Klitschko’s aide faces up to 5 years for fake trips abroad

One of Mayor Klitschko’s top aides has been accused of faking official documents to travel abroad with his family. Prosecutors say Kyiv City Hall chief of staff Dmytro Zahumenniy disguised personal trips as work assignments.

The Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office announced the case on Tuesday, September 30.

Zahumenniy linked to fake invites, past corruption scandals

According to investigators, Zahumenniy left Ukraine twice using forged invitations to international conferences.

• In November 2023, he traveled to Barcelona, Spain, allegedly to attend the Smart City Expo. Prosecutors say the invitation he presented was never sent by organizers.
• In October 2024, he traveled to Florence, Italy, claiming to participate in the Observatory on Re-Generation conference, again using a falsified document.

In both cases, Zahumenniy later filed reports presenting the trips as official assignments, though he had traveled with family.

This is not his first scandal. Zahumenniy is also suspected of embezzling funds allocated for capital repairs in Kyiv and of involvement in a "gray taxi market" that operated during curfew. He previously appeared in a scandal surrounding deputy mayor Dmytro Povoroznyk’s birthday party, held on a national day of mourning.

Zahumenniy now faces charges of document forgery (Articles 358 and 366 of the Criminal Code), which carry up to five years in prison. Prosecutors added that the investigation is ongoing and other officials may be implicated.

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