Cemetery mafia in Kyiv: investigation into bribery in morgues

Alarming information has emerged regarding potential corruption in one of Kyiv's state morgues, where relatives of the deceased are forced to pay to expedite the release of bodies.

 StopKor's hotline has received numerous complaints from citizens regarding the delay in the release of bodies in the capital's morgues. According to Kyiv residents, the process is only expedited for a "symbolic thank-you". Igor Dotsenko, a StopKor journalist, investigated whether this is true and how one private company organised a private body storage facility in a residential building.

Extortion in a state morgue
According to reports from victims, the release of deceased bodies is being delayed at State Forensic Morgue No. 2 on Petra Zaporozhets Street, with bribes demanded to speed up the process. A family that lost a loved one encountered unexplained delays, during which morgue staff offered to expedite the procedure for 3,000 to 5,000 hryvnia. Those who refuse are forced to wait for an indefinite period.

Corruption as a system
Citizens' reviews and testimonies confirm that these "thank-yous" have become routine practice at the morgue on Zaporozhets Street. Some believe the process is artificially prolonged to pressure relatives into paying. This suggests that corruption in the morgue has become part of an "unofficial price list" for services that should be free of charge by law.

The cruel industry of death
Morgues and the funeral business in Ukraine have long become a criminalised industry, where profits from death have reached millions. In some cases, this backdrop has seen blackmail, hostile takeovers, and even the physical elimination of competitors. Recently, the director of a funeral agency was killed in Kharkiv.

StopKor's journalistic experiment
To verify the information, StopKor organised covert filming in a morgue. Journalists arrived posing as relatives of a deceased person and met consultants from private funeral agencies who strongly recommended their services. According to them, the funeral process would be much faster and problem-free through private operators.

Funeral business on private territory
According to information, the funeral agency "Pamyat" (Memory), owned by Vadym Malynovskyi, operates in one of the private houses on Stetsenko Street. Neighbours claim that bodies of the deceased are allegedly stored on the first floor of this building, and that Malynovskyi buys bodies from the "102" and "103" services. Relatives are offered "services" while the true situation is misrepresented, with claims that their morgue is a state institution.

What are officials and businessmen hiding?
When journalists approached the management of the state morgue for comments, they declined to comment. This may indicate that the bribery scheme is a long-standing practice, possibly even with the management's consent.