Officials in Lviv Oblast to Stand Trial for Embezzlement in the Coal Industry

Prosecutors from the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office have filed an indictment with the court against the chair of the Lviv City Council, her deputy, the acting head of the Department of Education, and the deputy director of a company, in connection with the purchase of substandard coal for educational institutions, resulting in losses of nearly 2.3 million hryvnias. In addition, the city council chair is accused of receiving improper benefits from her subordinates.

The investigation established that in September of last year, the deputy director of a private company conspired with the mayor and her deputy to gain an advantage during the conclusion of a contract. 

The acting head of the education department was drawn into the scheme; requests for proposals were sent only to “friendly” businesses, and the tender documentation was tailored to a specific contractor. In October 2025, a contract was signed, after which 214 metric tons of substandard coal—without quality certification—were delivered to 11 educational institutions, and the contractor unjustifiably received budget funds.

In addition, it was documented that the city council chair received an unlawful benefit from subordinates in the form of a portion of funds from accrued bonuses. Specifically, the official received 4,700 UAH in cash from a specialist in the finance department. The city council chairwoman, her deputy, and the acting head of the department are charged with abuse of office and receiving unlawful benefits, while the deputy director of the enterprise is charged with misappropriation of another’s property through abuse of office.

Source: Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

In Kyiv, the former head of the Education Department of the Solomyanskyi District State Administration will stand trial for the procurement of electricity for educational institutions, resulting in losses of over 5.4 million hryvnias. The pretrial investigation into the case has been completed, and the indictment has been submitted to the court.

In September 2025, the prosecutor’s office requested a warrant for the arrest of Olga Drozdova, head of the Education Department of the Dnipro District State Administration, who is accused in a case involving the purchase of vegetable cutters and chairs for shelters at inflated prices.