Serhiy Khrustovsky, the long-standing head of the Avangard hromada in the Odesa oblast who has held office for 16 years, alongside his family, has become the subject of a media investigation into rapid enrichment and potential conflicts of interest. The recent journalistic inquiry outlines a massive network of real estate assets, including a land plot with multiple houses in Avangard, hectares of prime land near a local water park, and recreational plots near coastal lagoons. The asset analysis indicates a stark mismatch between official asset declarations and reality, alongside tight connections to prominent regional business groups.
According to official public records, Serhiy Khrustovsky owns just a single land plot and a 196-square-meter house in Avangard. However, physical inspections reveal that the property actually hosts a main mansion, two smaller residential buildings, and two utility structures, pointing to significant discrepancies in his mandatory financial disclosures.
Furthermore, in 2018, the official’s wife, Yulia Khrustovska, acquired nearly 2 hectares of land in the neighboring village of Prylymanske. This plot sits directly opposite the Avangard Water Park—a project built by a company tied to prominent Odesa businessman Volodymyr Galanternyk—and is considered highly lucrative for investment. While no construction has begun on the Khrustovsky site, the list of neighboring landowners raises serious integrity questions, as it features his direct subordinates:
Nataliia Galchynska – Director of the Communal Institution «Center for Social Services of the Avangard Village Council.»
Vadym Kozachok – Member of the Avangard Village Council Executive Committee.
Oleksiy Stadnyk – Former head of the Ovidiopol District Land Resources Department, currently a defendant in a criminal case regarding the illegal alienation of 10 hectares of state-owned land (the case is currently under review by the Supreme Court of Ukraine).
The Avangard community stands as one of the wealthiest in the Odesa region, largely sustained by tax revenues from the «7th Kilometer» Seventh-Kilometer Market, the largest wholesale market in Ukraine. Khrustovsky’s career in the region began as a legal advisor for the enterprise of the market’s founder, Viktor Dobriansky, whom the mayor publicly regarded as his mentor. Later, in 2018, Khrustovsky’s wife was employed by «Avangard-D,» an agricultural firm owned by the Dobriansky family.
The retail giant has historically been linked to powerful political and business figures, including Yuriy Ivanyushchenko, Vadym Alperin, and Volodymyr Galanternyk.
Adjacent to the Khrustovsky family land, large plots are leased by «Avangard-D» and «Avangard Podillia.» In late 2023, «Avangard Podillia» extended its lease on 3.5 hectares near the water park. One of the co-owners of this land is Yaroslav Toptey, a former employee of the village council’s capital construction department, which is headed by Artem Syritka, a long-time associate of the mayor.
Khrustovsky’s tenure coincided with a major residential construction boom in Avangard. In particular, the development of the well-known «7th Heaven» (7 Nebo) residential quarter is linked to the company «Grad Invest Plus,» which investigative journalists tie to businessman Vadym Alperin.
Currently, relations between the developer and the local government have shifted into the courtroom. In 2025, legal proceedings were initiated against «Grad Invest Plus» over the non-payment of mandatory infrastructure contribution fees to the Avangard community budget. The company argues it is exempt from these payments due to the specific geographical location of the site. A court-ordered forensic financial expert assessment is ongoing to determine the exact amount owed to the local budget.
Beyond the properties surrounding Avangard, journalists uncovered additional recreational real estate held by the Khrustovsky family in the Ovidiopol district: two plots (20 and 6 Registry cuts) in a garden association in Kalagliya on the banks of the Dniester Estuary, and a 9-acre plot in Bilka near the Khadzhibey Estuary. Anti-corruption watchdog agencies have yet to issue an official legal assessment regarding these findings.