On May 19, 2026, the HACC proceeded to the examination of defendant Ivan Fishchenko, assistant to MP Oleksandr Yurchenko. Following yet another failure of defense witnesses to appear, the court changed the order of proceedings and allowed Fishchenko to testify via video link.
Fishchenko categorically denied the charges, calling the case a “provocation” targeting him and Yurchenko. He said he does not understand the substance of the accusation — he is not a civil servant and had no authority to influence the MP's decisions. He said he has known Yurchenko since 2019 and provided him with political consulting services, but was never officially his assistant and received no salary from him.
Fishchenko also disclosed that Yurchenko uses his BMW X6 under a rental arrangement at $500 per month and still owes him money for it.
The examination could not be completed today — the hearing was abruptly interrupted by a force majeure event and will resume on June 2.
The examination was preceded by a series of procedural disputes and defense motions. Due to the witnesses' failure to appear, the defense asked the court to compel their attendance; the court deferred those motions.
The question of suspending the proceedings against Fishchenko was also revisited, as he connects to hearings only via video link and not always reliably. As previously reported, several hearings in March–April 2026 could not proceed due to the defendants' absences, and Yurchenko was banned from leaving Kyiv Region. Despite the court's earlier position that Fishchenko must appear in person for his examination, it now indicated readiness to hear him via video link — so the suspension question was set aside.
The defense also sought temporary access to HACC documents to verify whether the panel judges had participated in investigative actions in other proceedings that had been consolidated with this case at the pre-trial stage — hinting at a possible recusal motion.
When the court declined to consider this immediately on procedural grounds, the defense moved to adjourn and issued the panel an ultimatum: if the court did not adjourn, the defense would seek their recusal. That motion was also denied — and the defense duly filed a recusal motion against the entire panel, which was likewise rejected.
MP Oleksandr Yurchenko and his assistant Ivan Fishchenko are charged with receiving a bribe and inciting bribery. According to the investigation, Yurchenko demanded money through an intermediary in exchange for introducing amendments to a waste management bill. The case materials contain recorded conversations in which participants discussed payment amounts, referring to them as “perks.”
