Up to ₴1.3 million in salary per year: What is in the declarations of mayors of cities in Mykolaiv region?

Mayors of cities in Mykolaiv region have published their declarations for 2024. NikVesti analysed the declarations of the mayors of eight cities: Pervomaisk, Voznesensk, Pivdennoukrainsk, Bashtanka, Novyi Buh, Nova Odesa, Ochakiv, and the head of the Snihurivka City Military Administration, Ivan Kukhta.

Pervomaisk mayor Oleh Demchenko receives the highest salary, averaging ₴110,400 per month, and Snihurivka mayor Ivan Kukhta earns the lowest salary, averaging ₴23,200 per month.

Read more about the declarations of city mayors in the article NikVesti.

Salaries of city mayors in Mykolaiv region in 2024, infographic NikVesti

Mayor of Pervomaisk Oleh Demchenko

In his 2024 declaration, Pervomaisk Mayor Oleh Demchenko indicated that he owns only a 36.2 square metre apartment in Pervomaisk.

All other real estate is owned by his wife Iryna. She owns real estate in Kharkiv: one 91.2 square metre apartment and another in joint ownership, as well as three parking spaces.

His wife owns 18 land plots in Mykolaiv region, totalling 977.1 square metres. She owns 25% each of a 1,285.3 square metre shop and a 1,552 square metre land plot.

The mayor's wife also leases non-residential premises of 53.5 square metres and 21 square metres of land in Pervomaisk, and another 210.3 square metres of land in 2024.

Mayor of Pervomaisk Oleh Demchenko, photo: city council

The couple also use a land plot and a 210.7-square-metre house in Pervomaisk.

The mayor of Pervomaisk also declared that he owns a car «Volga», which he bought in 2011 for ₴3 thousand, and his wife owns a PORSCHE CAYENNE made in 2013, which she bought in 2019 for UAH 400 thousand.

In 2024, Oleh Demchenko received ₴1.3 million in salary as mayor of Pervomaisk, an average of ₴110.4 thousand per month. At the same time, he received ₴423,600 in pension. And his wife received ₴556 thousand from renting out property

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Compared to last year's declaration, the couple sold a 36.2 square metre apartment in Pervomaisk and a NISSAN X-TRAIL car. The mayor declared ₴90.8 thousand from the sale of the property.

The mayor of Pervomaisk keeps 100 thousand hryvnias and 10 thousand dollars in cash, while his wife keeps 300 thousand hryvnias, 15 thousand dollars and 5 thousand euros.

In 2023, the mayor's wife took out a ₴5 million loan.

The couple also have over ₴300,000 and $2.3,000 in their bank accounts.

Mayor of Voznesensk Yevhen Velychko

Voznesensk Mayor Yevhen Velychko indicated in his declaration that he owns a 56.8 square metre apartment in Voznesensk and a 20,000 square metre plot of land in the village of Akmechetski Stavky.

His wife Anna owns 25% of an apartment in Voznesensk with a total area of 66 square metres.

The couple, together with their children, live in a 137.7-square-metre house in Voznesensk owned by Alla Velychko.

Yevhen Velychko also owns five trucks and a 2012 FIAT DOBLO car. Last year, the mayor sold his 2010 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT CC for ₴400,000.

Voznesensk Mayor Yevhen Velychko, archive photo NikVesti

His wife owns a 2020 TOYOTA RAV-4 HYBRID, which she bought the same year for ₴1.1 million.

In 2023, Yevhen Velychko received ₴687,700 in salary as mayor of Voznesensk, which is an average of ₴57,300 per month. His wife Hanna received ₴6,800 in social benefits.

The mayor of Voznesensk keeps 267,700 hryvnias and 7,000 euros in cash. Yevhen Velychko also declared that he and his wife have $78,200 in cash.

