The wife of former Presidential Office advisor and SBU officer Artem Shylo purchased real estate in Dubai worth over $4 million

Irina Shylo, the then-wife of former advisor to the Office of the President and Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer Artem Shylo — who is suspected of embezzling funds from “Ukrzaliznytsia” — purchased real estate in Dubai worth $4.3 million between 2021 and 2022.

This is according to an investigation by the “Schemes” project (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty).

The report notes that this is the total value of 9 properties located in various areas of the UAE’s largest city.

According to journalists, from December 2021 to June 2022, Irina became the owner of 8 apartments in the residential area Al Barsha South Fourth and one hotel unit in the Marsa Dubai district, on the Persian Gulf coast. All nine properties were linked to Irina Shylo’s personal phone number in Dubai’s property registries. Data leaks regarding real estate owners in Dubai suggest that a Ukrainian realtor likely facilitated the purchases.

The investigation states that the 8 apartments, with a total area of over 730 square meters, are located in three residential complexes built by Ellington Properties: two apartments in Belgravia, three in Belgravia III, and another three in Harrington House.

According to the same data leak, the total value of the eight apartments was nearly $2.3 million. However, these apartments are no longer owned by the Shylo family — they were sold between September 2022 and October 2023, mostly for the same prices they were bought for.

The most expensive property registered in Irina Shylo’s name is a 178-square-meter hotel unit in the luxury Jumeirah Gate Tower 2, also known as the five-star Address Beach Resort/Residence. The apartment was purchased in March 2022 for over $2 million.

That hotel unit is also no longer in the Shylo family’s possession. Records from Dubai’s land registry show that in September 2024, a new owner bought it for $2.6 million — more than $500,000 above the original purchase price.

In a comment to journalists, Artem Shylo stated that he was “discharged from military service in the Security Service of Ukraine on August 31, 2021, and was remobilized after the full-scale Russian invasion — starting August 4, 2022.”

“Regarding income declarations, during martial law, certain categories of public officials — including the position I held in the Security Service of Ukraine — are exempt from filing declarations. According to Part 7, Article 45 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On the Prevention of Corruption’, officials authorized to perform state or local government functions, who are declarants from among military personnel of various military formations established under Ukrainian law, must submit declarations no later than 90 calendar days after martial law is lifted or terminated,” he explained.

Shylo also promised that “once martial law ends and the declaration process resumes in full, all data on changes in my family’s assets will be reflected in the declarations as required by law.”

As a reminder, Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies previously uncovered an organized group led by former presidential advisor Shylo, which embezzled 94.8 million UAH during the procurement of transformers for Ukrzaliznytsia.

Seven individuals have been officially charged in connection with this scheme.

On the morning of April 4, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) ruled to detain Shylo until May 31. The court also set bail at 30 million UAH.