In Mykolaiv region, a deputy was caught stealing grain while pretending to be under fire from Russia (photo included).

A deputy from the Mykolaiv local council, affiliated with the banned political party "Opposition Platform — For Life," has been notified of suspicion of fraud. The official staged the destruction of a grain batch as a result of shelling. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

According to the investigation, in 2022, a company in the Mykolaiv region entered into an international contract with a foreign firm for the supply of soybeans. Meanwhile, the council deputy sought to profit and organized the transshipment and loading of soybeans for the company.

Additionally, he promised to assist in preparing the accompanying and customs documents, enlisting a contractor organization under his control to do so.

In February 2022, a firm controlled by the suspect began loading soybeans onto a foreign vessel at the port in Mykolaiv.

Due to the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine and the shelling, loading of the vessel was halted in Mykolaiv and at the port, and the crew, consisting of foreign nationals, was evacuated. Taking advantage of the situation, the deputy arranged for part of the soybean cargo to be unloaded into a warehouse at the port.

"To conceal his criminal activities, the deputy organized the scattering of missile debris, simulating hits by enemy shells on the warehouse and the destruction of grain. Subsequently, he contacted the police to document the damages," the statement said.

The suspect misappropriated the soybeans at his discretion, causing the company losses amounting to 23 million hryvnias.

Under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from the Office of the Prosecutor General, the deputy of one of the city councils in the Mykolaiv region has been notified of suspicion of fraud in particularly large amounts (Part 3 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The decision regarding the preventive measure for the council deputy is currently being determined.