I would, of course, like to thank him, because to me he is an example of what a civil servant—and especially an administration head—should not be. His year in office in Mykolaiv Region was so utterly meaningless that I didn’t even immediately remember who he was when you asked me about him. Mr. Stadnik will probably be a good source of motivation in my work: when I don’t feel like dealing with an issue, I’ll think of him and tell myself, ‘Do a better job; don’t be like Stadnik.’ And I’d advise Mr. Stadnik not to mention that he once worked in Mykolaiv, because I don’t know who here could say anything positive about him.”

What is known about the criminal case against Bondarenko

The dispute between the officials is unfolding amid an investigation into the possible misappropriation of public funds in the Mykolaiv City Council Sports Department.

The first reports of investigative actions appeared on January 20, 2026. At the time, law enforcement officers searched the department and the sports institutions under its authority, including:

The Peremoha Children and Youth Sports School, headed by Oleksandr Munch.
Specialized Children and Youth Sports School of Olympic Reserve No. 6, where Oleh Mashkin works as deputy director and boxing coach.

A few days later, Iryna Bondarenko publicly responded to reports of the searches. She accused the media of spreading rumors but confirmed that the department had provided law enforcement with all the requested documentation.

On January 23, 2026, the Central District Court of Mykolaiv seized property confiscated during the searches. Despite this, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych did not suspend the department head from her duties at the time.

The mayor later denied reports that the department had allegedly organized the sale of deferments from mobilization for $5,000 and said he was awaiting the results of the investigation.

On April 29, 2026, Iryna Bondarenko was notified that she was suspected of misappropriating public funds. Before that, law enforcement officers searched her home and car.

According to investigators, the department head may have arranged fictitious employment for people—including relatives and acquaintances—at municipal sports institutions. These individuals allegedly received salaries despite not actually carrying out their job duties.

The criminal case materials refer to five employees who were paid a total of more than 558,000 hryvnias from the budget. According to investigators, one of those involved obtained a deferment from mobilization through formal employment.

After the suspicion was announced, Oleksandr Sienkevych said he intended to suspend the official for the duration of the investigation.

On May 4, 2026, the Central District Court of Mykolaiv suspended Iryna Bondarenko from her position and ordered her held in custody until June 26, with the option of posting bail of 832,000 hryvnias.

The court allowed her to return to work, but the dispute continued

The case took a new turn on September 23, 2026, when the Central District Court of Mykolaiv rejected the prosecution’s request to extend Iryna Bondarenko’s suspension from her position.

As Korabelov.info reported, the court concluded that the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidence that the official might influence witnesses. The court also took into account that documents and items important to the investigation had already been seized.

After that, Bondarenko returned to her duties. However, Falko now says that in practice she is not participating in the department’s work, employees do not know what steps to take next, and some are resigning.

Thus, there remains a discrepancy between the official’s formal return to work under the court’s ruling and the City Council secretary’s assessment of the actual state of affairs in the department.

At the same time, the court’s decision not to extend the suspension does not mean that the criminal proceedings have been closed or that Bondarenko has been proven innocent. The court must make the final legal determination on the suspicions.