NABU Seizes Odesa Governor Kiper’s Phone; Deputy Detained, Asset Declarations Removed

NABU searched Odesa Governor Oleg Kiper in Kyiv and Odesa under the “Carthage” case, seizing his phone; he was released. Deputy Sergei Kropyva was detained on 120 million hryvnia bail for allegedly laundering 89 million hryvnia (48.2 million in Odesa, 41.7 million in the Prosecutor General’s Office), and a prosecutor quoted Kropyva thanking Kiper for “taking him to Odesa.” After a call from Kiper, suspects seized the Instagram account of Elizaveta Ivakhnenko (“Muse”); the High Anti‑Corruption Court is weighing a preventive measure for her, proposing 60‑day arrest and a 20 million hryvnia bail, while her driver was freed on 3 million bail. A parallel probe targets former deputy Maria Vdovichenko, now first deputy to Prosecutor General Kostin; MP Honcharuk said both Vdovichenko and Kiper submitted resignations after Kostin’s departure. The National Agency on Corruption Prevention removed Kiper’s 2022‑2025 declarations from the public register, citing a “service regime” not found in the real‑estate registry, while Odesa Mayor Vitaliy Kim’s declarations remain public.

Investigations show the Kiper family holds luxury real estate worth over $1 million, half bought after the invasion; Kiper sued for early pension, got a free dacha, and his wife borrowed 25 million hryvnia from an associate. Kiper also travelled abroad during the exit ban and was linked to a 2023 property seizure. The Carthage scheme extracted $20‑24 k monthly from call centers, sending money to Lesniki estate and Bukovel hotel; Kiper set customs rules for Odesa ports and a $1 billion sanctioned Russian business was moved to an associate. Kiper remains governor, phone seized, declarations hidden, resignations drafted.