Millionaire Mayor Roman Klychuk, Embezzlement Suspicions, and Closed Doors: A Journalistic Investigation into the Secrets of the Chernivtsi City Council
Klichuk, Zazulyak and Co.: What's going on behind the closed doors of Chernivtsi City Hall?
Chernivtsi is a city where journalists are greeted not with press briefings, but... with closed doors, and officials avoid cameras, citing "vacations," "business trips," or a lack of desire to communicate. Why is the mayor Klichuk Roman Vasilievich Didn't find a free minute in your schedule for a media conversation? What secrets are hidden in this official's declarations? And what does a family business and billion-dollar tenders have to do with it?
"No desire to communicate"This was StopKor's first encounter with Chernivtsi city authorities in Anastasia Vasylenko's investigation, which raises several sensitive topics: the combination of business and government, officials' millions, procurements with signs of overpayment, and the "ignoring" of publicly important issues by the mayor's office, headed by Klychuk.
Chernivtsi is a regional center in western Ukraine, officially declaring European values, government openness, and accountability to communities. However, the reality journalists encounter when trying to get answers to specific questions reveals a radically different picture.
Roman Klichuk: When a Businessman Becomes Mayor
"I don't want to be a politician. It's not my thing. Not everyone can be a politician. Someone has to be a businessperson too... I can't imagine going around campaigning: 'Vote for me because I'm so cool!'"
Roman Klichuk stated that he does not want to be a politician.
These words of Roman Klychuk have been publicly expressed before. Today, they are perceived differently. After all, Roman Klychuk has been the mayor of Chernivtsi since November 30, 2020, and is also part of the unofficial list "Millionaire Mayors." Prior to this, he spent 20 years in business. He is the founder of such companies as ROMA LLC, Goyra Group LLC, and Brusnitskaya Matsesta LLC.
Klichuk is the founder of ROMA LLC, Goyra Group LLC, and Brusnitskaya Matsesta LLC.
The law prohibits the mayor from engaging in entrepreneurial activity. Roman Klichuk said, who transferred the business into management. But this didn't resolve the issues—on the contrary.
According to the information, published Klychuk's company, ROMA LLC, became the largest taxpayer in Chernivtsi by the end of 2024 and 2025. Moreover, the registry Roman Klichuk is still listed as the company's ultimate beneficiary—a person who can likely control the business and receive income.
ROMA LLC is the largest taxpayer in Bukovina
The company's assets are attracting particular attention. A 2019 Land Rover Velar worth approximately 2 million hryvnias belongs to ROMA LLC, but according to journalists, it may actually be used by the mayor's wife.
It is noteworthy that the second place among the largest taxpayers was taken by OOO Taistra Group, owned by the mayor's son, Bohdan Klychuk. The company is a subsidiary Goyra Group LLC, where Roman Klichuk himself again appears among the beneficiaries.
To summarize, the mayor's family owns between 40% and 100% of the corporate shares in three companies. The total declared value of their business assets is over 77 million hryvnias.
Companies affiliated with Roman Klitschuk
Roman Klichuk: Cash, Jaguar, and Unanswered Questions
Goyra Group LLC, in which the mayor holds a 100% stake and is the ultimate beneficiary, owns a Jaguar. The company's primary business is restaurants and mobile food services, raising questions about the luxury car's intended purpose.
According to the annual declaration According to Roman Klychuk's 2025 election results, the mayor's family has over 6 million hryvnias, 209 euros, and 177 dollars in cash—a total of over 24 million hryvnias. Interestingly, all of these funds are held in cash, not in bank accounts.
The family lives in a house of over 500 square meters in Chernivtsi. declarations for 2019 Another watercraft was also mentioned, namely a yacht worth around 7 million hryvnia, which disappeared from Klitschuk's declarations the following year.
A yacht appeared in Klichuk’s declaration for 2019
The declared assets include an IWC Schaffhausen watch worth 323 hryvnias and a 2017 Mercedes-Benz S 350 worth 2,3 million hryvnias.
