The Prosecutor's Office is not at war with local self-government, but is doing its job: the OGP responded to statements about “pressure” on local authorities

The Office of the Prosecutor General rejected the accusations of the Association of Ukrainian Cities regarding pressure on local self-government bodies, stating that it is not about political persecution, but about systemic exposure of corruption. This is reported by UNN with reference to the press service of the OPG.

Details

The Association of City Mayors recently again announced alleged pressure from the prosecutor's office on local self-government bodies. The Office of the Prosecutor General is open to dialogue, but we will speak not with slogans, but with facts. Practice shows that the loudest talk about "pressure" occurs precisely when law enforcement agencies record the embezzlement of budget funds. These are the money of communities, taxpayers, which should have worked for people, and not settled in someone's pockets. And it sounds frankly strange about pressure from local self-government bodies and city mayors, who should primarily be interested in exposing corruption at the local level

The OPG reported that from July 1, 2025, to the present, pre-trial investigations have been completed and 528 criminal proceedings against 656 accused have been sent to court, including:

• 177 officials of local self-government bodies, 111 of whom are management personnel;
• 188 officials of communal enterprises, 132 of whom are managers;
• 41 officials of military-civil administrations, regional military administrations, district state administrations, 22 of whom are managers;
• 224 people are employees of business entities, contractors, technical supervisors.

In another 234 criminal proceedings, the pre-trial investigation is ongoing, but 350 people have already been notified of suspicion, including:

• 75 officials of local self-government bodies (55 - management personnel);
• 102 officials of communal enterprises (63 - managers);
• 18 officials of military-civil administrations, regional military administrations, district state administrations (12 - managers);
• 152 representatives of business and contractors.

In cases already submitted to court, damages of UAH 759 million have been established, of which UAH 56.4 million was reimbursed during the investigation. In proceedings where suspicions have been announced, another UAH 762.8 million in damages has been established, of which UAH 3 million has already been reimbursed. These criminal offenses are not isolated cases and certainly not "political persecution"

Also, the Office of the Prosecutor General stated that these facts were recorded in most areas of communal services:

• housing and communal services;
• energy;
• education, sports, culture;
• medicine;
• landscaping;
• roads;
• transport;
• social protection;
• land and real estate;
• procurement for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

When it comes to such figures, talk of "pressure" looks like an attempt to shift the focus from responsibility to loud statements. The prosecutor's office is not at war with local self-government. The prosecutor's office is doing its job, exposing facts of corruption and abuse of budget funds, regardless of positions, statuses, or political views. And if someone feels "pressure," the OPG has a specially created portal where you can submit your application and it will definitely be considered. Crimes must be answered for, and this is not pressure from the prosecutor's office or other law enforcement agencies. This is how the law finally begins to work. This is how the interests of communities and the state are protected. And this is how the prosecutor's office will continue to act

Context

Earlier, the Association of Ukrainian Cities published a statement, signed by representatives of 1082 communities, which indicated pressure from the prosecutor's office on local self-government.

Recall

The mayor of Dnipro, Borys Filatov, reported on searches in the city council, which began on the day when the Russians launched a massive attack on Ukraine, which Dnipro did not avoid. As a result of the attack, a large boiler house in the city was damaged, and hundreds of houses were left without heat.