Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Detained on Suspicion of Involvement in Multimillion-Dollar Landgrab Scheme

Ukraine’s Agriculture Minister, Mykola Solsky, has been detained on suspicion of being involved in a multimillion-dollar landgrab scheme. Prosecutors allege that Solsky illegally seized state-owned land worth 291 million hryvnias ($7.36m) and attempted to obtain additional land worth 190 million hryvnias ($4.8m). The accusations pertain to events that occurred between 2017 and 2021, prior to Solsky assuming his role as agriculture minister in March 2022.

According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, the land was unlawfully taken from two state firms and transferred to war veterans under the condition that they lease it to private companies. Solsky, a 44-year-old minister who owned several farming businesses, and his lawyer have denied the charges, asserting that he did not benefit from any such scheme.

An anticorruption court has ordered Solsky to be held in custody until June 24, with bail set at 75.7 million hryvnias ($1.9m). If convicted, he could face up to 12 years in jail. Solsky had offered his resignation earlier this week and pledged to cooperate with the investigation. However, he will technically remain agriculture minister until his resignation is considered by parliament.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has prioritized combating corruption, has replaced his defense minister in the past following graft allegations. Solsky’s case marks the first instance of a Ukrainian minister being prosecuted as a suspect in a major corruption case under Zelenskyy’s presidency.