The mayor's family's declared assets include a Mercedes-Benz S 350 worth UAH 2,3 million.
Media also Reportedthat in 2018, the Klychuk family's niece, Bozhena Klychuk-Petrenko, purchased two apartments and a car worth approximately 7 million hryvnias.
StopKor's editorial team sent an official request to the NACP to verify the information contained in the mayor's declaration.
Roman Klichuk. Election Promises: 13 of 119 Promises Fulfilled
On According to According to the Slovo i Delo project, Roman Klichuk made 119 promises ahead of the elections. According to public data, journalists estimate that only 13 of them have been fulfilled. Another 100 promises are listed as "in progress," and six are effectively pending without a clear implementation deadline.
The mayor is on vacation, and his deputies are absent.
A StopKor film crew visited the Chernivtsi City Council to obtain comments from the mayor and his deputies. However, the journalists were greeted as if it were an "emergency situation."
During his first visit on January 6, 2026, Oleksandr Dokien, Head of the Communications and Public Relations Department of the Chernivtsi City Council, reported: “He is currently on vacation for a week.”
Alexander Dokien
When asked to speak with Mayoral Advisor Zazulyak or his deputies, journalists were told: "We have a communications department here, if you have any comments."
In response to an official inquiry, the city council reported that Mayor Klichuk was on annual leave from January 5 to 9, 2026.
Journalists returned to City Hall after the mayor's vacation ended. This time they heard: "The mayor is not here. The mayor left because we have three boiler houses."
When asked for clarification about the possibility of meeting with the mayor, the city council employee replied: "He has no desire."
A city council employee reported that the mayor is unwilling to speak with journalists.
And in response to the remark about the openness of the authorities, the following was said: "The mayor is not obligated to comment on camera. Because the law doesn't provide for it."
In turn, the official response from the city council noted: "At this time, the refusal to provide comment in the format you proposed is our final position. We are not currently considering an alternative format or a different time for comment."
Deputy in violation of anti-corruption legislation?
Igor Krokhmal, deputy mayor of Chernivtsi, was included in NACP list for violating anti-corruption laws. While serving as deputy mayor, he simultaneously served as director of a for-profit LLC.
В declarations Krokhmal's financial status report for 2025 noted a grant of 2.78 million hryvnias. That same year, the official declared 2,9 million hryvnias in income from real estate sales. His salary was 840,000 hryvnias.
Interestingly, according to the latest declaration, the Starchmahl family has no savings.
Regarding real estate, Ivan's son likely owns a new apartment in the Kompas residential complex, developed by Vodogray (a company associated in the city with the family of mayoral adviser Vasyl Zazulyak). His second son, Mikhail, owns an apartment in Kyiv's Faina Town residential complex, where the cheapest options start at $85.
Vasily Zazulyak
Millionaire Deputies
Deputy Mayor Yuriy Lysiuk declared a salary of 905 hryvnias in 2024, plus almost 20 hryvnias from teaching. However, his wife's salary—almost 280 hryvnias—was listed without a source of income, which could be considered a tax return error.
The deputy's savings amount to almost a million hryvnias in cash, which exceeds his annual salary.
In 2022, at the height of the full-scale invasion, Yuriy Lysiuk purchased a 2016 BMW 518 for over 700 hryvnias. In 2025, he declared the sale of this car and the purchase of a Tesla—again for 700 hryvnias.
Interesting detail: according to last declarationLysyuk only has a plot of land and an apartment, which has not yet been put into operation.
Deputy Maykovyk boasts even more compelling figures. With a salary of 920 hryvnias, the family declared $97 in cash, over 335 hryvnias, and another $2900 in the wife's bank account. This brings the total to approximately 4,2 million hryvnias, or almost $100.
Suspected embezzlement: road repairs overpaid by UAH 3,5 million
The Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office has charged two city council officials in a case involving road repairs that resulted in overpayments of nearly 3,5 million hryvnias.
