Former Ukrainian MP detained in Germany. He is suspected of stock exchange fraud

The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) reported that at its request, German law enforcement officers detained an MP of the Verkhovna Rada of the 8th convocation. Babelʼs sources reported that this is Ruslan Demchak.

In 2014-2019, Demchak was an MP from the "Petro Poroshenko Bloc" and deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee on financial policy and banking. In 2023, he was informed of suspicion of fraud on the stock exchange. According to investigators, in addition to Demchak, the scheme involved professional stock market participants and other individuals.

The participants in the scheme legalized the proceeds from manipulations with the purchase and sale of Ukrainian domestic government bonds. This allowed them to receive payment of investment profits that were not subject to taxation. They received these illegal proceeds through a controlled bank.

Investigators claim that Demchak received UAH 20 million in illegal profits. The defendants face 8 to 15 years in prison.

Since Demchak fled abroad, the court granted permission for a special pre-trial investigation into him — it was completed in October 2025. In February 2026, the State Bureau of Investigation plans to send an indictment to the court.

The extradition process to Ukraine can take about three months.

• In April last year, the High Anti-Corruption Court entered into a plea agreement with Demchak in another case. During his time as a deputy, he illegally received compensation for the use of a hotel room in Kyiv, although he lived in his own apartment in the suburbs of the capital.
• Demchak was sentenced to three years in prison with a one-year probationary period. He also compensated the state for damages and transferred UAH 2 million to the United24 account for the purchase of armored ambulances.

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.