Anti-corruption authorities have launched a large-scale investigation into the lifestyle of Dmytro Shybko, reportedly the Deputy Head of the Prydniprovsk State Environmental Inspectorate. Law enforcement officers have sent official requests to banking institutions demanding the disclosure of banking secrecy concerning the official himself, his family, and a number of related individuals.
Journalists at UA.News learned this from their own sources.
What information interested the detectives
Detectives are monitoring Shybko’s lifestyle in order to determine whether his actual expenditures and assets correspond to the official income declared in his financial statements.
The investigation covers a fairly extensive period — from 1 January 1998 to 12 March 2026. The agency is demanding that banks provide comprehensive data, including:
- Full account audit: numbers of all accounts, balances, and transaction histories over nearly 30 years
- Payment details: complete information on who transferred money and to whom the official himself made payments (including company registration codes and full names of counterparties)
- Bank safe deposit boxes: information about rented boxes where cash or valuables may be stored
- Transactions without opening accounts: transfers and cash withdrawals that may have taken place outside formal banking procedures
List of close associates
A distinctive feature of this investigation is its scale. Law enforcement authorities are requesting data not only on Dmytro Shybko, but also on 15 individuals and companies connected to him. Among them:
- Family: Yuliia Shybko (presumably his wife), Mariia and Roman Shybko (children), as well as the parents of the couple — Nataliia and Vitalii Shybko, Yurii and Liudmyla Denysov
- Trusted individuals: Marina Lazareva, Vladyslav Bordun, Andrii Karpachov, Tetiana Sablina, and others
Business empire
In addition to individuals, three companies have come under the close scrutiny of anti-corruption investigators, which may be linked to the declarant:
- LLC “Serpen-9”
- LLC “Lystopad-9”
- LLC PCF “NICE” (also mentioned as LLC “Friendly”)
Detectives suspect that financial operations not reflected in the official’s reports may have been conducted through these structures. Particular attention is being paid to transactions exceeding UAH 400,000 and foreign transfers to offshore jurisdictions.
What is in the official’s declaration
The official list of Shybko’s real estate has barely changed for decades, and the main assets are concentrated in his wife’s hands.
The official personally owns two apartments: one in the city of Dnipro with an area of 65 m², acquired back in 1996, and also a small but centrally located apartment in Kyiv, received as a gift from his mother.
Meanwhile, his wife Yuliia Shybko has owned spacious apartments in the elite residential complex “Delmar” in Dnipro (123.5 m²) since 2008. In April 2023, Yuliia Yuriiivna also acquired an apartment in Kyiv with an area of 72.1 m².
In addition, in 2010 Yuliia Shybko became the owner of a cottage (320 m²) at the Pishchanka recreation base on the banks of the Samara River. The declared value at the time of acquisition was UAH 340,000 — at that time a substantial amount, equivalent to approximately $42,000.
Dmytro Shybko’s official salary is approximately UAH 42,900 per month (before tax). His wife earns almost nine times more through entrepreneurial activity, with her annual income reaching UAH 4.5 million.
Dmytro Shybko holds UAH 240,500 in an account at Raiffeisen Bank — practically his salary for six months. He officially has no other savings.
Meanwhile, the family’s real “safe” is once again his wife, Yuliia Shybko, who keeps nearly UAH 6.5 million in cash.
Successful children
The Shybko couple have two adult children. Their daughter Mariia will soon turn 26. In 2022, she became the owner of a four-room apartment (246 m²) in the historic centre of Kyiv. The apartment on Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Street was gifted to her by her older brother. Today, this gift is worth approximately $350,000.
Mariia is registered as a sole proprietor with an unusually broad range of activities in the light industry sector. Her main activity is online retail (KVED 47.91), but in addition she has 13 other types of activity, including tailoring clothing from underwear to evening dresses and coats, manufacturing accessories, as well as property rental (68.20), legal services (69.10), and auditing (69.20).
Mariia has the right to produce clothing, provide legal consultations, and rent out property, yet her business has left no digital trace on Google. Her listed phone number is completely “sterile” online. For a real online clothing store generating income, this is unusual.
Their 33-year-old son Roman Shybko is a lawyer. He owns an apartment (54.4 m²) on Boichuka Street in Kyiv. Earlier, in 2013, he “purchased” the apartment on Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Street — the same one later gifted to his sister Mariia.