Mayor of Pivdenoukrainsk Valerii Onufriienko

The mayor of Pivdenoukrainsk, Valerii Onufriienko, owns an apartment in Pivdenoukrainsk. He owns 25% of the apartment, and his wife Tamara, his daughter and a foreigner, Anna Bolhova, own 25% each.

The mayor also owns a Toyota RAV4-HYBRID, which he purchased in 2021 for ₴1.1 million.

vMayor of Pivdenoukrainsk Valerii Onufriienko, photo: Larysa Minina

In the first 9 months of 2024, the mayor received ₴583,000 in salary, which is an average of UAH 64,800 per month. After his resignation, Valerii Onufriienko was reinstated as mayor by a court decision in April 2024.

Last year, the mayor's wife received UAH 134,600 in pension, and Valerii Onufriienko himself received UAH 219,000. And their daughter received ₴804,700 in salary from the state-owned enterprise «NNEGC «Energoatom».

The couple keeps $8,000 in cash.

Mayor of Bashtanka Oleksandr Berehovyi

The mayor of Bashtanka, Oleksandr Berehovyi, declared two houses in Bashtanka with a total area of 114.6 square metres. He also owns two non-residential premises there, with a total area of 389.3 square metres. Since 2020, Oleksandr Berehovyi has also been renting a non-residential premises with an area of 100 square metres.

He also owns two land plots in Bashtanka, with a total area of 1,100 square metres. And since 2024, he has owned another 1,000 square metres of land in Bashtanka.

Since 2019, his wife Yelyzaveta has owned a 44-square-metre apartment in Mykolaiv and two non-residential premises in Mykolaiv with a total area of 70.3 square metres. She also owns another non-residential property of 251.84 square metres and a 23.4 square metre garage in Bashtanka.

Mayor of Bashtanka Oleksandr Berehovyi, photo from the mayor's Facebook page

The mayor's wife also owns a non-residential property in the village of Pyatikhatky, with an area of 101.7 square metres.

The wife of the mayor of Bashtanka owns three plots of land in Bashtanka and the village of Mykhailivka. Their total area is 92.3 thousand square metres. She also leases a 366 square metre plot of land in Bashtanka.

Oleksandr Berehovyi declared three cars owned by his wife Yelyzaveta. They are a 2019 RENAULT KANGOO, which she purchased in 2018 for ₴193.1 thousand; a 2021 SKODA KODIAQ, which she purchased in 2021 for over ₴1 million; and a 2023 SKODA KAMIQ, which she purchased in 2023 for ₴941.1 thousand. The mayor of Bashtanka has had a car trailer since 2008.

In 2024, Oleksandr Berehovyi received ₴854 thousand in salary as mayor of Bashtanka, which is an average of ₴71.1 thousand per month. He also received a gift of 179 thousand hryvnias from his wife.

His wife received ₴2.9 million in income from business activities and ₴35.4 thousand from renting property.

The mayor of Bashtanka keeps 140 thousand hryvnias in cash, while his wife keeps 25 thousand dollars and 1.5 million hryvnias. In 2023, she also took out a ₴376.4 thousand loan.

Mayor of Novyi Buh Maksym Lahodiienko

The mayor of Novyi Buh, Maksym Lahodiienko, declared a 122-square-metre house and a 36-square-metre apartment in Novyi Buh.

He also owns three plots of land in Novyi Buh, with a total area of 1,700 square metres. Maksym Lahodiienko has another land plot in the village of Pokazne, Bashtanka district, with an area of 49,600 square metres. And his wife owns two plots of land in Novyi Buh, with a total area of 2,200 square metres.

Mayor of Novyi Buh Maksym Lahodiienko, photo: city council

In 2024, Maksym Lahodienko received ₴965.1 thousand in salary as mayor of Novyi Buh, which is an average of ₴80.4 thousand per month.

He received another ₴27.5 thousand for «independent professional activity» from the Department of Education, Youth and Sports of the Executive Committee of the Novi Buh City Council.

His wife Victoria received 195,300 hryvnias in salary from a private rental company «Victoriia».

