Estonians sue ex-deputy Andriy Sadovyi for stolen humanitarian aid
April 13, 2026
Gennadiy Vaskiv, the former deputy mayor of Lviv, was detained in Austria and accused of embezzling humanitarian aid from Estonia for Ukraine. The detention took place in March 2026 with the participation of Interpol after his arrival from the United States.
The information about the detention was confirmed by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. Ukrainian law enforcement is currently preparing the extradition procedure for the suspect. On March 30, the Ministry of Justice filed a petition with the court for his extradition from Austria. As part of the proceedings, the court engaged a German interpreter.
According to the materials of the criminal proceedings being considered by the Frankivsk District Court of Lviv, Hennadiy Vaskiv was hiding abroad for a long time after leaving Ukraine under the guise of transporting humanitarian aid.
The investigation found that in 2021, Vaskiv and his accomplice created the company Ice Construction, which was registered in the name of an acquaintance of Oleksandr Chernov. Subsequently, Vaskiv’s relatives were added to the ownership structure.
After the outbreak of full-scale war in March 2022, Vaskiv created the charitable foundation “Everything for Victory”. Already in May, the foundation signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Estonian organization MTÜ Slava Ukraini, headed by Estonian MP Johanna-Maria Lehtme.
However, according to the investigation, in August 2022, Vaskiv organized a scheme to misappropriate charitable funds. The money of Estonian donors was withdrawn through the controlled company Ice Construction, in particular by overstating the cost of goods.
In the period from September 2022 to March 2023, according to the investigation, EUR 1.55 million (over UAH 59 million) was withdrawn. In addition, more than UAH 18 million could have been misappropriated through artificially inflated prices.
Separately, law enforcement officers are investigating an episode involving funds from the European Investment Bank, which amounted to UAH 772 thousand that could have been illegally obtained through the supply of self-heating food kits.
Vaskiv is charged with several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, including the illegal use of charitable donations, money laundering and forgery. After his extradition to Ukraine, the court is to choose a measure of restraint in the form of arrest.
