“Agent or Mayor?”: A host of allegations against Andriy Sadovyi—ties to Russia, political statements, and decisions that raise tough questions
August 13, 2026
A public conflict is unfolding in Lviv between civic activists and law enforcement agencies. Representatives of the NGO “Audit of Lviv” allege that investigations into the activities of Mayor Andriy Sadovyi and city council officials are being systematically delayed.
These are two criminal cases initiated by activists based on documents they collected and responses to information requests. According to the organization’s director, Andriy Petryshyn, a body of evidence was gathered between 2024 and 2025 that may indicate violations of the law regarding the use of budget funds.
One of the key issues is the matter of bonuses for the mayor. Activists claim that from 2015 to 2025, bonuses were paid without the proper city council resolutions. According to their data, only two of the more than 100 required resolutions were actually adopted. The total amount of these payments could reach approximately 10 million hryvnia.
Of particular note is a report by the State Audit Service, which identified budgetary violations totaling more than 2 billion hryvnia. These include illegal changes to the budget, developers’ failure to pay their share of contributions, and other financial violations.
Despite the existence of this evidence, activists claim that the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office has twice refused to open criminal cases. On both occasions, the prosecutor’s office’s decisions were challenged in court, which ordered that the relevant information be entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations and that an investigation be launched.
According to representatives of the civil society organization, such actions may indicate a deliberate delay in the proceedings or bias on the part of law enforcement officials. They emphasize that, one year after the initial complaint was filed, no charges have yet been brought against the mayor.
In light of this, activists have publicly demanded that the prosecutor’s office provide an update on the progress of the investigations during an open press conference. This includes specific procedural steps: the appointment of expert examinations, the number of witnesses questioned, and other actions taken in the cases.
If these requirements are ignored, the public plans to appeal to higher authorities—including the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR), and the Office of the Prosecutor General—as well as to utilize international oversight mechanisms.
The situation surrounding the investigations in Lviv is attracting increasing attention, while the question of the city officials’ accountability remains unresolved.
