Judge Olena Kuzmyshyna - as a monument to corruption in Ukraine

The "Telegram" channel Harley Quinn drew attention to the luxurious outfits of the head of the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal, Olena Kuzmyshyna, which clearly do not match her salary level. And questioned the eternal question – where did the money come from?

Indeed, if you compare Olena Kuzmyshyna’s declaration with the cost of the expensive Italian clothes she wears at the same time, the outfit almost exceeds the annual income of Mrs. Judge. And that’s not all – as reported by Antikor, Kuzmyshyna recently spent 35 thousand dollars on vacation at the most expensive hotel in Sicily - San Domenico Palace, Four Seasons Hotel. This amounts to almost one and a half million hryvnias at the current exchange rate and precisely half of Kuzmyshyna’s annual salary. NABU has started an investigation on this fact, especially since, according to the documents, the judge was on a business trip at the time.

If you believe the declaration, Judge Kuzmyshyna lives on one salary. In 2024, she earned 2,978,529 hryvnias. A good salary, no one disputes. More than a soldier on the front line, almost three times more. But a judge should earn well to judge fairly. However, even studying the declaration raises obvious questions.

In 2024, Olena Kuzmyshyna filed a declaration of a significant change in financial status, indicating that she gave someone 1,996,025 hryvnias.

And there is also a car, houses, land, apartments. All of this is in elite areas. However, we will not repeat ourselves – you can read about it in detail in the article "Kyiv judge Olena Kuzmyshyna flaunts in branded clothes and loves expensive vacations". There, her property is described in detail and there is a comparison of its size with her income. The conclusion, of course, is obvious – Judge Olena Kuzmyshyna’s income is much less than her expenses. With what she earned, it is simply impossible to buy so much elite real estate. Not to mention the branded clothes she loves to flaunt in.

As already mentioned, Olena Kuzmyshyna is the head of the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal. Its jurisdiction covers the city of Kyiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Cherkasy regions. Olena Kuzmyshyna became the head of this court in 2021, and she has been working in the judicial system for more than 20 years.

During this time, Judge Kuzmyshyna, as we can see, has amassed a very good collection of real estate, considerable cash reserves (the declaration indicates that she keeps 1,700,000 hryvnias and 100,000 dollars in cash), and an outstanding collection of branded clothing and shoes. The conclusion from this is also somewhat unequivocal – Olena Kuzmyshyna does not live on one salary. Who pays the judge extra and for what services is unknown. But it is not difficult to guess – these services are provided at the workplace, and they are paid unofficially.

Against this background, it seems quite strange that Mrs. Kuzmyshyna has never been involved in corruption scandals during her entire career. But this puzzle is solved quite simply. And at the same time, it gives an answer to the question of why the corresponding authorities were not interested in Olena Kuzmyshyna’s expensive habits.

A simple search on the network gives a link to a very curious document. This is – a declaration of family connections of Judge Vitaliy Kuzmyshyn for 2015. Vitaliy Kuzmyshyn then worked as the head of the Vinnytsia Court of Appeal. And he was married (now, according to Olena Kuzmyshyna’s declaration, they are divorced) to our heroine, who worked as a judge of the Kyiv Administrative Court of Appeal. But the essence is different – this declaration reveals all the family connections of Vitaliy Kuzmyshyn. And at the same time – Olena Kuzmyshyna. Of course, there is nothing illegal about the fact that the entire Kuzmyshyna family works in law enforcement and judicial bodies, but the conclusion is also somewhat obvious – this is a real family clan of judges, prosecutors, and cops.

Here is a brief list of Olena Kuzmyshyna’s family connections as of 2015:

- Sister, Nikitenko Yuliya— notary of the Kyiv notarial district;
- Brother, Ponochovnyi Ihor— Deputy Prosecutor of Kyiv;
- Cousin, Ponochovnyi Yevhen— Deputy Head of the Bila Tserkva Tax Office;
- Cousin, Ponochovna Nataliya— Chief Specialist of the Kyiv Drug Control Department;
- Cousin, Ponochovnyi Vadym— Officer of the KCSA.

As the classic says, "Who will imprison her, she’s a monument!". And almost ten years have passed since then; all these people made careers, and so did Olena Kuzmyshyna herself. New people appeared, new connections appeared, money appeared.

There is also another hint as to why no one has touched Olena Kuzmyshyna. She dutifully followed the instructions of the authorities. Moreover, always, no matter who these authorities were. Here is a quote from the decision of the High Council of Justice on the complaint of the representatives of the Chernihiv City Council about the actions of Judge Kuzmyshyna:

The case is old, then the fifth president also "squeezed" the Mayor of Chernihiv, Atroshenko, for something. And Judge Kuzmyshyna dutifully followed Bankova’s instructions. Whether she participated in the very dubious removal of the same Atroshenko from office in 2023 is unknown. But the fact that she followed Bankova’s will even after the change of power is confirmed by a simple fact – the date of appointment as the head of the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal. And Kuzmyshyna was appointed to this position, as we remember, in September 2021. Such appointments are not made just like that. Not in this country, at least. So, there was something for it.

That’s why Olena Kuzmyshyna continued to earn her money. Actually, it is this money that brought Mrs. Kuzmyshina to the heroes of this and other publications. Or rather – the need to declare what was earned through backbreaking judicial labor. In this regard, Mrs. Kuzmyshyna and other state figures were greatly let down by the "papiriedniks" who passed the law on declaration. The attempt to cancel it under the pretext of war was unsuccessful. So, one has to declare.

The question of why the NAPC does not see these declarations point-blank is probably not worth asking – everyone understands that one hand washes the other. The only way is to study these declarations and the lifestyle of our "powers that be" and publicize their luxurious lives and overseas trips under the guise of business trips. Which is what happened in the case of Judge Olena Kuzmyshyna, who clearly lost her head from the amount of money, connections, and impunity. Well, on the other hand, money also needs to be spent. Dress beautifully, live beautifully, rest beautifully. Well, let’s see what comes of all this. Some vague doubts torment me that nothing. Because she is a "monument". A monument to all that horror happening in Ukraine.