A story recently broke out in the media that touched Ukrainian society and demonstrated how far attempts to protect one's interests can go. It concerns Mykhailo Romanyuk, a judge of the Lviv Regional Court of Appeal, who is accused of raiding a kindergarten building in Lviv, writes political scientist Vitaliy Kulyk.
The judge and the “extorted” property
Mykhailo Romanyuk is known not only for his work in court, but also for the scandal surrounding the seizure of a kindergarten building on Kvitneva Street in Lviv. The building was “squeezed” with the participation of not only the judge himself, but also his relatives. Among them is the judge’s father, who allegedly gave him 7.5 million hryvnias, which became the subject of a separate investigation. It turned out that the father borrowed this money from a third party to give to his son, which became a reason for many doubts.
During the consideration of this case by the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ), one of the commission members, Andriy Kozlov, openly expressed doubts about the veracity of the story about the gift. Due to his public indignation, Kozlov was quickly fired. Despite all these scandals and negative conclusions of the Public Integrity Council, in 2019 Romanyuk successfully re-certified by the HQCJ and continued his activities.
Romanyuk not only has a scandalous reputation, but also considerable family influence. His father-in-law, Serhiy Lesnoy, was the head of the Sykhiv District Court of Lviv, and Romanyuk's wife worked as a secretary in the Yavoriv District Court of Lviv Oblast. In addition, the judge's brother Viktor is also a judge in the Halytsky District Court of Lviv. This provided Judge Romanyuk with strong support in judicial circles.
Against the backdrop of these scandals, Judge Romanyuk decided to resort to media protection. To do this, he hired pro-Russian blogger Mykhailo Chaplyha, who is known for supporting anti-Ukrainian narratives and actively promoting propaganda through Russian media channels.
Chaplyga, along with the Sheptun channel, which is affiliated with the Russian GRU, tried to protect Romanyuk from negativity by posting excuses on these platforms.
After that, threats began to appear on social networks against Romanyuk's critics. The author of an anonymous letter sent to political scientist Vitaliy Kulik claims that criticism of the judge is an interference in the administration of justice and even threatens with possible legal consequences. The letter also states that the accusations of a "squeezed" kindergarten are absurd and that this situation should be reviewed in the context of economic benefits for the state.
From all these events, it is clear that Judge Romaniuk is using all possible resources, including media manipulation and family influence, to stay in office and restore his reputation. His case is a vivid example of how the unreformed judiciary in Ukraine can use its connections and the media to protect corrupt schemes. If judges like Romaniuk are able to continue to evade justice, it will be another defeat for the Ukrainian legal system.
