{"id":626808,"date":"2026-10-16T13:48:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T10:48:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/korabelov.info\/2026\/10\/626808\/close-the-rotation-or-save-your-reputation-falko-shared-his-version-of-the-controversial-meeting-with-bondarenko\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T14:37:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T11:37:35","slug":"close-the-rotation-or-save-your-reputation-falko-shared-his-version-of-the-controversial-meeting-with-bondarenko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/korabelov.info\/en\/2026\/10\/626808\/close-the-rotation-or-save-your-reputation-falko-shared-his-version-of-the-controversial-meeting-with-bondarenko\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cClose the rotation\u201d or \u201csave your reputation\u201d? Falko shared his version of the controversial meeting with Bondarenko"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Dmytro Falko told \u201cNikVesti<\/a>\u201d<\/strong> in a comment.<\/p>\n

As a reminder, on October 15, 2026<\/strong>, Korabelov.info reported the accusations against Falko<\/a>. Oleksandr Stadnik<\/strong> claimed that the City Council secretary had allegedly given Iryna Bondarenko<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

Stadnik<\/strong> also said he believed the criminal case against Bondarenko<\/strong> had been fabricated, and called on law enforcement agencies and the country\u2019s leadership to intervene. These allegations reflected his personal position and were not established facts.<\/p>\n

Meeting at Soborna Square: Falko\u2019s account<\/h3>\n

Commenting on the situation, Dmytro Falko<\/strong> confirmed that he had indeed met with Iryna Bondarenko<\/strong> this week. According to him, the conversation took place in public, at Soborna Square in Mykolaiv<\/strong>, where passers-by could see and hear them. The official\u2019s husband, former Sports Department head Oleh Mashkin<\/strong>, was also present. The City Council secretary explained that he considered voluntary resignation the best way out of the situation.<\/p>\n

“First of all, regarding the situation with the head of the Sports Department: yes, I met with Iryna Bondarenko<\/strong> this week. The meeting was at Soborna Square<\/strong>, and many residents who were there at the time saw us and may have heard us as well. Iryna\u2019s<\/strong> husband, Oleh Mashkin<\/strong>, was also present. I expressed my view that, given the situation as it stands, the best decision for Iryna<\/strong> would be to submit a resignation letter of her own accord. In fact, I didn\u2019t get the chance to give her all my reasons for thinking so, because after that I spent most of the time listening to Iryna<\/strong> and Oleh<\/strong> 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\u2019s work; the department\u2019s staff do not know what to do, people are resigning, and so on.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thus, Falko<\/strong> does not deny that he suggested she resign. At the same time, he says he did so because it would protect Bondarenko<\/strong>\u2019s reputation and address problems within the Sports Department.<\/p>\n

The City Council secretary\u2019s account also indicates that Iryna Bondarenko<\/strong> and Oleh Mashkin<\/strong> disagreed with his suggestion and put forward their own arguments against resignation.<\/p>\n

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

“Don\u2019t be like Stadnik”: a personal response to the former governor<\/h3>\n

The City Council secretary also responded to criticism from former Mykolaiv Regional State Administration head Oleksandr Stadnik<\/strong>. Rather than engage substantively with Stadnik\u2019s assessment of the criminal case, Falko<\/strong> sharply criticized the former regional head\u2019s record and advised him not to bring up his time in charge of the region.<\/p>\n

“As for Mr. Stadnik<\/strong>, I would, of course, like to thank him, because to me he is an example of what a civil servant\u2014and especially an administration head\u2014should not be. His year<\/strong> in office in Mykolaiv Region<\/strong> was so utterly meaningless that I didn\u2019t even immediately remember who he was when you asked me about him. Mr. Stadnik<\/strong> will probably be a good source of motivation in my work: when I don\u2019t feel like dealing with an issue, I\u2019ll think of him and tell myself, \u2018Do a better job; don\u2019t be like Stadnik<\/strong>.\u2019 And I\u2019d advise Mr. Stadnik<\/strong> not to mention that he once worked in Mykolaiv<\/strong>, because I don\u2019t know who here could say anything positive about him.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What is known about the criminal case against Bondarenko<\/h3>\n

The dispute between the officials is unfolding amid an investigation into the possible misappropriation of public funds in the Mykolaiv City Council Sports Department<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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