During the full-scale invasion, the role of Lviv Customs increased many times. Humanitarian cargo, equipment, and goods for the front pass through the Krakovets and Rava-Ruska checkpoints. However, along with responsibility, attention to the lives of customs officers themselves is also growing. Reports of opaque assets, expensive cars, and branded items are increasingly appearing, which causes outrage among the public.
Telegram channels and media report that branded items are being imported across the western border without declaration, and the companies “SENFIJO IND” and “PEPPER STAR” appear in schemes of fictitious drone imports. According to investigators, branded clothing and footwear are loaded into 20-ton containers, and at the border the cargo is imperceptibly converted into minibuses disguised as passenger vehicles. Because of this, the state loses millions of hryvnias.
The head of Lviv Customs, Andriy Kuznik, shows modest assets in his declaration, but a deeper analysis of his family's wealth reveals a different picture. His family owns several apartments and land plots, while his wife earned over UAH 4 million in 2024 and owns expensive real estate. Kuznik drives a 2010 Lexus, the market value of which reaches $21,000, while his wife purchased a Lexus GX460 and two plots of land near Bukovel at a price significantly below market value.
Other customs officials also demonstrate luxurious lives despite modest declarations. Ostap Kozak, the chief state inspector, has family ties to high-ranking customs officials and owns real estate and cars that do not correspond to official income. Scandals involving him are related to the delay of transport for the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade.
Young inspectors Serafima Dumitru and Iulia Dryga became social media heroes for their expensive branded accessories and cars. Dryga filed for dismissal after being criticized on TikTok, while Dumitru was unable to explain the sources of her expenses while living with her parents.
The head of the Lviv-Pivdenny customs post, Larysa Novik, has registered several apartments and land plots for herself, and her family keeps over a million hryvnias in cash. A similar trend is observed among other customs employees, who buy expensive cars and real estate against the background of military needs and a lack of funds in the state budget.
The situation undermines trust in state institutions and causes public outrage. The public expects transparent explanations, inspections, and real consequences for officials. The StopKor team sent requests to the SAPO and the Main Directorate of the State Tax Service in Lviv region to verify the facts and hold officials accountable.
