"Unique" pensioner: It has been revealed who receives the highest pension in Ukraine.

In Ukraine, the highest pension (excluding the lifetime monetary allowance for judges) has been awarded to former MP from the "Regions" party, Sergey Kivalov. He receives approximately 246 thousand UAH each month. This is mentioned in a report by OBOZ.UA.

According to data from the Pension Fund, one in four retirees in Ukraine receives up to 3 thousand UAH, and the average pension is lower than the actual subsistence minimum. However, among Ukrainians, there are "lucky ones" whose pension payments amount to several hundred thousand hryvnias. Former MP Sergey Kivalov is among them.

Just a few years ago, Kivalov's pension was 14 thousand UAH. The ex-MP's pension was increased 17 times thanks to a judge from Odessa and a certificate from the university he heads.

Kivalov's monthly pension amounts to 245 thousand 990 UAH and 46 kopecks. He currently serves as the president of the International Humanitarian University. This private university in Odessa is established by a company from the Bahamas named "Golden Gate by Limited".

Sources from the publication in the judicial system helped find a solution that enabled him to receive such a pension amount. The plaintiff is Sergey Kivalov. During Yanukovych's presidency, Kivalov was referred to in the media as the "shadow curator of the judicial system," and he still holds influence over the judiciary.

The publication states that it was the judges who assisted Kivalov in obtaining the largest and most anomalous pension in Ukraine's pension system. Essentially, Kivalov managed to achieve the impossible.

In April 2020, he appealed to the Pension Fund of Ukraine in the Odessa region, demanding a recalculation of his pension, taking into account the increase in the salary of a people's deputy and his salary at his new position — at the "International Humanitarian University".

At that time, Kivalov was receiving a pension of 14 thousand UAH. The new regulations abolished special pensions for deputies, which led them to retire like regular Ukrainians. Thus, the Pension Fund denied the recalculation.

However, Kivalov insisted that he retired before the new law was enacted, so he was entitled to receive his pension under the "old" legal norm. Consequently, the former MP went to the Odessa District Administrative Court to challenge the officials' decision.

In court, Kivalov presented salary certificates from his role as a people's deputy and from the "International Humanitarian University," which he leads. Had his pension been calculated at 90% of the deputy's salary, he would have received only 39.7 thousand UAH. Therefore, he demanded that his salary from the university also be considered. To ensure he received the highest possible pension, the private university he heads sharply increased his salary — to 442.7 thousand UAH.

This means that Kivalov effectively raised his own salary at his university and within a few months obtained a certificate to significantly boost his pension based on the new salary.

Judge Mikhail Kravchenko of the Odessa District Administrative Court (who resigned in 2023) made the decision to mandate a recalculation based on the provided certificates. This is how the richest pensioner came to be.

The publication adds that the highest "lifetime" pension in Ukraine is received by retired judge Natalia Shaptala — 390 thousand 184 UAH. Her payment is the largest among all Ukrainians in retirement (considering both judicial allowances and regular pensions).

Recall that Sergiy Kivalov was injured during the shelling of Odessa on April 29. At that time, the Russian Armed Forces struck the Students' Palace of the Odessa Law Academy, which is headed by the former leader of the "Regions Party".