--- title: "Donation Schemes: How Former Ukrainian MFA Leadership Embezzled 37 Million UAH in Aid" description: "NABU uncovered a scheme to embezzle 37 million UAH in donations led by the former State Secretary of the MFA of Ukraine. Money collected to help the country was funneled through fake grants and cashed out. πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ’Έ" date: 2026-07-27T14:32:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/donation-schemes-how-former-ukrainian-mfa-leadership-embezzled-37-million-uah-in-aid tags: [nabu, ukraine, alexander-bankov, mfa-ukraine, corruption] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Donation Schemes: How Former Ukrainian MFA Leadership Embezzled 37 Million UAH in Aid ![Gavel on a stack of dollar bills, symbolizing corruption and fund misappropriation](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/27/nabu-raskrylo-shemu-hishcheniya-37-mln-griven-donatov-bivshim-gossekretarem-mid/nabu-raskrylo-shemu-hishcheniya-37-mln-griven-donatov-bivshim-gossekretarem-mid-1.webp) The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), in cooperation with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), has uncovered a large-scale scheme to embezzle funds intended to aid Ukraine. At the center of the investigation is an organized criminal group led by the former State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The investigation established that members of the group misappropriated financial assets from foreign citizens and donors. These funds arrived at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion and were meant to support the country. However, instead of being used for their intended purpose, they were laundered through currency exchange centers and transferred for personal use. ### Theft Mechanism: From Donors to Currency Exchange Centers According to the investigation, the State Secretary of the MFA used his official position to persuade international donors and employees of foreign diplomatic missions to direct financial assistance to bank accounts controlled by the organized group. Expert analysis confirmed that the funds received by this organization legally had the status of targeted budget funds of the special fund of the MFA of Ukraine. The subsequent scheme unfolded as follows: - Funds were transferred to accounts controlled by individual entrepreneurs (sole proprietorships) and legal entities. - These accounts were used to move money to currency exchange centers for cashing out. - The "cleaned" money was then taken by the participants of the scheme. To create the appearance of legitimate activity, the participants produced fake documents and signed grant agreements containing false information. ### Investigation Results and Damage Amount The investigation established the laundering of funds totaling more than 37 million hryvnias (approximately 1.28 million US dollars at the time of the crime). NABU does not name the suspect in open sources, but notes that during the specified period, the position of State Secretary was held by Oleksandr Bankov. Suspicion has been raised against the group members under articles regarding misappropriation, embezzlement, or appropriation by abuse of office, as well as the legalization of income obtained by criminal means. Case qualification: Part 4 of Article 190, Part 5 of Article 191, and Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. ### Context: Other Major NABU Cases The investigation into the theft of donor funds is not the only major operation by anti-corruption authorities in recent times. On July 21, NABU and SAPO announced suspicion against eight individuals involved in the misappropriation of more than 150 million hryvnias allocated to the National Guard. Additionally, on June 29, NABU detained a serving People's Deputy of Ukraine, who was taken to a temporary detention center. According to RBC-Ukraine sources, the deputy in question is Serhiy Kuzmin from the "Servant of the People" party.