The Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa has acquitted Ruslan Tsobenko, former chairman of the Holovanivsk District Council and current chief of volunteer operations at TdO «Pivden.» Tsobenko was accused of receiving a 1 million UAH bribe in exchange for allegedly guaranteeing that tax revenues from military personnel would remain within a local municipality. The ruling was issued following a closed-door court session.
According to law enforcement authorities, Volodymyr Osiyevskyi, head of the Dobrovelychkivka municipality, handed over 1 million UAH to Tsobenko in October 2023 under covert police supervision. Prosecutors alleged the payment was intended to prevent the re-registration of two military brigades outside the district, thereby securing military personal income tax (PIT) revenues for the local budget.
However, during court proceedings, Tsobenko argued that the cash was a partial repayment of a personal loan, stating he had previously lent Osiyevskyi $30,000.
«The court deemed the municipal head’s testimony contradictory and the bribery allegations unproven, concluding that the transferred funds were indeed a debt repayment.»
Judge Anzhelika Rusieva dismissed the charges under Part 2, Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (abuse of influence) and ordered the release of all assets seized during the investigation.
The court lifted the arrest on $73,700 USD, €26,780 EUR, and 81,000 UAH in cash. Additionally, two Slovakian TARA BANKA payment cards, an iPhone 14 Pro, and official financial statements confirming Tsobenko’s Oschadbank account transactions exceeding 20 million UAH were ordered to be returned.