On March 19, 2026, MP Liudmyla Marchenko and her aide Anastasiia Kolesnik were found guilty of trading in influence. Both were sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.
According to the prosecution, Marchenko and Kolesnik offered, in exchange for a bribe, to have two male volunteers of conscription age entered into the “Shliakh” information system to enable them to travel abroad.
The investigation identified two episodes of unlawful conduct by Marchenko and her assistant. In the first episode, the MP allegedly received USD 6,000 for facilitating unimpeded border crossing; in the second, USD 5,300 for including an individual in the Shliakh system.
In exchange for the bribes, Marchenko allegedly promised to influence the decision of officials at the Kyiv Regional Military Administration. In the summer of 2022, acting as the founder of the “Ukrainian-Turkish Charity Fund”, she informed a deputy head of the Kyiv RMA of the supposed need for volunteer drivers of this fund to cross the border to deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Marchenko instructed her assistant to communicate directly with the men, promising to use her influence over Kyiv RMA officials to obtain the necessary travel authorizations in exchange for bribes. Kolesnik was to receive the bribes personally and transfer the funds to the MP.
In March 2023, a man approached Anastasiia Kolesnik seeking assistance in leaving Ukraine. She informed him that the issue could be resolved by entering his details into the Shliakh system and ensuring his unimpeded border crossing — through her ability to secure the approval of the RMA head. For this, she demanded a monetary reward.
Kolesnik subsequently received the man’s documents and, on June 1, 2023, obtained the first installment of the agreed bribe — USD 2,500, which she then passed to Marchenko.
On July 5, 2023, after the man obtained the necessary authorization to leave Ukraine, Kolesnik delivered the second installment of USD 2,800, again transferring the funds to the MP at her residence.
Law enforcement officers recorded on video the moment when the assistant handed USD 2,800 to Marchenko, who, upon learning of an unexpected visit from NABU detectives, attempted to throw the money over the fence of her estate. As a result, the men obtained the desired travel permits.
One of the men involved later testified that he had met with Anastasiia Kolesnik and paid the bribe in two parts of USD 3,000 each.
The actions of Liudmyla Marchenko and Anastasiia Kolesnik are classified under Article 369-2(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
HACC found both defendants guilty and sentenced each of them to two years’ imprisonment. As an additional penalty, Liudmyla Marchenko was banned for three years from holding positions in state authorities and local self-government bodies, while Anastasiia Kolesnik was banned for three years from holding positions in organizations involved in processing permits for crossing the border.
The verdict has not yet entered into force and may be appealed before the HACC Appeals Chamber.
Marchenko also appears in another case. The SAPO filed a claim seeking confiscation of her property—five apartments, rights to apartments in a residential complex, and a car—with a total value of more than UAH 8.2 million. In SAPO’s view, to conceal the acquisition of this property, Marchenko registered title in the name of her father and her brother’s cohabiting partner.
06/09/2023
