Oleg Baturin

Number of members of Kherson Oblast Council, who closed free access to their e-declarations (public asset declarations), has increased from ten to twelve members during last two years. Majority of them are representatives of presidential political party «Servant of People». Twenty council members do not submit declarations at all. This number includes collaborators, who reside on occupied territory and collaborate with Russian occupants, and those who fail to abide by their duty to declare their assets, income and expenses for other reasons.

Более 140 тысяч гривен выплатили в феврале Виталию Чернявскому, управляющему делами исполнительного комитета Каховского горсовета Херсонщины. Это – оплата за его простой с июня 2025 года. Кроме того, Чернявскому должны выплатить около 190 тысяч гривен за вынужденный прогул из-за незаконной приостановки с ним действия трудового договора с 3 июня 2024 года – точку в этом вопросе еще должен поставить Верховный Суд. Тем временем Чернявский с декабря 2023 года работает «учителем истории и обществознания» в школе оккупированного Крыма и выступает там с пророссийскими лекциями.

Lubov Minko, the Head of Mylivska Village of Beryslav raion, received the second largest salary among 49 heads of military administrations (MAs) of Kherson oblast in 2025, after Yaroslav Shanko, the Head of Kherson City MA. Her average monthly income reached over 110 thousand UAH. Representatives of Kherson Oblast State Administration think it was justified.

Last year heads of local military administrations of Kherson oblast (hereinafter referred as MA) received larger salaries than in 2024. Their average monthly salary varied from almost 57 thousand to 185 thousand UAH. Majority received from 70 to 90 thousand.

The Center for Journalist Investigations analyzed responses to its information requests sent to 49 heads of MAs. We did not obtain responses within time limits stipulated by the legislation from heads of three MAs: Tavrychanska and Zelenopidska Village MAs of Kakhovka raion and Mylivska Village MA of Beryslav raion.

The CJI investigated income of Kherson public officials in 2024 here.

The emergency is not available at night, catastrophic shortage of doctors and looting of hospitals – what is going on with health care system on Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia? 

За понад три роки з моменту свого звільнення Великоолександрівська селищна громада стала справжнім центром відродження деокупованої частини Херсонщини і неформальним центром Бериславського району. На вулицях Великої Олександрівки багато людей, тут триває відновлення не лише пошкоджених війною обʼєктів, а й втілюються давно задумані ідеї, про що раніше тут могли тільки мріяти. 

Ми зустрілися з Наталією Корнієнко, селищною головою, начальницею Великоолександрівської селищної військової адміністрації (СВА), щоб розпитати про те, чим зараз живе її громада, які найбільші інфраструктурні проєкти втілюються в життя і які тут плани на найближче майбутнє. 

За кілька днів після запису інтервʼю Херсонська обласна прокуратура повідомила Наталії Корнієнко про підозру у розтраті бюджетних коштів та службовому підробленні при відновленні пошкоджених російськими обстрілами будинків у серпні-листопаді 2023 року. За версію слідства, через це громаді завдано збитків у розмірі 300 тисяч гривень. 

Під час обрання запобіжного заходу суд не відсторонив Наталію Корнієнко від її службових обовʼязків, вона продовжує керувати громадою. Проте говорити про обставини цієї справи Корнієнко відмовляється, додаючи одне: «Час покаже, хто був правий, а хто ні в цій історії».

Из-за дефицита местных коллаборантов назначать на руководящие должности в оккупационных администрациях Херсонщины в очередной раз приходится заезжих гастарбайтеров из России. Очередной новой заместительницей у гауляйтера Каховки Павла Филипчука стала 42-летняя россиянка Наталья Горковец, работавшая до этого чиновницей одного из сельских поселений Краснодарского края.

Last year heads of local military administrations (hereinafter referred to as MA) of Kherson region have received average monthly salaries from 16 to almost 110 thousand UAH. The monthly average for their majority has been between 70 and 90 thousand UAH. 

The Center for Journalist Investigations collected this information from public asset declarations published by the Register of e-declarations of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) and answers from local military administrations whose heads closed an access to their declarations.  

Two heads of MAs – Tavrychanska MA and Khakhovka City MA – refused to provide information about their salaried paid by Ukrainian taxpayers. Bilozerka Village MA ignored our request. 

Our previous material explained why some heads of local military administrations of Kherson region closed access to their asset declarations, without legitimate grounds. Now we look at their salaries and reasons some officials use to hide them from the public. 

Heads of 15 local military administrations in Kherson region closed an access to their asset declarations for 2024 and previous years. It is almost one third of people within this group of public officials.

Earlier the Center for Journalist Investigations (CJI) analyzed why deputies of Kherson Oblast Council closed an access to their declarations. Now we look at respective behavior of heads of military administrations in the region, created after full scale Russian invasion into Ukraine. But let us first examine legislative grounds and procedure for closing such an access.

Ludmila Pestova, resident of Nova Kakhovka, visited her son Andrii in the morning of November 4, 2022. He has lived for years in Dnipryany psychoneurological boarding school, specialized residential facility for long term care and support for adults with serious mental and neurological disorders.

When she came back home, she noticed a column of buses ahead of her. Later she was told that one of them carried her son Andrii to Crimea and then to Russia. Ludmila had to search her son and persuade Russian occupants that he has been her son.

On that November day, armed Russian occupants forcibly took away 96 residents of the boarding school. They did not warn their parents or legitimate guardians. One resident was frightened and tried to hide in the nearby building. Russian occupants caught him and made an unknown injection, «to calm him down». Finally, Russians deported remaining residents of the boarding school – bedridden patients, who could not move without assistance.

«Boys did not want to go and did not understand what was going on. Russians behaved like Gestapo people from movies about Nazists. They took and dragged patients to buses. Patients cried and did not want to go. Their weeping broke my heart», as told witnesses of those events.

The Center for Journalist Investigations interviewed relatives of forcibly deported people with serious mental disorders and witnesses of this war crime. For security reasons, we do not quote some real names whereas other names are changed (they are marked with *).