Fundraising for Husakov - Prosecutor General announced the return and change of suspicion for Lviv resident, prosecution requests house arrest

In the case of the pseudo-fundraising for SMA treatment, the suspicion against the Lviv resident has been changed, and the issue of choosing a pre-trial restraint is being decided, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced on social media on Wednesday, UNN writes.

Pseudo-fundraising for SMA treatment: Lviv resident's suspicion changed, pre-trial restraint being decided. The suspect in fraudulent fundraising for alleged SMA treatment has returned to Ukraine after being in Italy, where he was undergoing treatment. He has been served with a notice of change of suspicion.

As the Prosecutor General noted, the legal qualification of the actions has not changed, but during the investigation, the number of victims increased from 34 to 96 people, and the amount of damages increased from UAH 1.3 million to UAH 2 million.

Earlier, the Prosecutor General's Office stated that under the guise of fundraising for SMA treatment, Lviv resident Nazariy Husakov defrauded benefactors of over UAH 1.3 million - he received the necessary therapy for free, and spent the collected funds on his own needs, including gambling and cryptocurrency investments. He was заочно (in absentia) declared a suspect in large-scale fraud.

Case details

As the Prosecutor General reported, according to the investigation, the man organized a fundraising campaign on social networks and Telegram channels, claiming an alleged critical need for an expensive drug for SMA treatment. At the same time, according to the Lviv City Council, since June 2024, he had been receiving this medication free of charge at the expense of the local budget.

Information support from well-known media personalities and influencers was used to raise funds through PayPal and BuyMeACoffee platforms.

"However, the investigation believes that the collected funds could have been used not for the stated purpose, but for gambling, cryptocurrency investments, and personal needs," Kravchenko noted.

During searches at the suspect's place of residence, a mobile phone and flash drives were seized. Their additional examination is currently underway.

"A motion has been sent to the court to apply a pre-trial restraint in the form of round-the-clock home arrest. It is expected that he will be able to leave his place of residence only to receive medical care or to go to a shelter during an air raid," Kravchenko stated.

Fundraising for Husakov: National Police opened two criminal proceedings22.06.25, 18:48 • 4210 views

Recall

31-year-old Lviv resident Nazariy Husakov, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, is suspected of fraud during fundraising for treatment. Social media users noticed discrepancies in his reports, traces of Photoshop on screenshots, and suggest that he inflated drug needs, withdrew money into crypto, and spent it on gambling.

Law enforcement officers conducted checks and identified involved and affected persons, as well as the whereabouts of Husakov, who left Ukraine last year.

Law enforcement officers also opened two criminal proceedings regarding fundraising for the Lviv resident's treatment.

Last year, on July 24, after a long absence from the public space, Nazariy Husakov got in touch. He recorded a video message from a clinic in Milan, Italy, where, according to him, he was undergoing treatment. "Today I learned that the Prosecutor General's Office wants to serve me with a suspicion. I am not hiding from the investigation and the court. I am reporting my physical location. This is the San Raffaele medical facility in Milan," Nazariy said in the video on social media.

Meanwhile, the police conducted searches in Kyiv and Lviv at his places of residence and those of his relatives and acquaintances to establish possible facts of misuse of charitable funds for treatment.

Earlier, UNN wrote that in the case of fraud with fundraising for spinal muscular atrophy treatment, over 400 people were interrogated. Out of UAH 100 million collected by Nazariy Husakov, UAH 2 million are mentioned in the suspicion due to 337 victims refusing to press charges.