“Odessa Got Its Scrap Metal Back”: Bronevitsky Explained What the Community Gained from the SAPO’s Settlement in the Airport Case
11 June 16:30
As a result of the plea deal in the case of Boris Kaufman and Alex Borukhovich regarding the takeover of Odessa International Airport, the city acquired ownership of the old, non-operational terminal, while the new one remains under the control of the defendants in the criminal proceedings.
This was stated on the YouTube channel "Komersant Ukrainian" by Stanislav Bronevitsky, a former prosecutor with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and a lawyer.
“Under the terms of the agreement, the new terminal remained under the control of the individuals involved in the case. The old terminal is currently not operational. The city was given back, pardon my language, scrap metal—a non-operational terminal and over 2,000 items of property. A significant portion of this property—I’d say at least three-quarters—no longer exists in practice,” he said.
Bronetskyi noted that the defendants took control of the airport in 2011, when it was valued at 118 million hryvnias—currently just over two million dollars.
“And, in fact, it would be fair if the Odesa City Council were to be returned not only the property but also the funds, which I, as a prosecutor, also consider to be the subject of the seizure,” he said.
Bronetskyi added that the court did not impose a ban on engaging in business activities on the defendants in the criminal proceedings. Therefore, once air service resumes, they will be the ones to receive revenue from passenger transportation, he suggests.
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“Passenger transportation and the income from this activity will continue to be received by the same people who received it before,” he says.
As a reminder, on June 12, 2025, the High Anti-Corruption Court approved a plea agreement with seven members of a criminal organization in the case involving the seizure of Odessa International Airport.
According to the SAPO, the defendants include former officials of the Odesa City Council and businessmen accused of seizing the airport in 2011, as well as of systematically accepting bribes and ensuring the adoption of necessary decisions.
Among the accused are former Odessa Mayor Oleksiy Kostusev, businessmen Boris Kaufman and Alex Borokhovich (formerly Oleksandr Granovsky).
Under the terms of the agreement, the convicted individuals are required to compensate the Odessa City Council for damages, pay funds to the budget and to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and return a portion of the property. The total amount of obligations exceeds 1 billion hryvnias.
The court sentenced them to 7–8 years in prison and fines, but suspended their sentences with a probationary period.
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