Natalia Sokolovskaya, spokesperson for the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office, explained:
"Prosecutors from the Chernivtsi Regional Prosecutor's Office are overseeing the criminal proceedings in question as part of a pre-trial investigation launched into allegations of misuse by city council officials in the procurement of public works services, specifically street pavement repairs in Chernivtsi. Two individuals, former directors, have been charged with procuring services at inflated prices, resulting in damages to the local community of nearly three and a half million hryvnias."
Natalia Sokolovskaya
One of the defendants is Grigoriy Prokhorenko, who at the time of the alleged crime was the director of the Department of Infrastructure and Improvement of the Chernivtsi City Council.
The contract was concluded with the sole proprietor Krivak Andrey, which won only five tenders worth over UAH 27,9 million in 2022-2023. Four of these were awarded by the City Council's Infrastructure Department, totaling over UAH 24 million.
The StopKor film crew visited the department. Igor Nikolenko, the current director of the department, responded to a question about the audit of the previous management:
"There's an employer, where's the city council? There are relevant structures to which it reports. That is, I can't initiate any preliminary investigations or anything else there right now. There's the employer, there's the city council press service."
Grigory Prokhorenko, who remains the department's first deputy director at the time of the investigation, responded to the question about the suspicion: "I can't talk about that. While the investigation is ongoing, we will defend our honor."
Grigory Prokhorenko
When asked whether an internal investigation or review had been conducted, Prokhorenko stated, "Our department has been reviewed four times. There's an audit, and there's a review of the audit. It found no violations."
Roman Klichuk. The department's scandalous tenders
The major overhaul of Holovna Street will cost almost 170 million hryvnias. Mayor Klychuk personally commented on the complexities of this tender.
The Fuchika Street repairs cost 32 million hryvnias. According to Nashi Dengi (Our Money) analysis, some materials were purchased at 1,5 to 2 times the market price. The estimated overpayment is approximately 1,11 million hryvnias, equivalent to 64 FPV drones for the front.
The Department of Infrastructure's spending on tenders grew rapidly:
- 2021 — 9 million UAH;
- 2022 - UAH 220 million;
- 2023 - UAH 653 million;
- 2024 — 1,6 billion UAH;
- 2025 – almost 870 million UAH.
The Department of Infrastructure's expenditure on tenders reached UAH 2 billion.
The total is nearly two billion hryvnias over four years. Meanwhile, the department official under suspicion continues to serve as the first deputy head.
Gorsvet: suspicion against the director of the enterprise
According to ProZorro, the largest number of Department of Infrastructure tenders were won by Gorsvet, a municipal public utility enterprise owned by the Chernivtsi City Council and controlled by the mayor. The current mayor appointed the company's director.
Natalia Sokolovskaya reported:
"In another criminal case opened for embezzlement of budget funds during the purchase of lighting equipment in Chernivtsi, charges were filed against the director of a public utility, the former director of a private company, the company's accountant, and a former employee. They were charged with embezzlement of budget funds during the purchase of education equipment. The resulting losses to the public utility amount to approximately 2,2 million hryvnias."
The court accepted The decision to extend the suspension of director Andrei Shaleev until January 14, 2026. However, the appeals court ruled otherwise—the extension of the suspension was denied.
An interesting detail: when the film crew was at the mayor's office, the employees insisted that the head of Gorsvet had been suspended: "Shaleev has been suspended, I told you."
An undeclared Land Cruiser and a land grant
In 2024, Andrey Shaleev used a Toyota Land Cruiser, which, according to the asset declaration, belonged to another person, Pyotr Trunov. However, according to the investigation, the car has been owned by Shaleev himself since June 18, 2025.
The NACP was not notified of this. No declaration of changes in property status was filed. The average market value of such a car is approximately $50, or over 2 million hryvnias. To put this into perspective, the official annual salary of this official is 825 hryvnias.