Ivan Kukhta, head of Snihurivka

The head of the Snihurivka local military administration, Ivan Kukhta, owns 14 hectares of land in Snihurivka, and his wife, Yevheniia Onyshchenko, owns 2 hectares of land in Snihurivka. The total value of the spouses' land plots as of the date of acquisition of the right was ₴363,300.

Ivan Kukhta's wife owns a 66.8 square metre apartment in Mykolaiv and a 1.1 hectare land plot in the village of Rybakivka.

Yevheniia Onyshchenko also jointly owns a 230-square-metre office with Yurii Chichkov and a 240-square-metre plot of land in Bashtanka.

Head of Snihurivka local military administration Ivan Kukhta, archive photo NikVesti

Ivan Kukhta owns three cars: Volkswagen transporter made in 2006, Skoda superb made in 2008, Peugeot 5008 made in 2013. He also owns a 1996 Mercedes-Benz 609 D bus.

His wife Yevheniia Onyshchenko owns an Opel Insignia made in 2013.

The declaration states that Ivan Kukhta's wife owns the company «Kiv-trans» with a registered capital of 100 thousand hryvnias. The company's main business activity is wholesale trade in grain, unprocessed tobacco, seeds and animal feed, and transport handling of goods.

In 2023, Ivan Kukhta received UAH 279.1 thousand in salary as the head of Snihurivka DMA, which is an average of ₴23.2 thousand per month. He received another 24 thousand hryvnias of income from the company «Kiv-Trans» and 1200 hryvnias of income from the company «Yug-Tir-Service».

His wife received ₴20,600 in social benefits.

Ivan Kukhta keeps $110,000 in cash. The couple have no registered bank accounts.

Mayor of Nova Odesa Oleksandr Polyakov

The mayor of Nova Odesa, Oleksandr Polyakov, declared a 69.6 square metre residential building in Nova Odesa and a 508 square metre land plot.

His wife Victoria owns a 20,000 square metre plot of land in the village of Novoshmydtivka.

According to the declaration, the couple do not own any cars.

In 2024, Oleksandr Polyakov earned ₴898,300 in salary as mayor.

Mayor of Nova Odesa Oleksandr Polyakov, photo: city council

His wife received ₴88.2 thousand in salary from the Department for Interaction with Local Self-Government Bodies of the Mykolaiv District State Administration. She received another ₴16.3 thousand in part-time salary from the Charitable Organisation «Charitable Foundation «Adventist Agency for Relief and Development in Ukraine».

The couple also have three bank accounts, but the amount of money kept on them is not specified.

Mayor of Ochakiv Serhii Bychkov

The income declaration of the mayor of Ochakiv, Serhii Bychkov, is still classified by the National Agency for the Corruption Prevention. However, after checking the mayor's declarations for 2021 and 2022, the National Agency reported that Serhii Bychkov purchased an apartment in Spain worth more than ₴5 million and received ₴12 million as a gift from his mother.

The NACP said that the inspections revealed signs of illicit enrichment and declaration of false information worth more than ₴3 million.

Ochakiv Mayor Serhii Bychkov, archive photo NikVesti

He also allegedly received gifts in cash from his mother worth over ₴12 million. Although, as noted by the NACP, these funds exceed the woman's legal income, which since 1998 has amounted to only more than 580,000 hryvnias.

«The income of the mayor of Ochakiv and his wife from confirmed sources also did not allow them to purchase an apartment in Spain at their own expense. Moreover, in the declaration, the official, among other things, noted an increase in monetary assets by ₴2 million in the reporting period, the legality of the sources of which was not confirmed during the inspection», the agency said.

Read also what Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych and his deputies, the head of Mykolaiv Regional State Administration Vitalii Kim and his deputies, and the head of Mykolaiv Regional Council Anton Tabunschyk declared in 2024.

And also, what is stated in the declarations of the heads of district state administrations in Mykolaiv region and heads of district administrations in Mykolaiv.