The deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Oleg Tatarov, rents a 600-square-meter villa from a person who is likely connected to businessmen close to former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, according to an investigation by “Ukrainian Pravda”. writes Independent Kyiv.

Tatarov is one of the top members of Zelenskyi’s administration, which oversees law enforcement agencies. He was the subject of a bribery investigation, but escaped charges in December 2022 as the investigation expired.

Since the case was under consideration, it was often “derailed” by attempts to silence it at a high level, and Zelensky never removed Tatarov.

According to “Ukrainian Pravda”, Tatarov lives in a villa in Kozyna, an expensive urban settlement near Kyiv. The villa belongs to Volodymyr Kovalenko, who bought it in 2021 and just a few months later rented it to Tatarov.

Kovalenko bought a luxurious villa with an area of ​​600 square meters from Russian citizen Suzanne Magakyan for only 2 million hryvnias ($72,730), which is many times cheaper than usual for this area.

The Maghakyan family owns the company Retail Residents, and the partners in the company are the Rostomyan family.

In 2015, one of the houses of Yanukovych, who fled to Russia after the Euromaidan, was re-registered in the name of a member of the Rostomyan family, “Our Money” reports.

Journalists believe that it was an attempt by Yanukovych to secure property for himself through proxies.

During the Yanukovych administration, Tatarov held the position of deputy chief of the Main Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and did not oppose the violent dispersal of anti-government protesters by the police.

In addition, at the height of the Euromaidan revolution, Yanukovych awarded Tatarov the title of “Honorary Lawyer of Ukraine”, reports “Schemes” in an investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

According to Kovalenko, he rents Tatarov’s villa for 75,000 hryvnias ($2,052) a month, although he would not be able to afford it on his official salary.

Tatarov, the 2020 presidential adviser on law enforcement and law enforcement, denies any wrongdoing and has not been convicted of any crimes. He stated that his accusers are trying to settle political scores.

Earlier, Zelenskyi said that there is no place for corruption in his administration. “I want to emphasize: if those who work with me are suspected of corruption, then these people will be fired. And I have not seen such examples in my office yet,” he said in an interview with the Ukrainian magazine “Focus” in December 2020.

Neither Zelensky nor Tatarov responded to detailed questions for this article, Reuters reported.

Corruption, a “serious challenge” in Ukraine

Zelensky was hailed as a warlord after Russia launched its full-scale invasion last February. However, some have questioned his commitment to keeping his promise to fight corruption.

Ukraine consistently ranks in the bottom half of Transparency International’s annual Global Corruption Perceptions Index, and in the latest study for 2022, only Russia was ranked as more corrupt in Europe.

Billions of dollars in aid allocated to the Zelenskyi government, as well as ambitions to join the European Union, depend on whether Ukraine proves its seriousness in fighting corruption and implementing good governance.

In a June report, the International Monetary Fund said donors and foreign investors must see reforms to improve governance, transparency and fight corruption “as a matter of urgency.”

In an assessment of Ukraine’s chances of joining the EU, published in June 2022, the European Commission called corruption “a serious challenge that requires constant attention.”

A survey by two Kyiv sociological institutes, published on September 11, showed that 78 percent of Ukrainians consider Zelensky responsible for corruption in the government. A related poll found that 55% believe that Western military aid should be contingent on fighting corruption.

Oleg Tatarov, a symbol of Zelensky’s tolerance

In recent months, Zelenskyi has taken steps to address his doubts.

In January, he fired more than a dozen senior officials amid public accusations of corruption and wrongdoing, saying: “All the internal problems that hinder the state are and will be resolved.”

Also, Zelenskyi replaced his Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov, citing the need for “new approaches”.

This happened after a series of accusations in the Ukrainian press, according to which the Ministry of Defense purchases goods at an inflated cost.

Reznikov stated at a press conference in Kyiv a week before his removal that the reports were inaccurate.

All these changes and dismissals left Tatarov in office. Several insiders interviewed by Reuters said he was a key figure in helping Zelensky control Ukraine’s sprawling security and law enforcement agencies.

“Tatarov has become a symbol of Zelenskyi’s tolerance for corruption in his immediate environment,” the Kyiv Independent newspaper wrote earlier this year, referring to accusations of bribery.

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