The Mayor of Irpin, Oleksandr Markushyn, is under investigation for alleged embezzlement of over 17 million UAH from the city budget through a salary scheme.
Between 2022 and 2024, Markushyn reportedly organized a scheme where inflated salaries were paid to employees of the executive committee. A portion of these funds was then allegedly handed back to the mayor and his trusted associates in cash. The embezzled money was reportedly used for the mayor’s personal expenses, security, and political campaigns.
Deputy Mayor of Irpin, Lidiya Mykhailchenko, claimed her signature was forged on work attendance sheets. However, she also admitted in statements and a lie detector test that she had given part of her salary to the mayor.
Former executive officer of the Irpin City Council, Dmytro Negresha, also discovered a forgery of his signature on submissions for bonuses. Under the orders of Markushyn, some Irpin officials were “awarded” bonuses amounting to 1000% or more of their base salary. This scandal brought nationwide attention to Tamara Khalaim, the chief personnel officer of the Irpin City Council, who regularly received 150,000–200,000 UAH in payments.
Despite Irpin struggling to find funds for reconstruction after the destruction, Markushyn allocated salaries to his close associates that exceeded those of state leaders and ministers.
For instance, 100,000 UAH was regularly paid to Christina Hluzhanets, the head of the accounting and reporting department and chief accountant of the Irpin City Council, as well as Tetiana Yaroshenko, the executive officer. The system administrator, Maksym Levytskyi, earned a salary of 145,000 UAH. Ordinary specialists and senior specialists in various departments of the Irpin City Council also received 70,000–80,000 UAH, significantly more than their counterparts in other city councils across the region and Ukraine.
In total, about 40 employees of the City Council were involved in this “salary scheme.” A large number of them have already turned to law enforcement authorities. Due to salary manipulations, approximately 17 million UAH were siphoned off from the city budget in 2023 alone. Additionally, Markushyn diverted about 10 million UAH to his close associates through the municipal “Care” program.