Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Oblast Military Administration, officially confirmed that his wife Irina, who was born in Russia, obtained a Ukrainian passport only after the start of the full-scale war. The official stated this in response to an information request from RBC-Ukraine. According to him, his wife “acquired Russian Federation citizenship from birth,” but obtained Ukrainian citizenship in March 2022, and a Ukrainian citizen passport in July of the same year. At the same time, Kiper did not specify exactly when Irina Kiper renounced her Russian citizenship, and his response contains no date of such renunciation or a reference to a confirming document.
Why this matters: a passport is not the same as renouncing another citizenship
As the publication notes, obtaining a Ukrainian passport in itself does not answer the key question — the renunciation of another state's citizenship. It is precisely this circumstance that makes Kiper's statement incomplete from both a legal and an informational standpoint: the fact of issuing a Ukrainian document does not automatically confirm that the Russian passport has been annulled and that the Russian citizen has formally exited the citizenship. The question of Irina Kiper's status became public back in 2023, when journalists of the “Schemes” project investigated her documents and reported that Kiper's wife's Russian passport was at that time listed in the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs database. The same project found Irina Kiper's taxpayer identification number (INN) in the database of the Russian Federal Tax Service, which further fueled doubts about the renunciation of Russian citizenship.
The 2023 version and a “live” Russian passport in the database
At that time, in 2023, Kiper claimed that his wife had switched from Russian to Ukrainian citizenship. However, journalists pointed out a contradiction: if Russian citizenship had indeed been renounced, this did not explain why the Russian passport continued to appear as valid in the relevant Ministry of Internal Affairs database. Against the backdrop of these publications in 2023, an unexpected statement about the Russian passport of the wife of the head of the Odesa OVA was made by Odesa mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov, which only intensified the public resonance around the topic. Thus, until Kiper's current response to RBC-Ukraine's request, a discrepancy persisted in the public domain between the official's words and the data in state databases that journalists had recorded in 2023.
The “Carthage” context: searches, the “Chancellor,” and 89.9 million UAH
Oleh Kiper's name recently came under the attention of law enforcement agencies within the framework of the NABU and SAP “Carthage” operation. On September 4, 2026, anti-corruption bodies announced the unmasking of a criminal organization that the investigation links to receiving bribes from fraudulent call centers and the legalization of funds. According to the VAKS, the amount in question is more than 89.9 million UAH, which, according to the investigation, may have been legalized by the organization's members. As part of this case, NABU conducted searches, including at Kiper's residence: according to media reports, investigative actions took place at his homes in Kyiv and Odesa, and law enforcement officers seized a phone. The investigation's particular interest in the head of the Odesa OVA is explained by his professional ties with one of the key figures in the case — Serhiy Krapiva, whom the investigation calls the “Chancellor.”
Ties to the “Chancellor” and resignation rumors
In 2024, Krapiva served as deputy head of the Odesa OVA and was responsible for digital development and transformation precisely under Kiper's leadership, after which he moved to the Office of the Prosecutor General. The case materials also feature conversations by Krapiva in which he mentions working with Kiper. Against the backdrop of “Carthage,” media reports appeared about Kiper's possible resignation: in particular, it was reported that the head of the Odesa OVA had allegedly submitted a resignation letter, although this information was denied. It should be added that Kiper has repeatedly found himself at the center of public scandals: after working in the prosecutor's office under Viktor Yanukovych, he was entered into the lustration register, but in 2019 a court overturned the restrictions, ruled the dismissal unlawful, and awarded more than 805,000 UAH in compensation. Journalists also investigated his trip abroad at the end of 2022 — beginning of 2023, the story over the control of agricultural exports in Odesa Oblast, and statements regarding real estate and business assets. In January 2026, a court ordered the SBU to open a pre-trial investigation into a report of possible abuses by Kiper.
Contradictory data
The sources and the parties' statements contain several notable discrepancies. First, on the question of his wife's citizenship: Kiper claims that his wife switched from Russian to Ukrainian citizenship, however in 2023 “Schemes” recorded a valid Russian passport in the Russian MIA database and an INN in the Russian FTS database, and in his fresh response to RBC-Ukraine's request the official provides no date of renunciation of Russian citizenship or a confirming document — that is, both versions (renunciation and the “live” Russian passport) remain in the public domain without a final documentary resolution. Second, the materials feature an inconsistent spelling of the surname of a key figure in “Carthage” — “Krapiva” and “Kropyva,” which points to inaccuracies in the original sources. Third, regarding the resignation: it was reported that Kiper had allegedly submitted a resignation letter, while this information was denied, so the status of his holding the office as of the current date requires additional verification. All the contradictions listed are stated openly, and the editorial team does not substitute them with data from its own memory.
