Detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) have searched the residence of Oleksandr Ruvin, the former Director General of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise (KNDISE). The investigative actions were carried out as part of criminal proceedings into the alleged falsification of a forensic evaluation designed to undervalue an apartment owned by the wife of Illya Vityuk, former head of the Cyber Security Department at the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
During the search on August 12, detectives seized Ruvin’s mobile phone, which he refused to unlock. The High Anti-Corruption Court has already placed the seized device under arrest, recognizing it as physical evidence. Investigators believe data stored on the device could provide details regarding coordination between institute experts and other figures named in the case.
In May 2024, NABU tasked KNDISE specialists with performing a real estate appraisal of the luxury apartment. By November of the same year, the bureau revoked its order for the study and requested the return of all materials—a request signed and fulfilled by Ruvin, who was leading the institute at the time.
«In February 2025, detectives learned that KNDISE experts had nevertheless completed the assessment, despite the official recall of the documents. The completion date was artificially altered to create the illusion that the evaluation was completed prior to the cancellation order,» anti-corruption officials reported.
Law enforcement discovered that several documents created in December 2024 were backdated to November. Furthermore, NABU obtained correspondence among institute experts confirming an intentional effort to lower the property’s estimated market value by relying on non-comparable real estate data.
The primary investigation into former SBU official Illya Vityuk has been concluded. According to NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the suspect purchased an apartment worth 21.6 million UAH in December 2023 and registered it under his wife’s name, while declaring a purchase contract price of just 12.8 million UAH.
To justify the source of funds, Vityuk’s wife reported income registered under a sole proprietorship for legal and consulting services—services that investigators maintain were never actually rendered. The suspects were also unable to verify the lawful origin of the remaining 8.8 million UAH spent on the property.