David Arakhamia found vouching for lawmaker facing corruption charges
Source: Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office
On Wednesday, “Servant of the People” faction leader David Arakhamia has stepped in to personally vouch for a fellow party member, Iryna Kormyshkina, who’s facing some serious accusations—illegal enrichment to the tune of over 20 million hryvnias.
The scandal erupted when the Anti-Corruption Court judge slapped Kormyshkina with a bail measure, but thanks to Arakhamia and Mykolaiv governor Vitaliy Kim, she appears to be getting away with it while the both politicians offered to act as her guarantors.
The lawmaker though will be under some tight obligations for the next two months. She will have to keep authorities informed if she changes her address or job, hand over her passport to prevent any international escapes, and she’s banned from chatting with specific individuals.
The allegations go back to 2021-2022, when investigators say Kormyshkina came into some hefty assets—over 20 million hryvnias, which she used the cash to buy a house in the Odesa region. The purchase appeared to be above her station as her official income during that time barely hit 2.7 million.
Kormushkina is now facing charges under Ukraine’s criminal code for illegal enrichment, a crime that could land her in jail for up to 10 years, with a possible ban on holding certain positions for three years.
Two years ago, the Anti-Corruption Action Center raised eyebrows when they revealed she’d received a 14.4 million hryvnia “gift.” Earlier, she also got another 5.3 million hryvnia and a Swiss watch, encrusted with 11 diamonds, worth 310,000 hryvnias. The gifts came from her father who doesn’t have any official income that could explain such lavish presents.
The Anti-Corruption Action Center even called on Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin to investigate, but when no action was taken, they took matters into their own hands and went to court. The High Anti-Corruption Court eventually ordered the Prosecutor General to open a case into Kormyshkina’s wealth.
In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.
During the GLOBSEC Defence Forum 2026 in Prague, representatives of “Steel Front”, an initiative by Rinat Akhmetov, discussed with NATO delegations, military officials, and representatives of the European defense industry the lessons learned from Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.
Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.