Former Deputy Minister of Justice from Kharkiv, Nikolai Kucheryavenko, has been caught up in a number of scandals: details
Nikolay Kucheryavenko - collage
The official biography of Kharkiv native Mykola Kucheriavenko paints a picture of a successful lawyer, scholar, manager, and military man. He previously served as First Deputy Minister of Justice, First Vice President of the National Academy of Legal Sciences, First Vice Rector of the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, and currently serves as a staff officer at Charter, one of the most successful and high-tech corps of the Defense Forces. However, a series of scandals Kucheriavenko has recently found himself embroiled in reveals a completely different side of him, writes Informator.
In July of this year, he applied for a position as a member of the High Council of Justice (HCJ). For someone with such a professional background, it seemed there should have been no obstacles to his appointment. However, the competition resulted in a major reputational blow. The Ethics Council found that Kucheriavenko did not meet the criteria for professional ethics and integrity, effectively ending his chances of joining the HCJ. The Ethics Council also raised questions about the candidate's financial transactions and the origin of funds for the purchase of real estate. A separate issue was his role in the election of the NABU director in 2023—a competition that Kucheriavenko chaired and which had previously generated widespread public attention.
Nikolai Kucheryavenko. A Dubious Competition
Former SAP prosecutor Stanislav Bronevitsky publicly questioned the independence of the competition to elect the NABU director. According to him, the procedure was clearly prearranged and orchestrated, with Mykola Kucheriavenko, who headed the selection committee, playing a key role. This story gained momentum thanks to a SAP report obtained by the Ethics Council. According to Bronevitsky, citing this document, the materials contain information indicating that Kucheriavenko received instructions from then-Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna regarding the prioritization of individual candidates, particularly regarding the current NABU director, who won the competition under Kucheriavenko's chairmanship.
Millions "on loan"
The story of 4,6 million hryvnias (approximately $180), which Kucheryavenko failed to declare, raised many questions . He claimed to have borrowed these funds in 2017 from a longtime friend, a restaurateur, to purchase an apartment, but did not declare them because he allegedly received the sum in installments over eight months, each not exceeding 80 hryvnias, which, in turn, was precisely the threshold for declaring significant changes in wealth in effect at the time. The loan agreement, according to Kucheryavenko, was verbal, but receipt of each tranche was allegedly confirmed by a separate receipt. After the funds were fully repaid in 2020-2022, the lender returned these receipts, after which Kucheryavenko disposed of them. The Ethics Council questioned this version of the origin of the funds. It's no secret that private loan schemes are often used to cover up and legitimize illegal income. The cash is no longer a bribe or other shadow income, but rather funds borrowed from a relative or another, naturally, fictitious, person.
Nikolai Kucheryavenko. "Mom Loves Speed"
That's how Alexander Dubinsky, a controversial MP now suspected of treason, once explained to journalists why his elderly mother owned an expensive luxury car fleet. In answering similar questions, Nikolai Kucheryavenko, while not outdoing Dubinsky, certainly came close. Explaining why his 77-year-old mother purchased a brand new Audi Q5 worth €61 in 2014, Kucheryavenko said she simply needed to get to her dacha.
Five apartments and hundreds of thousands of dollars
Nikolai Kucheriavenko's family is not poor. He and his wife, Olga Minaeva, a judge from Kharkiv, hold over $200,000 and 1,5 million hryvnias in cash. In addition to their cash, they own at least five apartments in Kharkiv: one in the "Na Bakulina" residential complex and four more in the premium-class "Titul" residential complex in the city center. The Ethics Council, incidentally, also inquired about Kucheriavenko's stepson, also a judge, Mikhail Zhernakov. When asked where he got the money to buy a new apartment and a Tesla, Kucheriavenko was also unable to answer.
Where the family of the "modest scientist" and judge acquired such a fortune remains anyone's guess. Investigative journalists point out that Kucheryavenko worked in the Ministry of Justice from 2024 to 2025, when it was headed by German Galushchenko , one of the defendants in "Minditchgate"—a high-profile scandal involving shadowy influence and large-scale corruption schemes in a number of sectors. Of course, Nikolai Kucheryavenko was not publicly mentioned in this investigation. However, as practice shows, first deputy ministers (which is precisely the position Kucheryavenko held at the Ministry of Justice) are rarely found to be free of questionable charges.
Herman Galushchenko: The Boss of Ukraine's Energy Corruption. Part 1
Over the years of working in the legal field, Kucheryavenko also developed significant connections in law enforcement, which he apparently still exploits. Rumors suggest Kucheryavenko's alleged involvement in a Kharkiv cash-out center, organized and operated by a certain Igor Akhmetshin. He uses a scheme involving international consignment notes, which relies on falsifying documents to create fictitious documents (so-called paper VAT or "roll-ups"), inflating company expenses, and transferring non-cash funds to the accounts of fictitious companies or non-residents, with subsequent cash withdrawals. Several companies registered to Akhmetshin's wife, Ekaterina Bondarenko, are involved in the scheme. Kucheryavenko is allegedly responsible for protecting the office.
Igor Akhmetshin and Nikolay Kucheryavenko
His failure to win a seat on the High Council of Justice and the series of scandals surrounding Nikolai Kucheryavenko, while not calling his professional qualifications into question, certainly dealt a serious blow to his reputation. Stories about a multimillion-dollar loan, a luxury car registered to his elderly mother, and questions about his role in the NABU director election have become part of the lawyer's public biography and continue to generate public interest. Kucheryavenko's "collaboration" with Akhmetshin and their joint activities are also attracting particular attention. However, this would explain the source of the capital used to purchase real estate and vehicles for all members of the odious Mr. Kucheryavenko's family. The "income" from the operations of the cash-out centers could well cover these costs.
Subscribe to our X channel and Telegram channel!
Stay informed about who is doing business, in politics, and supporting corruption in Ukraine!
When so many controversial stories accumulate around one person, they inevitably begin to outweigh regalia, academic titles, and years of public service experience. Ukrainian society is unlikely to want to see officials with such a dubious reputation as Mykola Kucheriavenko in high-ranking government positions, especially during a war, when the country is already reeling from a series of corruption scandals in the defense sector.
Skelet.Org
Competition for NABU Director: Risks and Opportunities of the Top Twenty
Who will Yermak appoint to NABU?
Nikolay Kucheryavenko
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, Facebook , Twitter , VK - Only new faces from the SKLEP section!