On December 31, 2021, just before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Irpin’s mayor, Oleksandr Markushyn, acquired a plot of land in Irpin through false persons. Since a shopping center has been built on this plot. Notably, the land was purchased from Yevhen Kharmyshev, a separatist who had relocated from Irpin to Mariupol, where he became the secretary of the collaborationist city council.
The buyers of the plot were two individuals: Nataliia Otroshchenko, a relative of Oleksandr Markushyn, and Rostyslav Sachok. Previously, Otroshchenko was involved in changing the zoning of another plot in Irpin. During that vote, Mayor Markushyn abstained due to a conflict of interest.
The seller of the plot was Nataliia Kurbat, the wife of Yevhen Kharmyshev. According to the notarized agreement, Kharmyshev had granted his wife power of attorney for the transaction.
The Security Service of Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions reported that Yevhen Kharmyshev, a member of the Mariupol city council, supported the actions of Russian-fascist forces and helped establish the occupation regime. As a reward, the occupiers appointed him as the first deputy of the so-called “mayor of Mariupol.” According to the investigation, Kharmyshev now oversees recruiting local residents for positions in the so-called “administration of Mariupol.” He is also involved in identifying municipal property for registration under the occupation’s fake governance structures.
The Security Service of Ukraine has classified Kharmyshev’s actions as high treason. He has been charged in absentia under Part 2 of Article 111 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code.
“The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. The Security Service of Ukraine is actively documenting Kharmyshev’s anti-Ukrainian activities to ensure his prosecution under the law,” the agency stated.
If convicted, traitor Yevhen Kharmyshev faces up to 15 years in prison or life imprisonment, along with the confiscation of his assets. Aware of the risk of asset confiscation, Kharmyshev began selling his property shortly before the Russian invasion, with Markushyn’s associates—Nataliia Otroshchenko and Rostyslav Sachok—becoming the buyers of some of this property.
Rostyslav Savko, a lawyer from the firm “Alekseev, Boyarchuk & Partners,” has been accused of serving as a solicitor for Oleksandr Markushyn in executing land deals. The “Deputies of Irpin” channel published a photo showing Ivan Kipish, acting head of the Urban planning department in Irpin’s executive committee, dining with Rostyslav Sachok, a partner at “Alekseev, Boyarchuk & Partners.” The publication claims that “Sachok acts as Markushyn’s frontman in the acquisition of community land assets through illegal schemes.”
Sachok holds a master’s degree with honors from the State Fiscal Service University of Ukraine. He joined “Alekseev, Boyarchuk & Partners” in 2019 as the head of the land law practice and became a partner in 2022. His specialization includes land law, real estate, and construction. Sachok represents several companies, including KDD Engineering, TRK Construction Engineering, Megamarket, Kovalska PBG, Ultramarket, and Cosmopolit.
The acquisition of Kharmyshev’s land is not Markushyn’s first connection to pro-Russian elements. Media reports recently revealed a large-scale scheme by Markushyn’s associates to misappropriate public funds allocated for the reconstruction of the war-affected community. This scheme allegedly involves his main contractor, Serhii Rosstalnyi, who was an assistant to Nestor Shufrych, a former MP from the Party of Regions.
On September 3, ex-MP Nestor Shufrych was detained and charged with financing Russia’s National Guard (Rosgvardiya) in the Crimea. Investigators claim that Shufrych paid Russian troops for the security of his elite real estate on the peninsula. His company reportedly transferred more than 500,000 Russian rubles to the occupiers over three months in 2016.
In the summer of 2024, the publication “Nezlamni.City” ran a story titled, “525 Million from the Budget for the Mayor’s Friends and How to Earn 170,000 UAH on a 6,000 UAH Salary: Life Hacks from the Irpin City Council.” Similarly, the outlet “Rezonans” published a piece titled “Mayor Markushyn’s Associates Received 525 Million UAH from the Budget for Post-War Reconstruction.”
Markushyn’s partner, Taisiia Yusupova, also has links to pro-Russian activities. According to the publication “Novyi Format,” Yusupova—who once worked as the chief editor of the TV program Head and Tail—has a history in black PR.
“Taisiia Yusupova is originally from Zaporizhzhia and moved to Irpin in 2023. According to media reports, she is the current partner of the Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn. Public records from the YouControl system show that Yusupova registered as an individual entrepreneur (FOP) on July 8, 2022, with activities in advertising (73.11) and other information services (63.99).
Yusupova’s previous husband, Ihor Kobtsev, is the founder of the credit union ‘Revival of Donbass,’ which operates in the city of Alchevsk in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region. Ukrainian security services should investigate whether the union’s founders have ties to separatist governance structures in the so-called “Luhansk People’s Republic”. Since the organization remains registered in occupied territory, it raises concerns about where it pays taxes—and whether it is indirectly financing Russian terrorism in Ukraine,” the article states.