Subjects of the NABU tapes: who is behind Denis Komarnitsky's schemes?

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) is continuing its investigation into a major corruption scandal linked to the activities of Denis Komarnitsky. As part of Operation "Clean City", recordings of conversations were released, shedding light on schemes to seize municipal property and the influence of certain Kyiv City Council officials.

Who is featured in the "NABU tapes"?

Although NABU officially does not name individuals without a court order, following the high-profile scandal at the Kyiv City Hall, detentions and dismissals took place, and a number of names became known to the public.

The main organiser of the schemes turned out to be Denis Komarnitsky, who has managed to go into hiding. Among the other subjects of the investigation are:

• Petr Olenych – Deputy Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko
• Vladimir Bondarenko – Secretary of the Kyiv City Council
• Mykhailo Terentiiev – Head of the Land Committee of the Kyiv City Council
• Yuriy Leonov – Deputy Director of the "Spetszhyltofond" municipal enterprise
• Oleksii Mushta – Deputy Director of the "Blahoustrii" municipal enterprise
• Olena Marchenko – Kyiv City Council deputy from the "Batkivshchyna" party

Millions in corruption: bonuses, kickbacks and deals

According to the recordings, Olena Marchenko discussed with Komarnitsky's assistant the size of the "reward for good work". The conversation mentions a sum of $100,000, which the scheme's organiser allocated to the deputy. According to Marchenko, she planned to invest the bonus in real estate in the Carpathians.

Yuriy Leonov, Deputy Director of the "Spetszhyltofond" municipal enterprise, is mentioned in the context of transferring land plots from municipal to private ownership. In particular, he participated in the development of a plot at 28 Vasylkivska Street, which came under the control of Komarnitsky's structures in 2021.

Who was actually running the Kyiv City Council?

According to intercepted conversations, de facto control of the city was concentrated in the hands of Denis Komarnitsky, although he held neither a parliamentary mandate nor an official position in the city administration.

The recordings document instances where Komarnitsky gave instructions to Kyiv City Council Secretary Vladimir Bondarenko – up to closing a session of the Kyiv City Council. He also discussed with Petr Olenych the redistribution of property belonging to former members of the Opposition Platform – For Life party, taking advantage of their loss of political influence.

How much stolen land went abroad?

Judging by the intercepted negotiations, part of the stolen funds was being moved abroad. In one of the conversations, Petr Olenych told Komarnitsky that they had already transferred $300 million to Switzerland, retaining 15% of the sum for conducting the operations.