Maria Elkhina, the wife of the chief operational officer of the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police, Oleksiy Elkhina, has publicly reacted to a journalistic investigation into their property. She expressed her position on her own program, where she works as a host.
The hromadske investigation, conducted by journalist Yevgeny Shulgat, concerned an estate worth $750,000 and a car worth over $200,000 registered to companies with signs of fictitiousness.
On the live broadcast, Maria Elkhina declared:
"I'm living my best life, I don't care about anyone, I showed (middle finger) to whoever needs me and goodbye! Goodbye television!"
She also quoted a favorite saying:
"My favorite proverb, well, or not a proverb, who knows, maybe I brought it from the village - weak cattle for slaughter."
It is not clear from the context to whom these words were addressed - to journalists or to social media users who actively commented on the family's lifestyle.
According to Shulgat, neither Maria Elkhina nor her husband responded to journalists' inquiries about the origin of the property. Instead, she launched her own program, in which she discusses other topics with guests.
The reaction on social media was harsh. Users pointed out the discrepancy between the declared income and the demonstrative lifestyle, and also criticized the disrespect for society.
In July 2025, hromadske published an investigation into the fact that the Yelkhin family lives in a house in Kyiv with an area of over 450 sq m, which was purchased by a company created just a few days before the deal. It was able to repay the mortgage of UAH 30 million in six months, although its director was previously registered with the employment center.
In addition, the colonel's wife uses a 2023 Mercedes-Benz G-Class, leased from a company where the owner officially works as a cleaner. According to the declarations, in 2020–2024, Maria Elkhina received UAH 29.6 million in income as an individual entrepreneur. However, the journalists did not find a business that could provide such profits.
