Top KCSA official Prokopiv’s house arrest extended: why he is under investigation
15 July 20:02
On July 15, the Holosiivskyi Court of Kyiv extended the preventive measure for two months for the deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration Volodymyr Prokopiv. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to his faction colleague, Kyiv City Council member from the EU party Lyudmyla Kovalevska.
At the request of the prosecutor, the meeting was held in a closed format. The decision provides for house arrest with the wearing of an electronic bracelet.
Prokopiv himself believes that the suspicion against him is part of the persecution of the opposition and the purge of local government in the capital.
All my actions have not caused any harm. There is only a politically motivated desire of the prosecutor to keep me away from my workplace and instead stay at home,” he said.
Earlier, on Friday, June 13, the Holosiivskyi District Court of Kyiv imposed round-the-clock house arrest with an electronic bracelet on Prokopiv for 60 days. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and MPs Maksym Savrasov and Mishchenko wanted to bail the official out, but they were denied.
In addition, the defense offered as an alternative only nightly house arrest without wearing a bracelet.
A few days later, on June 23, the Kyiv Court of Appeal was to consider Prokopiv’s case again. However, the hearing did not take place: the case files could not be delivered to the court. In court, Volodymyr Prokopiv appealed against the measure of restraint – house arrest with the wearing of an electronic bracelet.
Eventually, the court adjourned until July 14 to get better acquainted with the materials.
Border for sale: Deputy Head of Kyiv City State Administration “did business” in the war
In April 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine, together with the National Police, exposed an official of the Kyiv City State Administration suspected of facilitating the illegal crossing of the state border by men of military age. According to the investigation, Volodymyr Prokopiv, who was then the deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration, organized a large-scale scheme to leave Ukraine through the Shlyakh system, an official mechanism for crossing the border by volunteers and drivers who provide humanitarian aid and resources for the frontline.
According to the investigation, the official cooperated with a private company based in Odesa, which is a key instrument in the scheme. Abusing his official position, he gave illegal orders to enter the personal data of men liable for military service into the electronic database “Shlyakh”, where they were listed as volunteer drivers who allegedly transported humanitarian aid, in particular, fuel for the needs of the Armed Forces.
Under the guise of performing critical humanitarian missions, these men left Ukraine for the European Union in trucks of an Odesa-based company. According to the documents, they were supposed to return with the next batches of aid from Ukraine’s foreign partners.
However, the reality, as law enforcement officers found out, was different. the “volunteers” were actually using these transportation trips only as a way to escape abroad, with no intention of returning. In the opposite direction, their places were taken by other employees of the company, who brought commercial goods to Ukraine for sale. Thus, the scheme disguised private commercial activity and at the same time provided safe exit for draft evaders.
The investigation found that in May-June 2022 alone, more than 30 people of military age were smuggled through this scheme, using the fictitious status of volunteers to cross the state border under martial law.
Based on the evidence collected, the Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration was served a notice of suspicion under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- ч. 2 of Art. 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine committed by an official using his/her official position;
- ч. 1 and 3 of Art. 362 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – unauthorized actions with information in electronic systems committed by a person who had the right to access such systems.
The proceedings are under the supervision of the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office, which is providing procedural guidance in this case. Operational and investigative actions were carried out by the SBU Main Directorate in Kyiv and Kyiv region, as well as investigators of the National Police of the capital.
The investigation is also ongoing to identify all persons involved in the scheme, including representatives of the commercial company and potential intermediaries. It is possible that the scale of the network exceeds the documented facts, and the number of people who took advantage of the scheme is much higher.
Law enforcers emphasize that even in the most dire circumstances, the country must adhere to the principles of justice, and manipulations on the topic of volunteering or helping the army are particularly cynical crimes. That is why any cover of a “humanitarian mission” to avoid responsibilities to the state will be strictly prosecuted.
The official himself wrote on his Facebook page that “another absurd suspicion handed to him is part of a planned effort to clean up local government in the capital and put pressure on the opposition.”
According to him, the charge against him is for allegedly facilitating the illegal crossing of the border by men subject to military service. Prokopiv notes that the case concerns two truck drivers who did not return to Ukraine at some point. He calls the case itself absurd and politically motivated.
Prokopiv emphasized that from the first days of the full-scale invasion, he took responsibility for organizing the life support of Kyiv. In April 2022, he said, he received official authority from the leadership of the Kyiv City Military Administration to coordinate humanitarian supplies, from food and medicine to transportation for the army. In particular, he gained access to the electronic system “Shlyakh”, which was used to formalize the transportation of goods and logistics of volunteer missions.
The MP claims that at that time he was not guided by strict procedures, but acted according to the circumstances to help the Armed Forces and civilians as quickly as possible. According to him, he worked 24/7 with volunteers, medical institutions, the military and territorial defense.
“We imported thousands of tons of humanitarian aid, hundreds of vehicles, and dozens of tons of medicines. And now I am being tried for the fact that two drivers did not return,” Prokopov wrote.
He also directly links the persecution to his political position and affiliation with European Solidarity. In his opinion, the actions of the security forces are part of an attempt to take control of the Kyiv City Council and change the balance of power in the capital. According to the MP, the President’s Office wants to install “its” secretary of the Kyiv City Council, who will oppose the current mayor Vitali Klitschko.
“Someone is fighting for the country, and someone is fighting for power in the country, and they will not hesitate to use any methods,” the official emphasized.
Prokopiv also said that he had already received warnings about the possible opening of several more criminal cases against him. However, he said he would stand by his position and “stand up” despite the pressure.
Read also: Prokopiv’s real estate scandal: Klitschko’s deputy resigns after high-profile investigations
It should be noted that Volodymyr Prokopiv has been involved in corruption scandals before. Thus, after a journalistic investigation by Bihus.Info in the fall of 2024, which revealed that Prokopiv’s family had purchased luxury real estate in Kyiv, the mayor of the capital, Vitali Klitschko, temporarily suspended the official from performing his professional duties.
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