MP Shevchenko hit with fraud charges over Belarus deal

Law enforcement authorities have pressed new charges against a Ukrainian member of parliament, according to a joint statement from the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Security Service of Ukraine.
While the authorities did not name the suspect, a hromadske source confirmed it is Yevhen Shevchenko.
According to investigators, in 2021, Shevchenko facilitated a contract for the supply of mineral fertilizers between certain business entities.
The investigation alleges that Shevchenko defrauded a Ukrainian company purchasing mineral fertilizers from Belarus. By leveraging alleged connections with Belarus, he created artificial obstacles to the delivery of goods to Ukraine, demanding a 14.5 million hryvnia ($346,236) bribe to resolve them.
It has been documented that this amount was transferred to the accounts of a commercial entity owned by Shevchenko’s son.
Additionally, evidence suggests Shevchenko may have regularly received “kickbacks” by offering Belarusian fertilizer supply quotas to other Ukrainian companies.
Shevchenko has been charged under Part 4 of Article 190 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code—fraud committed on a large scale. The SBU noted that Shevchenko has been in custody since November 2024 in connection with another case.
As part of the fraud investigation, authorities are also examining the potential involvement of a former infrastructure minister, according to the prosecutors.
Ukrainska Pravda previously reported that law enforcement conducted searches at the home of former Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. Kubrakov denied any involvement in fraudulent schemes.
Shevchenko’s other cases
In November 2024, Shevchenko was charged with high treason after publicly urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to initiate a “dialogue” with Russia.
In his Telegram channel, he wrote: “Come on, Vova, come on! It’s time, comrade president, to start a dialogue. I understand that you’ll have to step down afterward. But the country is more important than personal ambitions. I’ll help if needed. I’ll go to Minsk again. We’ll sort it out. Just start. If you don’t want to, they’ll force you to go. And those who applauded you in Western countries yesterday will force you.”
Investigators stated that an expert analysis of Shevchenko’s statements showed he began undermining Ukraine’s defense and information security even before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Additionally, Shevchenko made multiple trips to Belarus, meeting with self-proclaimed president Alexander Lukashenko. According to the investigation, his close relatives were actively engaged in business with Belarusian representatives.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence distanced itself from Shevchenko, with spymaster Kyrylo Budanov, although stating in 2023 that the agency had used the lawmaker for communication with Belarus.
Shevchenko was elected to parliament in 2019 as a non-partisan member of the Servant of the People party. In 2020, he congratulated Belarusian self-proclaimed president Alexander Lukashenko on his re-election and later made unauthorized visits to meet him, leading to his expulsion from the Servant of the People faction.
In Ukraine’s parliament, Shevchenko displayed a Belarusian flag and once appeared in military uniform.
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