The e-Restoration program, created to compensate Ukrainians whose homes were damaged or destroyed as a result of Russian aggression, is turning into a tool of abuse. According to public activists, state registrars of the Ministry of Justice systematically carry out illegal registration actions that open access to inflated payments and are also used in real estate seizure schemes.
Criticism of registration processes in the Kharkiv region gained new momentum after the head of the Eastern Interregional Department of the Ministry of Justice, Iryna Svystun, filed a lawsuit for "protection of honor and business reputation" against the public organization and the head of the NGO "NON-STOP Ukraine". The lawsuit demands the removal of publications and compensation in the amount of 10 thousand hryvnias. Activists consider this an attempt to exert pressure and avoid internal verification.
The lawsuit was initiated by lawyer Valentyn Melnyk, whom activists call the organizer of a scheme based on forcing state registrars to pay unofficial monthly fees for access to work. According to whistleblowers, the activities of the registrars are actually controlled through a private office at 96 Sumska Street in Kharkiv, despite the formal attachment of these employees to various local government bodies.
Recorded cases of illegal registrations indicate the systemic nature of the violations. In particular, on September 18, 2024, registrar Ihor Teslenko registered a facility in Stary Saltiv only on the basis of a technical passport, and later reregistered it as a "summer house" without the appropriate documents. The next day, he increased the area of the house in Dergachy almost fivefold - from 48.1 to 221.8 sq. m.
On September 20, the former cinema "Robitnyk" in Krasnograd with an area of over 2,200 sq. m was registered to a private individual. In February 2025, registrar Oleg Zhbadynskyi in the village of Vilcha increased the area of the building from 30.4 to 121.7 sq. m, also without permits.
Despite numerous violations, the Justice Ministry commissions have repeatedly restored the registrars' access to work. According to activists, registrar Serhiy Zotkin has returned to work after being blocked at least ten times.
The facts transferred to law enforcement agencies have already become the basis for opening criminal proceedings. In particular, pre-trial investigations are ongoing at the TU BEB in Poltava region (Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code), investigators of the Main Directorate of National Police in Kharkiv region (Part 1 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code), and the Kharkiv District Prosecutor's Office (Part 1 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code).
Activists emphasize that instead of conducting official inspections and removing the individuals involved, the Ministry of Justice is responding with lawsuits, which only deepens distrust and risks for the eRecovery program.
