Top Zelensky staffer's associates get properties worth $1 million in controversial projects, media report says

Two alleged associates of Oleh Tatarov, a deputy chief of staff for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, have reportedly acquired 11 apartments with an estimated combined value exceeding $1 million in two embattled Kyiv residential developments. These projects, fraught with alleged fraudulent activities, have drawn scrutiny from the media outlet Bihus.info.

Tatarov, known for his controversial role within Ukraine's government, has been previously charged with bribery but the case was later dismissed due to alleged interference from law enforcement and judicial authorities. Tatarov, who oversees law enforcement agencies and courts, has wielded considerable influence over several of these entities.

The apartments in question are registered to Natalia Pysareva and Vladlena Tymoshenko, both business partners of Italian businessman Nicola Mirto. Mirto, also a close associate of Tatarov, has previously worked with Tatarov's law firm and designated Tatarov's wife as the prospective guardian of his son in 2021. Both residential complexes have faced bankruptcy and continuous construction delays, with allegations of fraudulent re-sales of legitimate owner's apartments.

The Perlyna Nyvok and Akvamarin projects were also involved in attempts to re-sell apartments fraudulently. Despite these controversies, the state bodies, such as the State Guard Administration, Security Service (SBU), and National Bank of Ukraine, were only granted a fraction of the apartments promised. Tatarov has a history of corruption allegations, including a 2020 bribery case linked to the Aristocrat development project.

This case, along with his role in a land swap deal with Ukrbud, a state construction firm, led to his eventual dismissal from his position in 2022. The Ukrainian government has also accused Tatarov of facilitating bribes to state officials from 2014 to 2019, allegations he denies.