Son of scandal-ridden corrupt official leaves Kherson MVA

Nikolai Yakovlev, former deputy head of the Kherson MVA, found himself at the centre of a scandal after announcing his resignation. In 2023, he earned UAH 1.3 million in salary and UAH 24,000 as an internally displaced person (IDP), while declaring UAH 484,000 and US$60,000 in savings. His assets include a Daewoo Lanos car and a Bombardier jet ski.

The Yakovlev family’s income and assets

Mikola’s wife, Marina Yakovleva, owns an apartment in Kyiv and three cars — a Land Cruiser Prado 150, a Land Cruiser 200, and a BMW I3. In 2023, she also declared UAH 1.5 million from business activities, having not reported any income in previous years. In 2022, the family’s only income was UAH 18,000 received as IDP payments. Following all this, in November 2023, Mikola Yakovlev left his position at the Kherson MVA.

Ties to business and his corrupt father

Mikola Yakovlev is no stranger to the public. Between 2011 and 2015, he was one of the co-founders of the company «Екоспецтехнівест» (Ecospectekhnivest), and later established his own company, «Актив енерджі Тімберленд» (Active Energy Timberland), which has been mentioned multiple times in anti-corruption investigations. His father, Igor Yakovlev, has also been embroiled in scandals related to his activities. In particular, during his tenure as head of the State Ecological Inspectorate, his son’s company actively assisted in waste disposal and timber harvesting for other firms.

Scandals and investigations

For a long time, Igor Yakovlev remained at the centre of high-profile corruption investigations. In 2019, officers from the SBU and the NABU conducted searches of his office and home, suspecting him of embezzling funds allocated for the disposal of drilling waste. Despite this, in 2020, Igor Yakovlev became the State Secretary of the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine, but was dismissed in 2021, after which he disappeared from the public eye.

Ties to pro-Russian figures

For residents of Kherson, the name of the elder Yakovlev is also associated with his work as the first deputy head of the Kherson Regional State Administration (RDA) between 2005 and 2009. During this period, he was closely linked to pro-Russian figure Seithumer Nemetullaev. 

Together, they founded the public organisation «Чинтрель» (Chintrel), which owned large hunting grounds in the Henichesk district. In 2007, Igor Yakovlev was also a co-founder of the public organisation «Місто сонця» (Misto Sontsia), and in 2022, his partner Igor Polevikov turned out to be a traitor and continues to work for the Russian authorities.

According to information from the detective agency ABSOLUTION