Ukraine nationalizes property of a pro-Russian collaborator worth over UAH 120 million

The High Anti-Corruption Court has upheld the Ministry of Justice’s claim to recover the assets of a collaborator, former MP Yevhen Balytskyi, in favor of Ukraine. Ukraine has nationalized the property of the former Zaporizhzhia mayor, worth over UAH 120 million, as reported by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on June 5.

The property owned by Balytskyi through his family—his wife, son, and father—was also nationalized. The seized assets include a Kyiv-based company that repairs and maintains aircraft. The rest of the nationalized property is located in the temporarily occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region.

«We are talking about five light aircraft, three apartments, a private house, two land plots, and four premium cars, including Lexus and BMW. In addition, 100% of the authorized capital of six enterprises in the temporarily occupied Melitopol was nationalized. Among them is a local television and radio company that works for the aggressor. The total value of the nationalized property is over UAH 120 million», — the SBU stated.

At the end of June 2023, Balytskyi was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property based on SBU materials. The court found him guilty under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

• Part 2 of Article 28, Part 5 of Article 111-1 (participation in the organization and holding of illegal referendums in the temporarily occupied territory, committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons)
• Part 2 of Article 110 (intentional actions committed with the aim of changing the boundaries of the territory or state border of Ukraine in violation of the procedure established by the Constitution of Ukraine, by prior conspiracy by a group of persons)

According to the investigation, Balytskyi, a former MP from the banned OPZZh party, was one of the first to publicly support the full-scale Russian invasion. Subsequently, the collaborator was appointed head of the occupation administration of the aggressor country in the temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Region.

The nationalized property of the Gauleiter, which is under temporary occupation, will be seized in favor of Ukraine as part of future reparations.