Why HACC Acquitted Former Dnipropetrovsk RSA Deputy Head Orlov

On February 11, 2026, a panel of HACC judges found Volodymyr Orlov not guilty of committing the criminal offense under Article 368(4) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (soliciting an undue advantage in an especially large amount).

Orlov served as First Deputy Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration for three and a half years. The NABU and the SAPO accused him of demanding USD 200,000 for facilitating the allocation, for long-term use, of 19 hectares of forest in Pishchane community to ALFA WAREHOUSE LLC. The investigation relied on the testimony of complainant Oleksii Honchar and the results of covert investigative (search) actions. 

The defense of the former official insisted that both the crime itself and proper evidence of accepting an offer of a bribe or receiving it were absent. In addition, the defense argued that there were clear signs of provocation by the complainant, although the court did not agree with that claim. 

Ultimately, the HACC judge found that Orlov’s actions did not contain the corpus delicti, while also finding no provocation. 

We closely monitored the consideration of this case in the HACC and analyzed its key aspects. So what exactly was Orlov accused of? What was recorded in the covert-investigation materials? What were the parties’ positions in the case? And what should be expected next? Read more in our piece on the HACC Decided platform.