The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has approved a plea bargain for Vasyl Volodin, the former State Secretary of the Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine. The former senior official fully pleaded guilty to three counts of corruption committed in 2022, which included an attempt to illegally alienate state land valued at over 1 billion UAH and accepting a bribe in the form of a Kyiv apartment. The court sentenced him to 8 years in prison, suspended with a 2.5-year probation period.
Under the court ruling, Volodin avoided serving actual prison time due to the suspended sentence. Over the 2.5-year probation period, he is required to regularly report to probation officers, notify authorities of any change of residence or employment, and refrain from traveling abroad without permission. However, additional penalties—a 2.5-year ban on holding certain public offices and a 12,000 UAH fine—will be fully enforced.
As part of the plea agreement, the former official committed to partially reimbursing the damages within 30 days of the verdict: paying 340,000 UAH to the state budget and 145,700 UAH to the state enterprise Ukrkomunobsluhovuvannya. Furthermore, Volodin must transfer 2.5 million UAH to the Come Back Alive charitable foundation in support of the «Dronopad» (Dronefall) project.
The investigation established the Category «A» official’s involvement in several systemic abuses of office:
Land Scheme Worth 1.086 Billion UAH: In November 2022, Volodin signed a permit authorizing Ukrkomunobsluhovuvannya to enter into major contracts with Citygazservice LLC regarding land on Tyraspolska Street in Kyiv. The scheme would have deprived the state enterprise of real estate worth over 1.086 billion UAH; however, the crime was thwarted when the land was seized.
Illegal Commercial Lease: Volodin arranged the transfer of the «Predslava» restaurant premises (179.5 sq. m) to his wife at below-market lease rates via a rigged auction and a controlled sole proprietorship, causing 971,000 UAH in losses to the state.
Real Estate Bribe: For signing the land authorization letter, the official received an apartment measuring 63 sq. m with a market value of 2.52 million UAH, registered under a proxy’s name.
The HACC ordered the special confiscation of the bribe apartment into state ownership. Meanwhile, the court ruled to return the 20 million UAH bail previously posted by Mega-N LLC and lifted most asset seizures on Volodin and his wife, including bank accounts, securities, and a Mercedes-Benz GLS 400.
The verdict may be appealed within 30 days of its announcement, subject to the legal restrictions applicable to plea agreements under Ukrainian law.