In Kyiv, railway workers are on trial for fraud with tickets for international flights

The Svyatoshinsky District Court of the city of Kyiv approved a plea agreement regarding one of the members of a criminal organization that operated within the structure of Ukrzaliznytsia.

This is reported by “Court Reporter”.

According to the investigation, a group of at least 15 people during 2024 created an artificial shortage of tickets to popular foreign destinations by illegally selling seats in carriages and conductors’ official compartments. The organizers of the scheme are considered to be the heads of the trade union and the deputy head of the Wagon Division of the “Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi” station, and the total losses of the state enterprise from their activities are estimated at 8.7 million hryvnias.

One of the defendants, who held the position of head of the Kyiv-Khelm train, entered into an agreement with the prosecutor, admitting his role in the company’s failure to receive more than 733,000 hryvnias in just six months. The court sentenced him to five years of imprisonment with a two-year probationary period and a fine, taking into account the voluntary compensation of part of the damages and donations to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, the court satisfied the civil lawsuit of “Ukrzaliznytsia”, obliging the convicted person to pay another 488 thousand hryvnias in material damages.

Exposing such networks of corruption in strategically important industries is part of a wider campaign to clean up the public sector, which takes on particular importance in times of war. While the Russian Federation is trying to undermine Ukrainian logistics and sow distrust in state institutions, the effective work of law enforcement helps maintain the stability of international communications. The systematic fight against the “ticket mafia” not only fills the budget, but also protects the rights of citizens to access transportation without overpayments, neutralizing internal threats that Russia often uses in its propaganda about the corruption of Ukraine. The fight against internal looting remains a priority for stabilizing the economy in the face of Russia’s external aggression.

We will remind, “Ukrzaliznytsia” together with the Ministry of Development has prepared a project of changes, which provides for the introduction of dynamic pricing for the premium segment and an updated scale of refunds for tickets.