Palamarchuk, the head of the Hatne community, has remained in office for over three years despite being suspected of accepting a bribe of 165,000 dollars

Palamarchuk, the head of the Hatne community, has remained in office for over three years despite being suspected of accepting a bribe of 165,000 dollars

«They’ll knock your teeth out»: Head of elite Hatne still in power despite bribery suspicion.

The head of the Hatne village council, Oleksandr Palamarchuk, has remained in office for over three years despite suspicion of demanding a $165,000 bribe. Back in June 2023, the SSU and the Prosecutor General’s Office announced the official’s detention along with two subordinates red-handed, yet the court has still not delivered a verdict.

Hatne is one of Kyiv’s most expensive suburbs. The price per hundred square meters here reaches $14,000. Agricultural land is often purchased, and the future of the plot depends on local authorities: changing its designated purpose, obtaining technical conditions, assigning an address, and granting a construction permit.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the village head, together with the head of the land relations, urban planning and architecture department and the landscaping inspector, demanded a bribe from the developer, LLC «BC «UBA», for approving the detailed territory plan and changing the land’s designated purpose. $20,000 was handed over directly during the arrest, while the total amount discussed reached about $165,000.

Until March 2, 2023, the company belonged to Dmytro Povorozniuk, after which it was re-registered to Yaroslav Traktirnyi. Povorozniuk built five townhouses, but without technical conditions and a postal address, it was impossible to register ownership.

When Traktirnyi became the owner, Palamarchuk’s subordinates, according to the investigation, quoted the price: $2,500 for an address and $500 per house. The money was transferred to the inspector at the «Zolotyi Dub» restaurant in a neighboring village in two tranches of $1,250 each. First an advance, and after the documents were prepared and the order signed by the head — the remainder.

Later, the developer wanted more: to buy 2.1 hectares and change the land’s purpose to build a residential complex instead of agricultural land. Initially, they demanded $65,000, then — $165,000. The first tranche of $20,000 was transferred for approving the DPT and the subsequent change of the designated purpose of the plot with cadastral number 3222481200:03:001:0009. At this stage, the SBU intervened.

Palamarchuk was notified of suspicion of organizing a scheme to demand and receive unlawful benefit by a group of persons by prior conspiracy. He was taken into custody with an alternative bail. UAH 2.4 million was posted within a few days. He was not suspended from office.

Wife – «insta diva» – and Russian citizenship

The head’s wife is Eka Palamarchuk (Instagram @ekulka). She runs a travel page: Italy, Turkey, Bukovel, and earlier – the Maldives. Alongside are restrained posts about shelling, where she switches from Russian to Ukrainian.

Eka is a Russian citizen; her parents live in Russia, and meetings take place on «neutral» territory, for example, in Turkey. The couple has two children. Declarations sometimes showed periods without official income, yet this did not affect their standard of living.

After February 24, 2022, the family temporarily left the country, while Palamarchuk stayed in Hatne. Publicly, he collected aid for the community — including to his personal card or to his brother Ihor’s charity «Oberih-Hatne». According to the publication, this structure tried to appear as a «police substitute»: checking documents of intoxicated people and using uniforms with state symbols. A public formation has no right to check documents.

There is suspicion. No suspension. Without public oversight, the case may «burn out» due to procedural deadlines — as has already happened with dozens of other cases, even after red-handed arrests. 

Palamarchuk, the head of the Hatne community, has remained in office for over three years despite being suspected of accepting a bribe of 165,000 dollars

Palamarchuk, the head of the Hatne community, has remained in office for over three years despite being suspected of accepting a bribe of 165,000 dollars

Palamarchuk, the head of the Hatne community, has remained in office for over three years despite being suspected of accepting a bribe of 165,000 dollars

Palamarchuk, the head of the Hatne community, has remained in office for over three years despite being suspected of accepting a bribe of 165,000 dollars

Palamarchuk, the head of the Hatne community, has remained in office for over three years despite being suspected of accepting a bribe of 165,000 dollars