The HACC Appeals Chamber is reviewing the preventive measure imposed on former MP Maksym Mykytas. Earlier, on August 21, 2026, a HACC investigating judge ordered his detention as a preventive measure, with the alternative of posting UAH 30 million bail.

Both sides appealed the ruling: the defense demands that the preventive measure be scrapped entirely, while the prosecution insists on raising the bail to UAH 200 million. Mykytas himself took part in the hearing via video link from the Kyiv pretrial detention center.

The defense's position

Arguing its appeal, the defense stressed that the first-instance judge had failed to account for the absence of any misappropriation by Mykytas of the funds he allegedly laundered.

• Mykytas's lawyer maintains that the risk of absconding is minimal, since his conduct in other criminal proceedings has shown his willingness to cooperate with the investigation and not to evade justice.
• On the risk of destroying evidence, the defense noted that although Mykytas did discuss destroying documents, he did not actually do so.
• The lawyer added that the individuals through whom Mykytas could supposedly obstruct the investigation — Mudra and Dubovyk — have already been removed from their posts.

As a separate point, the defense singled out the excessiveness of the UAH 30 million bail, noting that the ex-MP's official income over the past five years was only UAH 4 million, and that his previous bail in another case was UAH 908,000.

The prosecution's position

The prosecution points to five established risks, borne out by the ex-MP's role in the criminal organization and his extensive connections. Mykytas could influence witnesses and others who may know the circumstances of the crime — including through media under his control. The prosecutor cited the systematic deletion of information from the suspect's phones, the moving of valuables, attempts at counter-surveillance of NABU detectives, the discovery of surveillance devices, and plans to install people under his control as heads of anti-corruption bodies.

Particular attention went to Mykytas's financial standing: according to investigators, his official income exceeds UAH 501 million, and he owns a 500-square-meter house and two luxury cars. The prosecutor also cited the transfer of 40,000 shekels (about UAH 560,000) to Mudra's mother and the payment of her daughter's studies in New York in a single installment of $250,000. The prosecution alleges that Mykytas effectively owns Metrobud and set up the firm Hydrotunelbud to duplicate its functions, giving him access to significant assets.

The prosecutor argues that the investigating judge improperly assessed the evidence and the suspect's financial standing — a suspect who, investigators say, keeps investing heavily in joint projects, including with businessman Stolar. This is referenced in the “understanding”: controlled raiding, the artificial bankruptcy of companies, and the manufacturing of creditor debts through the courts.

The prosecutor stressed that Mykytas changed his place of residence several times, trying to conceal his activities out of fear of NABU investigations. Although the suspect did not know the specific details of the new proceedings before the searches on August 19, he was aware of law enforcement's interest in him.

The preventive measures applied in other criminal proceedings — UAH 908,000 bail in the National Guard apartments case and UAH 20 million bail in the case over a bribe to Dnipro mayor Filatov — are ineffective, the prosecutor argued, since Mykytas keeps committing other crimes.

The suspect's position

In his remarks, Mykytas said he was "only taking back what was his," and that the real corrupt officials are now abroad. He asked the court to lower the bail to UAH 10 million. Commenting on his assets, Mykytas explained that his 50% stake in Metrobud brings him no income, since the company's operations have been blocked since September 2025 because of its Russian co-owners, leaving it effectively bankrupt. As for Hydrotunelbud, he said it was created to take over Metrobud's functions but had no income until early 2026 and later posted only UAH 20 million in turnover with no profit, owing to equipment problems. The suspect denied transferring money to Mudra's family and assured the court that no violence had been used against him in the pretrial detention center.

Part of the hearing was held behind closed doors, because the defense was disclosing information about the suspect's state of health and attorney-client privileged material relating to another criminal case.