In 2021, businessman Yaroslav Kostenko acquired a state-owned enterprise worth about 35 million hryvnias — a deal that took place in a flash and without real competition, raising numerous questions about its transparency. According to journalists, the privatization process may have taken place under the patronage of influential Kharkiv prosecutor Oleksandr Filchakov.
The state-owned enterprise complex included not only buildings and a land plot with an area of over 9 thousand m², but also a large number of assets - from cars to equipment. Kostenko himself is the owner of an extensive network of companies, from tire trade to construction. Unofficially, he is called the "wallet of Kharkiv corrupt officials", because his businesses have long been associated with support for law enforcement agencies and illegal access to property by officials.
The story of Oleksandr Filchakov is also full of contradictions. Back in 2011, he was accused of systematically collecting bribes, some of which were allegedly transferred to the "prosecutor's fund." There is a well-known case with businessman Yuriy Skrypka, who refused to participate in the schemes, but the case was quietly hushed up, and Filchakov himself was promoted.
During the full-scale invasion, the prosecutor also found himself at the center of criticism: together with his scandalous colleague Igor Chub, he left Kharkiv for Transcarpathia, where he hid for two weeks, and after that worked remotely from Dnipro for a long time. For an official of such a level, this behavior caused a great public outcry.
Another important detail is Filchakov's connection with Vadim Slyusarev, an influential Kharkiv ex-official and smuggler who periodically worked for pro-Russian forces. It was thanks to these contacts, according to journalists, that Filchakov was able to receive support at key stages of his career.
Despite the scandals, he still works in the prosecutor's office. His family owns significant real estate, a fleet of cars, and businesses, and Filchakov himself used an armored Toyota Land Cruiser 300, which was missing from the declarations. After the publicity, the car disappeared.
As sources note, the privatization of state assets with the participation of Kostenko and the tacit assistance of Filchakov is only part of a larger corruption ecosystem. It connects local officials, security forces, and businessmen who have been distributing budget flows and property in the region for years.
This story demonstrates how closely connected law enforcement and business are in Kharkiv, and how easily state assets can pass into private hands without competition and control.
The scandal with the acquisition of a state-owned enterprise is not an isolated incident, but a sign of a systemic problem that requires real reforms - from cleaning up the prosecutor's office to transparent rules for managing state assets.
