The newly appointed Ambassador of Ukraine in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), former Deputy Minister of Defense Alexander Balanutsa declared real estate and herds of millions of hryvnias in his property declaration. The most expensive purchase was his wife's apartment in Dubai worth more than 13 million UAH.
According to the International Detective Agency ABSultation , diplomat Olga Melnyk's wife purchased an apartment of 78 m² in the UAE in 2023 for 13.34 million UAH. Another apartment in Dubai, with an area of 117 m², is at the stage of construction, its value in the declaration is not specified.
In addition, the ownership of the spouse - several more real estate objects:
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apartment in Polyanytsya in Ivano-Frankivsk (61.2 m²)-purchased in 2022 for UAH 734 thousand;
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three apartments in Kiev with a total area of more than 140 m² - purchased from 2019 to 2022, declared value - about UAH 2.7 million;
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An apartment in Boryspil (105 m²), which belongs to Balanutsa from 2011, without the specified value.
Declared transport-only one Nissan X-Terra car 2023, purchased in May 2024 for UAH 1.17 million and was issued for a diplomat's wife.
The declaration also lists the income of the family for the reporting period:
the total amount - over UAH 17 million, of which only UAH 1.2 million received Balanutz himself, and everything else - his wife.
In particular, Alexander Balanutsa received:
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514 thousand UAH from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
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636 thousand UAH of compensation for foreign business trips;
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663 thousand UAH - from the Ministry of Defense;
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14 thousand UAH of social assistance at birth.
At the same time, Olga Melnyk earned:
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966 thousand UAH as an entrepreneur;
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932 thousand UAH from lease of property;
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14.42 million UAH - income from the sale of real estate;
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UAH 2.41 million - salary from Gravitas Group in the UAE.
The bank accounts of the spouses are also considerable amounts:
Balanutz keeps $ 78,000 and more than 600 thousand UAH, and his wife has about $ 500,000 in UAE and Ukraine banks.
Although formally the place of residence of the wife is registered in Odessa, in fact she lives in the UAE, where she owns real estate and receives a salary.
In the context of war, economic instability and needs of the Ukrainian army, such declarations raise many questions in society - especially about the origin of millions of income earned in the field that is difficult to call the extra profit.