On February 11, 2026, the HACC acquitted Volodymyr Orlov, former First Deputy Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, on charges of soliciting a bribe for allocating a land plot in a forest area.

 During closing arguments, the prosecutor asked the court to find him guilty and sentence him to 10 years’ imprisonment, with a three-year ban on holding certain positions, confiscation of all property, and deprivation of special ranks. She also asked the court to remand Orlov in custody until the verdict enters into legal force.

The defense, in turn, asked the court to acquit Orlov and insisted there had been provocation by the NABU and witness O. Torop (Oleksii Honchar). The defense argued that Orlov did not give in and committed no unlawful acts. Orlov’s counsel said the prosecution’s only evidence was Honchar’s allegedly false testimony. The defense also asked to keep the existing interim measure (bail) unchanged until the verdict becomes final.

The prosecutor rejected the defense’s provocation theory. He also stressed that the covert investigative recordings indicate that it was Orlov who initiated the discussions about a bribe. 

In early 2024, ALFA WAREHOUSE LLC decided to lease a 19-hectare forest plot for recreational activity. According to the investigation, Orlov told the company’s representative that, in exchange for issuing the order allocating the plot, he had to be given an unlawful benefit of USD 200,000.

P.S. Later, SAPO’s press service reported that the prosecution would appeal the acquittal and was already preparing the relevant documents.