A fresh corruption scandal has emerged in the Volyn region surrounding the leadership of regional Interior Ministry (MVS) service centers. According to media reports, the acting heads of the branches in Strumivka and Kovel have established a systematic process of soliciting bribes through manipulations related to driver’s license issuance, vehicle re-registration, and the illicit sale of service vouchers.
At the center of the controversy is Volodymyr Shevchuk, acting head of the TSC (Territorial Service Center) No. 0741 in Strumivka. Despite beginning his career in the system as a cleaner, the official currently owns a high-end 2020 Volkswagen Touareg worth approximately $60,000 (license plate KS0010OO), as well as real estate in Vyshkov and the village of Kulchyn.
Similar activities are attributed to his subordinate, Viacheslav Khodyrev, who, according to sources, is responsible for collecting funds at the Lutsk service center for subsequent delivery to his superior. A comparable hierarchy allegedly operates at TSC No. 0742 in Kovel, where Viktor Khodyrev, who relocated to Volyn from Sheptytskyi (Chervonohrad), works under the leadership of Oleksandr Shevchuk.
According to available information, the primary sources of illegal income include:
«Selling» Exams: Facilitating the seamless issuance of driver’s licenses.
Queue Manipulation: Creating artificial conditions to expedite vehicle re-registration.
Voucher Trafficking: Illegal trade of official documents.
An incident involving the detention of a candidate attempting to pass a theoretical exam using a hidden earpiece deserves special attention. Insiders claim this arrest was performative: the leadership allegedly «turned in» the offender to the Internal Security Department themselves to demonstrate «active performance» and avoid scrutiny of their own activities.
Sources indicate that the proceeds from these criminal activities are partially accumulated in cryptocurrency and passed up to higher-level management, specifically Pavlo Kovalchuk. The remaining «slush fund» allows local operators to lead luxurious lifestyles; the purchase of townhouses and luxury cars—such as a $50,000 Volkswagen Touareg registered to Viktor Khodyrev—has become commonplace for employees whose official income is limited to a state salary.
«The situation in Volyn points to systemic abuse, where positions in service centers are utilized as tools for personal enrichment, while the fight against corruption is reduced to mere imitation to satisfy reporting requirements for law enforcement agencies,» observers note.
At this time, there have been no official comments from the Main Service Center of the Interior Ministry regarding the activities of these officials.