The mayor of Kyiv, Klitschko, suspended his deputy Prokopiv from his duties after a journalistic investigation into his assets

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has suspended his deputy, Volodymyr Prokopiv, following the publication of a journalistic investigation into Prokopiv’s assets.

Klitschko has called on law enforcement to investigate the reported facts.

According to “Bihus Info”, since 2015, when Prokopiv became the secretary of the Kyiv City Council and later Klitschko’s deputy, his family has been actively acquiring various assets. His father-in-law and wife bought apartments and office spaces in Kyiv, while his mother-in-law purchased a house in the surrounding region. Many of these purchases were made at prices significantly below market value, and in some cases, the sellers were long-time friends of Prokopiv who had worked in family-owned companies.

One notable example is the sale of a 600-square-meter property in the “Konyk” cottage settlement. In 2018, it was sold to Prokopiv by Oleksandr Poshtaryuk for approximately $380,000, while journalists estimated the property’s value to be closer to $1 million. Prokopiv explained that the house was unfinished, which accounted for the lower price.

In another case, Prokopiv’s wife, Vera Prokopova, invested around 2 million UAH (€44,630) in a three-room apartment in the “Happy House” residential complex, although apartments were selling for much higher prices at the time. Journalists claim that Andriy Stetsenko helped facilitate this deal.

According to the investigation, both Stetsenko and Poshtaryuk later became owners of municipal properties in Kyiv, following these “favors.”

In response to the controversy, Prokopiv submitted his resignation. He acknowledged the political interest in him as the head of the largest faction in the Kyiv City Council but stated that he was not clinging to the position of deputy mayor. He expressed readiness to cooperate with law enforcement for any necessary checks.

“I understand the reasons for the interest in me as the head of the largest faction in the Kyiv City Council. I continue to work. I have never held on to the position of deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration, so I wrote a resignation letter to the Kyiv mayor,” Prokopiv wrote, signaling his willingness to undergo scrutiny.