Case description
The NABU and SAPO accuse a group of individuals, including the former mayor of Odesa, his deputy, the director of Odesa Airport, and several businessmen, of misappropriating assets of the municipal enterprise Odesa International Airport worth UAH 118 million, as well as obtaining over UAH 2.5 billion in revenue from its operations between 2012 and 2022.
The case involves the following individuals:
● Businessman Alex Borukhovych
● Businessman Borys Kaufman
● Former Odesa Mayor Oleksii Kostusiev
● Former Deputy Mayor of Odesa Mykhailo Kuchuk
● Director of Odesa Airport Development LLC Oleksii Kochanov
● Kaufman’s trusted associate Kostiantyn Yefremov
● Co-owner of CLEAR-CITY LLC Petro Bahrii.
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The investigation found that as early as 2011, two well-known Odesa businessmen, Borukhovych and Kaufman, devised a scheme to take control of the assets of Odesa International Airport. They established a limited liability company intended to become a co-founder of a joint venture with the Odesa City Council. The proposed share distribution granted 75% ownership to the private entity and only 25% to the community. This allowed them to gain ownership and subsequently privatize the airport’s asset complex, which was then valued at approximately UAH 118 million.
This scheme was facilitated by then-Mayor Kostusiev, who persuaded city council members to support the creation of the joint venture by arguing it would attract private investment into airport development. In addition, he committed official forgery, which enabled the controlled LLC to bypass the competitive selection procedure required to form a joint venture with Odesa City Council.
The airport property transferred into joint use was not subject to privatization. It held the status of a nationally significant asset, as it ensured the operation of border and customs control systems. Particularly critical was the transfer of 535 units of fixed assets out of a total of 2,488—these included airfield facilities vital to flight safety, which could not legally be alienated at all.
Under the concluded agreement, the so-called investors undertook to contribute UAH 355 million to the charter capital and to construct a new terminal and runway. However, a substantial portion of the pledged funds was frozen by the bank due to collateral obligations set up by the scheme’s participants. Although the new terminal was eventually built, it was financed not by the investment funds but through a loan secured by the airport’s asset complex. The construction of the runway never began.
As a result of the scheme’s implementation, its organizers gained control over airport property worth UAH 118 million and generated more than UAH 2.5 billion in revenue from its operations.
The defendants are charged under Article 191(5) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and Oleksii Kostusiev is also charged under Article 366(2).
Additionally, in 2024, the High Anti-Corruption Court approved a plea agreement and found another figure in the case—former acting Deputy Mayor of Odesa Anatolii Orlovskyi—guilty. The court sentenced him to a 3-year probationary period with additional obligations.
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