This is the car journalists saw near the business when the legal adviser reported, "He's not here right now. The car is parked; he left for the city council in his official vehicle."
According to the declaration, in 2024, a certain Irina Novikova gifted Andriy Shaleev a plot of land in Chernivtsi, as well as more than 190 thousand hryvnias in cash.
Shaleev's son likely owns an apartment and a parking space in a new residential complex scheduled for completion in 2023. When asked by journalists where his son got such property, the official replied, "Ask him."
Andrey Shareev
Journalists were unable to find information about real estate that could belong to the official's wife in any of the declarations.
New suspicion: embezzlement of 300 thousand during the repair of the shelter
Two Chernivtsi City Council officials have been charged with embezzling over 300 hryvnias during the renovation of a shelter. Among the suspects is department director Ihor Nikolenko, the same official who, in a conversation with journalists, referred the matter "to the city council" because he was "not the employer."
Among those involved is the department director Igor Nikolenko
Nikolenko commented on the situation:
"I'll review the charges for now. I disagree with the charges. Of course, I'll prove my innocence in court."
Igor Nikolenko
Notably, this is happening in the wake of a court ruling that ordered the Chernivtsi City Council to ensure that shelters in city schools are properly maintained. This means that the issue of children's safety during air raids was resolved not by administrative decision, but by the courts.
The mayor's position: suspicions are "too much"
The mayor has his own position regarding the work of officials with suspicion. public statement Roman Klichuk stated:
"Sometimes there are justified facts and suspicions, and sometimes there are unfounded ones. This is abnormal. It demotivates all employees... That's why I think there's too much going on today. This is abnormal, because being a government official or a businessman doesn't automatically mean being a thief... Throwing suspicions around like this is unethical."
At the same time, the mayor noted:
"But we've always cooperated with law enforcement. I understand that they help us prevent corruption, and that's fine. But when there's a basis, I agree, and when there's no basis, just for the sake of numbers, I don't think that's right."
The Free Parking Scandal for the UBD
One of the most high-profile cases was the mayor's announcement of free parking for war veterans. Roman Klichuk publicly stated, which does not support this idea, arguing that “not all UBI are real.”
The reaction was immediate. After the wave of criticism, the mayor's rhetoric shifted: meetings with veterans and discussions of possible solutions began.
By comparison, in Ivano-Frankivsk, free parking for UBD was immediately supported, while in Lviv, it became the subject of open public discussion.
Roman Klichuk. What's next?
StopKor's editorial team has sent official inquiries to the Chernivtsi City Council, the Department of Infrastructure, the Municipal Enterprise "Gorsvet," and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NACP). A team of lawyers is preparing a letter to law enforcement agencies.
Currently, responses have been received from the Department of Infrastructure and Improvement, as well as the Executive Committee of the Chernivtsi City Council, stating that “the period for reviewing the request has been extended to 20 working days due to the large volume of information requested.”
"When suspicions are everywhere you look, when there are billion-dollar tenders, when officials remain in office under suspicion, when a mayor with business assets runs the city, and his deputies declare millions in cash—this isn't 'overkill.' This already looks like a systemic corruption risk that requires our investigation.""," concludes the author of the investigation, Anastasia Vasilenko.
If the authorities don't quite understand why journalists are coming with questions, StopKor will continue to show why. Because it's not the government that controls the people. It's the people who should control the government. Therefore, we urge all concerned to report potential corruption in Chernivtsi and elsewhere. Contact us on social media or through our chatbot; confidentiality is guaranteed.
Let us recall that earlier StopKor already reportedIn Chernivtsi, two officials of municipal enterprises subordinate to the city council are suspected of a conflict of interest. These officials are Ivan Butnyak, director of the Ivan Mykolaichuk Cultural and Artistic Center, and Volodymyr Ursulyan, head of the MKSHEP. These enterprises report to the city council, headed by Roman Klychuk.
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