Former Deputy Head of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor's Office, Denys Siryk, found himself in the spotlight after being included in the list of disabled prosecutors published in October 2024 by the publication "Law and Business". According to the data, he has the second group of disability due to serious vision problems. However, this does not prevent him from participating in sports tournaments, running marathons and even driving a car.
In April 2016, Siryk received a second group of disability indefinitely due to vision problems.
This did not prevent the prosecutor from obtaining significant payments from the Pension Fund of Ukraine through the court. From 2016 to 2024, he received over UAH 4.5 million in pensions, which is 90% of his monthly salary.
However, disability did not prevent Denys Siryk from living an active lifestyle. His sporting achievements are impressive. In July 2021, he played for the football team of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor's Office. In the same year, he participated in five stages of the Ukrainian Majors Running League, covering distances of 10 km, 21 km, 42 km or participating in the relay.
In October 2024, Siryk finished the Kyiv Indestructibility Half Marathon with a time of 1:15:31, and earlier, in March of the same year, he ran the Ten Indestructibility in 1:16:32. His athletic activity has led to speculation that he could become a candidate for the Ukrainian national Paralympic team.
However, such achievements raise certain questions. In particular, the prosecutor has never been seen wearing glasses, although his eye disease is considered stable and incurable. In addition, Siryk has a driver's license and drives a white Volkswagen Touareg with three seven-digit license plates.
At a time when hundreds of people with disabilities really need state assistance, such cases undermine trust in the social security system.
As a reminder, the Ministry of Health is checking prosecutors in the Khmelnytskyi region for the authenticity of the status of persons with disabilities. As of two months of work, only three have confirmed their disability, while nine people turned out to be fraudsters.
