A major corruption scandal is unfolding in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast surrounding the Regional Service Center (RSC) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The head of the department, Volodymyr Stepanov, has allegedly established a closed vertical system of trusted individuals brought in from other regions to control the oblast’s key Territorial Service Centers (TSC). According to available information, fixed shadow tariffs have been instituted in these institutions for passing driving exams and registering vehicles.
Volodymyr Stepanov routinely moves across Ukraine’s regions with a permanent team of top managers. In the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, key positions have been filled by his close associates: Oleksandr Khtominsky, the head of TSC MIA №1241 (who is Stepanov’s godfather/kum), and Pavlo Shabanov, the head of TSC MIA №1242. These two specific units handle the bulk of vehicle registrations and driving examinations in the region.
Financial flows are reportedly overseen by a «personal» accountant, Olha Valova. This group previously operated as a collective unit in Mariupol and Khmelnytskyi before being transferred to Dnipro.
Background Note: Personnel changes have also affected rank-and-file staff. Trusted individuals are being systematically appointed to administrator positions through which operational processes flow. Notably, Oleksandr Khtominsky’s daughter works as an administrator at TSC №1242 under Shabanov’s direct supervision. This points to a clear conflict of interest, which has so far been overlooked by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP).
According to informed sources, a fixed price list for illicit services is actively enforced within the service centers under Stepanov’s control in Dnipro:
Theoretical exam (passed without actual knowledge) – $1,600 USD.
Practical driving exam – 35,000 UAH.
Vehicle registration (skipping lines, skipping queue tickets, and occasionally without the physical presence of the owner) – 5,000 UAH.
Due to this rigid institutional hierarchy, the system operates autonomously, while law enforcement agencies in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast have yet to take decisive action to dismantle the network.
The activities of the RSC leadership have drawn public scrutiny before. To recap, the son of TSC №1241 head Oleksandr Khtominsky was previously the perpetrator of a high-profile car accident in Dnipro. Legal proceedings regarding the crash, the determination of guilt, and compensation for property damage to the victims are still ongoing, as court hearings face continuous postponements.