Dmytro Sverdlin, a deputy of the Dnipro City Council from the Servant of the People party, has found himself at the center of the SBI's criminal proceedings. He is suspected of involvement in a large-scale scheme to illegally alienate over 239 hectares of land belonging to the state-owned enterprise "DH "Dnipro".
The investigation established that during the period when Sverdlin headed the regional department of the State Geocadastre, together with the then management of the state enterprise "Dnipro", a land seizure scheme was implemented. In total, more than 500 hectares of land were distributed, of which 239 hectares were transferred free of charge to proxy persons. As a result, most of the plots ended up in the ownership of one beneficiary and his entourage. Experts estimate the losses for the state at at least 24 million hryvnias.
During this same period, interesting changes appeared in Sverdlin's declaration. Since 2021, the deputy has been using three new apartments in Dnipro, each with an area of about 100 m². They are officially registered in the name of his father, Valery Sverdlin, but the housing is used by the deputy himself, his wife and daughter. The total cost of the apartments exceeds 4.8 million UAH.
At the same time, Swerdlin's wife purchased a new Mazda CX-5, while the politician's own declaration lists an old ZAZ. This imbalance raised questions among investigators.
In addition to Sverdlin, other high-ranking officials are also involved in the proceedings. Among them are former Minister of Agrarian Policy Roman Leshchenko, as well as officials of the State Geocadastre Volodymyr Havrylenko and Oleksandr Ovsiuk.
The investigation is currently ongoing. The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating possible abuse of power that led to the illegal alienation of state land. If found guilty, the suspects could face real imprisonment.
This story once again shows that land resources remain one of the most attractive targets for corruption schemes in Ukraine. And although the government publicly declares transparency and governance reform, in practice some officials continue to use access to state land for enrichment.
