The director of the "Olympic Village" complex has been notified of suspicion in the case of the death of a 10-year-old boy in the lake on its territory. Since the director is currently abroad, measures are being taken to declare her internationally wanted and initiate extradition procedures to Ukraine. This was reported by UNN with reference to the Office of the Prosecutor General.
Details
As UNN learned from its own sources, the director in question is Mariia Kryvopyshyna, director of LLC "Benfica Ukraine Football Academy."
The tragedy occurred more than two years ago, on August 3, 2023. A 10-year-old boy died while swimming at a football camp in Khodosivka, Obukhiv district. His life could have been saved if adults had not left the children without proper supervision and safe conditions.
It is reported that the very next day after the tragedy, the camp coach, who directly organized the children's recreation, was notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 135 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (leaving in danger, without supervision, children who were in a body of water, which led to the death of a minor child as a result of drowning).
In November 2023, the indictment was sent to court.
Indeed, the court proceedings in the case were delayed, but at the initiative of the prosecutor's office, they were intensified. Currently, the case is at the final stage of evidence examination. The court has scheduled six court hearings for the next two months, which should speed up the decision-making process.
In addition, during the pre-trial investigation, it was established that the director of LLC "Benfica Ukraine Football Academy" committed gross violations of the requirements of Ukrainian labor protection legislation, which caused the child's death. This fact is confirmed by the conclusions of forensic examinations.
On September 1, 2025, the director of LLC "Benfica Ukraine Football Academy" was notified of suspicion of committing a criminal offense under Part 2 of Article 271 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of labor protection requirements that caused a person's death), which was served in accordance with the rules of criminal procedural legislation. Since the director is currently abroad, measures are being taken to declare her internationally wanted and initiate extradition procedures to Ukraine to bring her to justice.
Addition
The case of the death of 10-year-old Vanya Goncharuk at the football camp is under the personal control of Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko. The composition of the group of prosecutors has been changed.
Context
10-year-old Vanya from Odesa region died in August 2023 on the territory of the elite football academy "Benfica" camp. At that time, the coach took the children to swim in a 9-meter deep lake, where he left them unsupervised. The boy could not swim, and his parents had warned about this. Vanya eventually drowned.
The boy's parents faced a two-year legal battle.
Media reported that only one criminal proceeding out of two opened – against the coach – reached the court. The case against officials "hung" at the expert examination stage.