Slava Ukraini whistleblower: Ukrainian businessman earned a lot from aid

Hennadiy Vaskiv.(front left), Oleksandr Chernov (back right). Photo: Hennadi Vaskivi Facebook

A Ukrainian businessman who cooperated with the Estonian NGO Slava Ukraini turned the distribution of humanitarian aid into a business that brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Oleksandr Chernov, a Ukrainian volunteer who exposed schemes related to the NGO.

Chernov considers the fact that a grenade launcher was found in his car last week to be revenge and a set-up. Because of this, he is now accused of dealing in weapons and has been sentenced to house arrest by court decision.

On Monday, Chernov made a public address on his Facebook account and announced that he fears for his life and that of his loved ones due to the revelations. He asked for help and for the injustice against him to be stopped.

«For my part, I am doing everything to stop the person who is earning hundreds of thousands of dollars, maybe even millions, from humanitarian aid,» Chernov said in the short video. «With his actions, he is discrediting the donors helping Ukraine, the result of which is a decrease in humanitarian aid, which is so essential for Ukraine right now.»

Chernov does not mention any names in his address, but based on what he said previously, it is clear that he is talking about the Ukrainian NGO All for Victory and its leader Hennadiy Vaskiv. Chernov mentions All for Victory at the beginning of his address. «I worked at charity foundation All for Victory when its CEO [Vaskiv -- ed.] started to turn charity into a business. I decided to stop it, I wanted to leave, but I was not allowed to,» Chernov said.

Hennadiy Vaskiv was the main Ukrainian cooperation partner of the Estonian NGO Slava Ukraini, led by MP Johanna-Maria Lehtme. In recent months, Slava Ukraini has been hit by accusations of misuse of money donated in Estonia in Ukraine.