Supreme Court confirms dismissal of former customs officer Kobrin linked to extortion scheme

Court instance confirms dismissal decision

On 15 October 2026, the Supreme Court issued a final ruling in case No. 380/25610/23 (proceedings No. K/990/34733/25, decision No. 140636568). The panel of judges headed by Oleksandr Zahorodniuk, Larysa Yeresko, and Volodymyr Sokolov rejected Orest Kobrin's cassation appeal. Consequently, the court upheld Order No. 1114-o regarding the dismissal of the official.

Orest Ihorovych Kobrin, who had worked in the customs service since 2005, challenged his dismissal, which took place on 3 October 2023. He sought reinstatement to his position and payment of wages for the period of forced absence. However, all three levels of the judicial system supported the customs authority's position.

Circumstances of dismissal and previous court rulings

Before his dismissal, Kobrin headed Clearance Department No. 3 of the Rava-Ruska customs post. On 14 September 2022, he was transferred to the position of chief inspector under contract No. 328/2022. The dismissal occurred on 3 October 2023: the official submitted a resignation application by mutual agreement in the office of the then acting head of Lviv Customs, Andriy Kuznyk. Later, Kobrin attempted to withdraw the application, claiming that he had been subjected to psychological pressure.

The Lviv District Administrative Court on 9 April 2025 and the Eighth Appellate Administrative Court on 6 August of the same year denied his claim. The judges ruled that the application had been submitted voluntarily and that the arguments regarding pressure were not sufficiently substantiated.

Journalistic investigation into shadow payments

Kobrin's name attracted media attention due to an investigation by journalist Yevheniy Plinsky, published in November 2019. The report described a probable system of extortion at the Krakovets, Rava-Ruska, and Shehyny customs posts. According to the investigation, the daily shadow turnover reached two million US dollars: one million dollars for Krakovets, 600,000 for Rava-Ruska, and 400,000 for Shehyny.

The specified rates amounted to 30,000 dollars per truck and 10,000 dollars per minibus. According to the journalist's version, expensive electronic devices and clothing were declared as bricks, chalk, or cheap building materials. Such schemes, according to Plinsky's assessment, were used in every second truck and every fourth minibus.

In the investigation, Kobrin (whom Plinsky referred to as "Orest Korbin") was mentioned among the senior shifts of the Rava-Ruska post, along with Iryna Novosad, Alla Hanushchak, and Olesya Zabrovarna. Volodymyr Polusytok was named as the probable curator of the post. According to the journalist, the organisers and beneficiaries of the scheme were businessman and sponsor of the Svoboda party, Ihor Kryvetskyi, Vasyl Pisnyi, and Ivan Bokalo. It is worth noting that this information relates to a 2019 journalistic investigation, whereas the Supreme Court was deciding exclusively a labour dispute.

Declarations and property status of the official

In his declaration for 2023, submitted on 26 March 2024, Kobrin reported holding 980,000 hryvnia in family cash: 650,000 hryvnia in his possession and 330,000 in his wife Vira's. Annual wages amounted to 276,007 hryvnia for the official and 251,332 hryvnia for his wife. A pension, rental income, and material assistance were also declared. The family owns land plots and a house with an area of 232 square metres. Kobrin had the use of a 2013 Toyota Camry (owned by Ihor Kobrin) and a 2015 Suzuki SX4 (owned by Maria Kobrin), as well as a VAZ-2101 and a Voskhod motorcycle.

Criminal cases at the customs post

Corruption practices at Rava-Ruska are confirmed by existing criminal proceedings. In July 2024, the Zhovkva District Court sentenced inspector Iryna Tsaban to six years of imprisonment with confiscation of property for bribery. In January 2023, she received 6,000 and 2,000 hryvnia for allowing used tyres to pass through the "green corridor", clearing an Opel Vivaro vehicle without cargo. The money was handed over in a foreign passport. The court also deprived her of her special rank and banned her from holding certain positions for three years.

On 17 April 2025, two more inspectors from the same customs post were notified of suspicion of organising a corruption scheme when clearing imported vehicles. According to the Lviv Regional Prosecutor's Office, the investigation documented the receipt of 56,000 hryvnia in undue benefit. Both inspectors were suspended from their positions. They are charged with receiving bribes by prior conspiracy of a group of persons, which is punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.