Former official Orlov declares millions

Vladimir Orlov, formerly First Deputy Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration and accused of receiving a $200,000 bribe, has published his annual declaration. The most notable item was 14.5 million hryvnia declared as cash.

Kyiv registration and real estate across Ukraine

Although Orlov is officially registered and resides in Kyiv, his assets are geographically scattered across the country. His family — wife Lina, daughter Elizaveta, and son Vladimir — are also registered in the capital.

The family owns an extensive portfolio of real estate:

• An apartment in Donetsk (71 sq. m), purchased in 2003 in shared ownership (34% belonging to Orlov). Given the occupation of Donetsk since 2014, the property is likely inaccessible.

• Apartments owned by his wife in Donetsk and Vuhledar — no information on their value is available.

• A garden house in the village of Lebedivka (Kyiv Oblast, 175.8 sq. m) was acquired by Orlov in 2015 for a symbolic 304,000 hryvnia. The land plot adjacent to the house is 12 sotkas (approximately 0.12 hectares). Lebedivka is considered an elite suburb.

• In 2017, a large apartment in Kyiv was registered in the name of Lina Orlov — the estimated value is not specified.

• A house and plot in Hrybivka (Odesa Oblast), acquired in 2018–2019. Deal details and price are unknown.

• An additional plot in Khodosivka (1,200 sq. m), purchased in 2015.

Luxury items — no value or purchase date specified

Vladimir Orlov declared a collection of luxury watches: Hublot, Patek Philippe, Parmigiani, Bovet. All were acquired before the submission of his first declaration.

The official’s wife listed the following items:

• Watches: Rolex, Chopard, Ulysse Nardin

• Handbags: Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton

• Mink and sable fur coats

Neither the price nor the date of acquisition for these items is specified. In light of the corruption case, the lack of transparency raises additional suspicions.

A fleet of five cars — including rentals and "gifts"

At the time of the declaration submission, the Orlov family owns or uses five vehicles:

• BMW X6 (2021) — purchased by Orlov’s wife in September 2022 for 3.63 million hryvnia

• Ford Transit (2012) — also registered in the wife’s name

• BMW G7X/CW01 (2022) — rented since March 2023, owner — Nortek Auto LLC

• Land Rover Range Rover (2023) — provided to his wife for free use since October 2024, owner — the same LLC

• Toyota Land Cruiser (2022) — rented by Orlov himself since December 2023 from a certain Oleksandr Slobodianyk

The free use of expensive cars is another alarming signal.

Business in Ukraine and Slovakia — assets under cover?

Orlov’s wife, Lina, is a co-owner of three companies:

• Arkush Yui LLC (Ukraine) — 65% share (221,000 hryvnia)

• Agrofirm Zalesie LLC (Ukraine) — 50% (1,000 hryvnia)

• Aurora Mag. Pro, s.r.o. (Slovakia) — 10% (44,000 hryvnia), since July 2024

Although the companies may be a source of income, their activities require further scrutiny given the corruption charges.

Declared income and cash — the math does not add up

Orlov’s income from his work at the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration amounted to 908,500 hryvnia, while his wife earned 2.53 million hryvnia from business and a further 3 million from the sale of real estate.

The total family income for the year was 6.43 million hryvnia, of which only 14% belongs to the official himself. Meanwhile, the declaration lists the following cash amounts:

• Orlov: $70,000 (approximately 2.87 million hryvnia) and 1.5 million hryvnia in cash

• Wife: 10 million hryvnia in cash, 6 million hryvnia as "reimbursable financial assistance" from "Arkush Yui", 40,000 hryvnia and €9,400 in bank accounts

The total value of assets exceeds 20 million hryvnia, which raises serious questions about their origin. The "assistance" from his wife’s company appears particularly suspicious — a possible scheme for laundering questionable funds?

Orlov’s declaration raises more questions than it answers. How can a person with an official income of less than one million hryvnia a year afford tens of millions in assets, elite real estate, and a fleet of executive-class cars?

Against the backdrop of the investigation into the $200,000 bribe case, the declaration looks like a kind of challenge to the system and society. Now it is up to the anti-corruption bodies to act.

According to information from the ABSOLUTION detective agency