The Rada has paid Dubinsky more than 3.4 million hryvnias while he remains in pretrial detention

Between July and October 2026, the Verkhovna Rada transferred more than 3.4 million hryvnias to People’s Deputy Oleksandr Dubinsky. He has been in custody for nearly three years on suspicion of treason. As journalists from the “Schemes” project discovered, the payments resumed after the lawmaker appealed to the parliament’s Rules Committee.

 

Journalists analyzed data from the state portal on the use of public funds and found that over four months, the MP received more than 3.4 million hryvnias from the budget. The funds began to be transferred after the Verkhovna Rada’s Rules Committee reviewed Dubinsky’s appeal. In it, the lawmaker requested the resumption of his salary, payments for performing his duties as a lawmaker, and compensation for unused vacation days.

In July 2026, Committee Chair Serhiy Kalchenko informed his colleagues about this letter. The appeal, along with a resolution from the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, was forwarded to the committee for consideration so that it could determine its position on the payments.

What payments were approved for Dubinsky

During the meeting, Serhiy Kalchenko explained that a member of parliament is paid only for time actually worked. According to him, being in custody does not constitute grounds for paying a salary or compensating for unused vacation time. At the same time, the situation is different regarding funds allocated for the performance of parliamentary duties. These funds amount to approximately 200,000 hryvnias per month. Kalchenko stated that such payments are made for the entire period following a person’s election as a member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. “A member of parliament’s detention is not a circumstance that justifies paying them a salary,” the committee chair explained.

According to “Schemes,” the committee thus effectively confirmed that funds for parliamentary activities can be received regardless of whether a member of parliament is able to personally perform their duties. In other words, the status of a parliamentarian alone is sufficient for these payments. Journalists also noted that during the discussion of the issue, none of the committee members present raised any objections. The decision was supported unanimously.

How Dubinsky Received Over 3.4 Million Hryvnias

According to “Schemes,” just three days after the Rules Committee’s decision, the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat began transferring funds to the lawmaker. The first payment amounted to nearly 200,000 hryvnias. After that, the money was deposited into Dubinsky’s account in separate installments—several hundred thousand hryvnias at a time, with short intervals between payments.

In total, from July through October 2026, the amount exceeded 3.4 million hryvnias. The payment descriptions read: “In accordance with the committee’s clarification.” Separately, journalists determined that Dubinsky was also paid one month’s salary. The amount was approximately 2,500 hryvnias.

Did Dubinsky comment on the payments?

Journalists from “Schemes” reached out to Oleksandr Dubinsky, asking him to explain the receipt of budget funds. The request was forwarded to the lawmaker through his attorney. As of the publication of this investigation, no response had been received.

Oleksandr Dubinsky has been held in a pretrial detention center for nearly three years. He has been notified that he is suspected of high treason. However, being charged does not mean that his guilt has already been proven in court. The payments to Oleksandr Dubinsky are discussed in an investigation by the “Schemes” project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The Pechersky District Court of Kyiv granted the prosecutors’ motion, ordering that the suspect, MP Oleksandr Dubinsky, be held in custody for 60 days without the possibility of bail. Although official authorities did not name him in their statements, the deputy himself publicly confirmed the court’s decision regarding him.

As a reminder, the court extended the detention of MP Oleksandr Dubinsky. At the same time, the court set an alternative to pretrial detention—bail in the amount of over 33 million hryvnias.