As part of a coordinated effort dubbed “Initiative 143,” several major Ukrainian media outlets published a Slidstvo.Info investigation into Oleksandr Sukhachov, the brother of State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) Director Oleksiy Sukhachov.
They did so despite a Pechersk District Court order prohibiting Slidstvo.Info from publishing the report.
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Slidstvo.Info found that Oleksandr Sukhachov had acquired 143 properties. He reportedly paid between $932 and $1,800 per apartment, even though apartments in the same residential complex were valued at approximately $800 per square meter.
According to property records, Oleksandr Sukhachov acquired 40% of the units in an apartment building at 13 Yuliia Chyhyryna Street in Kharkiv in 2018. The building is part of the IT-Park Manufactura residential complex developed by Stroy City.
Between 2018 and 2020, he amassed a portfolio of 143 properties across two residential complexes in Kharkiv. Real estate listings identified both developments as Stroy City projects, the investigators reported.
At the time, Oleksiy Sukhachov was serving as a deputy department head within the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). He was appointed director of the DBR in 2021.
On July 9, 2018, for example, Oleksandr Sukhachov acquired 30 apartments in the Kharkiv complex under two purchase agreements. The reported price of each apartment ranged from Hr 24,600 to Hr 48,900 (approximately $932 to $1,856 at the time’s exchange rates).
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In total, he paid just over Hr 1 million, then worth approximately $39,300, for the 30 apartments. Two days later, he acquired another 28 apartments for less than $33,000. The cheapest cost Hr.26,500, while the most expensive cost Hr.38,700.
Journalists also reported that criminal proceedings were opened against Stroy City in 2021 over alleged unauthorized construction.
In 2022, however, the Prosecutor General’s Office transferred the case to the DBR, which was headed by Sukhachov. The investigation subsequently lost momentum, and no one was formally charged.
In another striking development, Parkovyi-2 LLC – the company that sold the apartments – filed a lawsuit shortly before the investigation was due to be published. It secured a court order expressly prohibiting Slidstvo.Info from releasing the report. The ruling was issued on July 7.
The order marked an unprecedented case in Ukraine: A court imposed prior restraint on an investigative media outlet in a manner reminiscent of Russian censorship practices, despite such restrictions directly contravening Ukrainian law.
The controversy comes amid broader concerns about the DBR, which is responsible for investigating crimes allegedly committed by law enforcement officers and other public officials. The agency has faced sustained public criticism over the quality and effectiveness of its work, while the European Union has called for its reform.
Sukhachov has rejected those demands, arguing that the proposed reforms would “destroy” the institution.
Although the injunction applied to Slidstvo.Info, it did not cover other news organizations. The investigation was therefore republished by Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, Ukrainska Pravda, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Suspilne, Toronto Television, Bihus.Info, Hromadske and New Voice.
According to the investigators, Oleksandr Sukhachov has recently disposed of all 143 properties.
Just recently, Ukraine’s Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) has also filed a lawsuit with the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) to confiscate the assets of Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba.
The agency argued that Kuleba’s property purchases do not align with what has been his official income.
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