The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) has successfully secured the confiscation of unexplained assets belonging to Artur Vorontsov, the former head of the Lozova Regional Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC). The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine (VACC) ruled to seize a Lexus NX200 SUV for state revenue and recover 1.6 million UAH, equivalent to the value of another luxury vehicle, a Toyota Camry Hybrid. In total, the court approved the civil confiscation of illicit assets valued at 3.4 million UAH.
The investigation into the official’s wealth began after anti-corruption authorities detected a massive discrepancy between his official income and his actual lifestyle. With an official monthly salary of approximately 32,000 UAH, Vorontsov managed to purchase an apartment worth 2.5 million UAH. The former military recruitment chief attempted to justify the source of these funds by presenting a personal loan agreement.
Furthermore, asset verification revealed a premium vehicle fleet and real estate registered under his close relatives. Specifically, the following assets were officially registered to his mother-in-law:
A Hyundai Elantra;
A Toyota Camry Hybrid;
A Lexus NX200;
A two-story private house.
This is not the first public scandal involving the former TCC chief. In January 2025, Vorontsov was involved in a high-profile car accident when his Volkswagen Touareg crashed into a fence near a local cafe. According to his official asset declaration, the purchase price of the luxury SUV was listed as just 16,000 UAH (roughly $400 USD). Artem Trebesov, an associate of Vorontsov, was in the passenger seat at the time of the crash.
By March of the same year, Vorontsov became a suspect in a criminal investigation. According to law enforcement reports, he brutally assaulted Alina Bolohova, a prominent volunteer and journalist who has been supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2014. The victim lost consciousness during the attack, and police subsequently served Vorontsov with a formal notice of suspicion.
According to investigative reports, illicit draft-evasion schemes under Vorontsov’s management operated for years in the Kharkiv region, where he maintained tight control over mobilization processes in the Lozova district.
Later, Vorontsov and his long-time associates — Artem Trebesov and an individual named Chepurnyi — replicated this model in the Chernihiv region. Investigators state that the primary tool for their operations and illegal exemptions from military service was the exploitation of the «Oberih» unified state registry of conscripts. Law enforcement agencies are currently continuing their investigation to uncover the full scope of the network’s activities.
Context: Civil confiscation is a legal mechanism that allows the state to seize assets from public officials if their value significantly exceeds verified legal income, without requiring a prior criminal conviction.