The State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) has issued a notice of suspicion to the Mayor of Irpin, Oleksandr Markushyn, for signing documents allowing draft evaders to leave Ukraine, who subsequently failed to return.
According to media reports, among those who left under Markushyn’s approval was his close associate and godfather, Serhii Rosstalnyi, the main contractor for Irpin’s reconstruction. In the summer of 2024, Rosstalnyi permanently relocated to the United States, allegedly transferring reconstruction funds there.
Companies owned by Serhii Rosstalnyi, with the support of Oleksandr Markushyn, received over 700 million UAH (nearly $20 million) from the budget for the reconstruction of Irpin. This funding included international financial aid, including contributions from the United States. Markushyn and Rosstalnyi repeatedly left Ukraine as volunteers under the “Shlyakh” system. However, according to the State Customs Service, they never declared the import of humanitarian goods into Ukraine.
In the case involving the facilitation of draft evaders’ departures, Markushyn has been charged under Part 2 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (organizing the illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine), which carries a penalty of up to three years of imprisonment and disqualification from holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities for up to three years.