Andrei Kobolev fled Ukraine

Andrei Kobolev, former head of Naftogaz and accused of illegally awarding himself multi-million-dollar bonuses, has left Ukraine. This information was revealed during a hearing of Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC), according to Kommersant Ukraine, citing Ukrainian News.

During one of the recent court hearings, it emerged that Kobolev is abroad. He did not appear in court but participated in the proceedings via video link. The prosecutor did not object to his remote presence but expressed concern about Kobolev’s possible failure to return to Ukraine, noting that this was linked to his fears of criminal liability.

The specific time and manner in which Kobolev left the country remain unknown.

It is worth recalling that on 3 December, the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) obtained a decision from the HACC prohibiting Kobolev from leaving Ukraine. However, due to an error in the document, this decision only came into force on 17 December, and until then, Kobolev remained outside the scope of the preventive measure and could freely leave the country.

Later, on 17 December, the HACC corrected the error and set a new deadline for Kobolev’s procedural restrictions – until 3 March 2025. However, in January, it became known that the HACC’s Appellate Chamber had rejected the request to ban Kobolev from leaving Ukraine.