NACP finds unjustified assets worth millions of hryvnias with Kyiv customs officer

NACP finds unjustified assets worth millions of hryvnias with Kyiv customs officer

Ruslan Fyrsov, former head of the "Ukrposhta" customs post of the Kyiv Customs Directorate and currently head of the "Fastiv" customs clearance sector, has become the subject of a new investigation. The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) discovered $375,000 of suspicious origin, as well as discrepancies in the purchase of his wife's car, which falls under Article 366-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Discrepancies in the declaration: a "loan" of hundreds of thousands of dollars

The NACP completed its review of Fyrsov's 2023 declaration and found financial obligations to a certain Khachatrian G.M. The document states that Fyrsov's mother owed this person $375,000 (over 14 million hryvnias at the 2023 exchange rate). The customs officer himself claims that the funds were borrowed from a family friend.

However, the review raised doubts about the reality of this transaction. In 2023, his mother's income consisted exclusively of a pension of 62,000 hryvnias, but in April of the same year, she purchased a house and six land plots with a total value of 8.6 million hryvnias.

Khachatrian, in turn, stated that the money was inherited from his father, but could not provide documents confirming the origin of these funds.

Elite SUV for 20,000 hryvnias

Another violation concerns the purchase of a 2017 Toyota Land Cruiser 200, registered in Fyrsov's wife's name. According to the declaration, the car was acquired for 1.64 million hryvnias (equivalent to $45,000 at the time of the transaction). However, the official sales contract lists a completely different amount — just 20,000 hryvnias.

Fyrsov claims that he indicated the actual transaction amount in the declaration, but he does not know why a lower value appeared in the contract. At the same time, he was unable to provide any documents confirming the actual value of the car.

According to data from PIA Internet Advertising LLC, the market value of such a car in Ukraine is approximately $59,700 (2.18 million hryvnias), which is 538,000 hryvnias higher than the amount declared.

Repeated violations and potential criminal case

This is not the first violation identified with Fyrsov. In September 2024, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) confiscated his property in Kyiv Oblast — a residential house of 284.9 square metres and six land plots with a total area of 0.1381 hectares, registered in his mother's name. The total value of the seized property was 8.6 million hryvnias.

The NACP suspects that the story of the $375,000 loan may have been fictitious and used to launder suspicious income. The total amount of unjustified assets exceeds 14 million hryvnias, which may serve as grounds for criminal prosecution under Part 2 of Article 366-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (declaration of inaccurate information).

Law enforcement agencies must now determine where Fyrsov and his family obtained millions of hryvnias for real estate, luxury cars, and other assets.