In Spain detained a suspect in large-scale heating supply fraud

In Spain, a 40-year-old resident of Kyiv region was detained, who is suspected of organizing a large-scale scheme to embezzle budget funds in the provision of heating services in Ivano-Frankivsk. According to the investigation, members of the criminal organization seized more than 71 million UAH through manipulations with heat tariffs.

The National Police of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General's Office reported this on October 16.

The suspect was detained by Spanish law enforcement officers on October 14. The man was hiding from Ukrainian investigators abroad and had been on the international wanted list since January 2026. Ukrainian prosecutors are currently preparing documents for his extradition.

According to law enforcement officials, the suspect created and led a criminal organization, recruiting four other people—managers of controlled commercial enterprises.

To implement the scheme, two limited liability companies were registered, which received licenses for the production and transportation of thermal energy. According to the prosecutor's office, the ultimate beneficiary of the related enterprises was the organizer.

The investigation found that from January 2021 to April 2023, members of the organization systematically manipulated calculations of heating supply costs.

In documents submitted to local government bodies for tariff approval, unreliable indicators were indicated. In particular, the companies artificially inflated expenses for the production of thermal energy, understated its losses during transportation, and included unjustifiably high profits in the calculations.

After the tariffs were approved, the enterprises entered into agreements with the city's municipal enterprise and issued certificates of completed work with inflated costs of services provided.

According to law enforcement calculations, as a result of the alleged fraud, more than 71.2 million UAH were illegally diverted from the Ivano-Frankivsk budget.

The Prosecutor General's Office also noted that city residents paid for volumes of thermal energy that they actually did not receive. Thus, the alleged scheme affected not only budget funds but also calculations for utility services.

The criminal organization was exposed by investigators of the Ivano-Frankivsk regional police together with employees of the strategic investigations department and the regional SBU unit.

It was established that the alleged organizer left Ukraine back in June 2025.

In December 2025, he was served a notice of suspicion in absentia of misappropriation of property on a particularly large scale by abuse of official position.

In January 2026, the suspicion was expanded. The man was charged with creating and leading a criminal organization, misappropriation of someone else's property on a particularly large scale, and entering knowingly false information into official documents.

On January 22, he was put on the international wanted list.

The case of four other alleged members of the organization is already being considered in court. The indictment against them was sent to court by the Ivano-Frankivsk regional prosecutor's office in March 2026.

After the detention of the main figure in Spain, Ukrainian law enforcement officers began preparing an official request for his extradition. The documents must be submitted to the competent authorities of Spain for consideration of the extradition issue.

The final decision on transferring the suspect to Ukraine will be made by the competent Spanish authorities. The timing of a possible extradition has not yet been announced.

The guilt of all defendants must be established by the court.

Based on materials from: National Police of Ukraine, Suspilne.