HACC Closes Dubnevych and Associates Case on Misappropriation of UAH 93 Million from Ukrzaliznytsia

HACC Closes Dubnevych and Associates Case on Misappropriation of UAH 93 Million from Ukrzaliznytsia
HACC Closes Dubnevych and Associates Case on Misappropriation of UAH 93 Million from Ukrzaliznytsia

On May 26, 2026, the HACC granted the defense's motion and closed the criminal proceedings against former MP Yaroslav Dubnevych and associates concerning the misappropriation of UAH 93 million from Ukrzaliznytsia through the procurement of railway turnouts.  The grounds for closure: expiration of the pre-trial investigation period following the service of suspicion notices.

In addition to Yaroslav Dubnevych, the case involved:

  • Eduard Pushkarenko — his former assistant and First Deputy Head of the Ukrzaliznytsia Production Support Center branch

  • Serhii Taranenko — Chairman of the Board and CEO of Dnipropetrovsk Railway Switch Plant PJSC

  • Valerii Kriachko — Deputy CEO of Dnipropetrovsk Railway Switch Plant PJSC

  • Anton Shevchenko — former founder of Argo LLC, the shell company that won the tenders

  • Oleh Misionh — Director of KRT Corporation LLC

  • Andrii Stepanenko — Head of the Track Superstructure Department of the Ukrzaliznytsia Production Support Center branch

  • Tetiana Klepak and Oksana Zakharevych — employees of that department. 

According to the investigation, MP Dubnevych used his influence over Ukrzaliznytsia to lobby for the allocation of funds for turnout procurement, with the aim of organizing their supply at inflated prices through his controlled Argo LLC.

The scheme was executed with the involvement of Eduard Pushkarenko — the MP's former assistant and head of the relevant Ukrzaliznytsia branch — who, through his subordinates Klepak, Stepanenko, and Zakharevych, rigged the tender in favor of Argo. AKB Tyazhmashkomplekt LLC played the role of a fictitious competitor in the bidding. Dubnevych also brought in Dnipropetrovsk Railway Switch Plant director Serhii Taranenko, who concurrently served as his parliamentary assistant.

Rather than procuring directly from the manufacturer, the supply chain was artificially extended through a series of intermediaries, driving up prices significantly:

  1. Dnipropetrovsk Railway Switch Plant sold the goods to Dubnevych's KRT Corporation for UAH 525.9 million.

  2. KRT Corporation resold them to Argo LLC at a 20% markup — for UAH 631.4 million.

  3. Argo LLC delivered the products to Ukrzaliznytsia for UAH 637.9 million.

A forensic examination established that the losses amounted to UAH 93.28 million, attributable to the bypassing of direct procurement from the manufacturer.

This is not the first time the case has been closed. In September 2022, the HACC already closed it on the same grounds. In May 2023, the HACC Appeals Chamber overturned that decision and returned the case to the first instance.

This case is yet another illustration of the problems created by the current rules on pre-trial investigation deadlines — specifically Article 284(1)(10) of the Criminal Procedure Code (the so-called “Lozovyi amendments”), which allows a case to be closed even when submitted to court with only a marginally missed deadline. The Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court has previously resolved one related issue — concerning who may extend investigation deadlines in criminal proceedings.