In 2016, when the official’s son was only 24, a BMW 750Li (2016 model year), worth around $100,000 at the time, was registered in his name. Initially, the car was registered to a security guard of the Prydniprovsk Environmental Inspectorate. According to the State Bureau of Investigations, the vehicle is used by the elder Shybko.
Wealthy parents
Nataliia Shybko, the official’s mother, according to anti-corruption monitoring data, owns assets that are difficult to explain based on the family’s official income.
At the beginning of 2022 (just before the full-scale invasion), she became the owner of a property in a prestigious district of Dnipro: a residential house with an area of 201.3 m². The declared value was only UAH 1.2 million (about $43,000 at the time), meaning the price per square metre was just $213.
This is approximately five times lower than market prices for similar real estate in that area. The following year, 2023, she gifted another apartment to her son — 72 m² on Ivan Mazepa Street in Kyiv’s Pechersk district, with a declared value of UAH 200,000. For comparison, as of March 2026, similar apartments start from $200,000.
Anti-corruption authorities are also investigating Shybko’s father, Vitalii Shybko, a former Member of Parliament and ex-chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee. However, no information about his business assets or real estate exists in public registers, likely because he passed away in December 2021.
Yurii Denysov, Shybko’s 85-year-old father-in-law, demonstrates remarkable business activity. He is the sole owner (100% share) of LLC “Serpen-9”, which owns a large building (962.5 m²) valued at over UAH 20 million. In 2021, at the age of 81, he also personally acquired commercial premises (334.5 m²) worth approximately UAH 4 million.
The history of LLC “Serpen-9” is a classic case of asset “passing”. Initially owned by Shybko’s wife, it was later transferred to his personal driver, Vladyslav Bordun, and eventually to the father-in-law.
Despite controlling millions in assets, the father-in-law lives in an ordinary flat on the outskirts of Dnipro. There are no signs that he actually manages commercial properties.
A special person in Shybko’s life
An important role in Shybko’s life is played by a cosmetologist from Dnipro, Marina Lazareva.
Their relationship came under scrutiny after an unusual yet costly road accident. In March 2025, Shybko, while driving a Mercedes-Benz GLC 200 belonging to Lazareva, was involved in a crash. According to police, he was intoxicated and refused a breathalyser test.
To compensate for the damaged vehicle, Shybko reportedly purchased Lazareva a brand-new Mercedes-Benz worth UAH 4.56 million (about $110,000), despite his annual salary being nine times lower.
A driver “like a brother”
Vladyslav Bordun is officially a driver, but in reality appears to be a successful businessman and asset holder.
He owns luxury real estate — two apartments with a total area exceeding 140 m² and a parking space in the elite “Panorama” complex, worth about $250,000.
According to investigators, during covert surveillance he admitted that these properties actually belong to his employer, Shybko.
He is also listed as founder or manager of several companies:
- LLC “Lystopad-9”
- LLC “Serpen-9”
- LLC PCF “NICE”
Pollution of the Dnipro River
In 2018, journalists documented serious environmental pollution: foul-smelling water, increased temperature, and white foam deposits along the riverbank. Laboratory tests showed manganese levels twice the norm and iron four times higher.
Although the Dnipro Metallurgical Plant appeared responsible, court documents revealed that over 80% of wastewater was transferred to LLC “NICE” for treatment.
Activists claim the wastewater was discharged untreated, shifting formal responsibility away from the plant.
Shell companies and nominal directors
Companies such as “Serpen-9”, “Lystopad-9”, and “Friendly” shared a common director — Bordun — indicating the use of a nominal manager.
It was also established that Shybko’s wife received income from one of these companies, creating a direct financial link.
Bribery case
In August 2019, Shybko was detained while receiving a $1,000 bribe for ignoring environmental violations. The case was later reclassified and closed, and he was reinstated.
Land scheme
Journalists uncovered 27 adjacent land plots in a park area, later consolidated under a single company linked to Shybko’s associates.
Toxic lake
In 2020, a reservoir filled with unknown liquid was discovered. It was linked to a company connected to the same network.
Despite multiple inspections, no cases were completed.
An unchanging leader
Despite scandals and criminal cases, Dmytro Shybko has retained his position and influence. Cases against him were reclassified and closed, after which he was reinstated through court.
In effect, he has led the regional environmental inspectorate for over a decade — a period during which environmental oversight in the region has failed to become effective.
