Ukraine's anti-corruption authorities have formally notified Olha Stefanishyna, the country's former ambassador to the United States and ex-deputy prime minister for European integration, that she is suspected of illicit enrichment. The suspicion notice was issued by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), according to the Ukrainian Center for Countering Corruption, which reported the development on August 5.
The High Anti-Corruption Court is now considering what preventive measure to impose on Stefanishyna. Her defense asked for the session to be closed, and official details of the case have not been made public. Sources cited by Ukrainska Pravda journalist Mykhailo Tkach said the suspicion relates to illegal enrichment.
Stefanishyna, who was dismissed from her ambassadorial post on August 3, responded publicly to the proceedings. «Any procedural actions are part of the lawful work of the law enforcement system, and not established guilt», she said. She described her reaction as calm and said the noise around the case resembled «a storm in a teacup». She added that she had already answered many of the questions circulating in the media, in particular about real estate, more than a year ago.
According to the Center for Countering Corruption, the case concerns property acquired by third parties on behalf of the politician. The anti-corruption body says Stefanishyna failed to declare two one-bedroom apartments, as well as cash spent on renovating apartments, treatment for her mother, plane tickets and the rent for another flat. She is also suspected of using a Mercedes-Benz car that was registered to one of her subordinates.
The suspicion is not Stefanishyna's first. Previously, she was notified of suspicion in a case in which former Justice Minister Olena Lukash, an ally of ex-president Viktor Yanukovych, is also a defendant. Lukash and other suspects are accused of embezzling 2.523 million hryvnias, about 56,000 US dollars at the current exchange rate, which were allocated in 2013–2014 to harmonize Ukrainian legislation with European Union law. That case is also being heard by the High Anti-Corruption Court.
Stefanishyna held the post of deputy prime minister for European integration from 2020. In August 2025, she was appointed ambassador to the United States, replacing Oksana Markarova. Her tenure in Washington lasted less than a year. On August 3, 2026, a decree appeared on the website of the Ukrainian president relieving her of the ambassador post. Stefanishyna said she had resigned of her own accord, citing «personal circumstances». In the first half of July, Ukrainian media reported that she had asked President Volodymyr Zelensky to dismiss her at her own request.
In 2025, journalists of the Ukrainian outlet Hromadske published an investigation into her undeclared income and what they described as «secret real estate». Reacting to the new suspicion, Stefanishyna told local media: «I have nothing to hide.»