Ex-official, declared wanted in Ukraine, builds a new life in Belarus. He has already taken a high position and visited the Palace of Independence

Breakneck career and accusations of "schemes"

"Unlike most Ukrainian politicians and businessmen, Roman Sergeevich has not one, but five higher education degrees at once," an anonymous author wrote about Veprytsky. Apparently, he studied at some universities simultaneously — as a result, he became a certified civil servant, manager, land surveyor, railway worker, and Doctor of Legal Sciences all rolled into one. Since 2009, he worked in state positions in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions, and in 2015, he became a deputy of the regional council.

In 2017, Veprytsky transferred to a regional subdivision of Ukrainian Railways, and soon headed the local branch. By February 2020, he had risen to the position of Director of Infrastructure in the parent company, and a couple of months later became a board member. The publication "Stopkor" called this decision "one of the most surprising in recent weeks," and the newly appointed head — "one of the main authors of shadow schemes in the railway sector."

Павялічыць

The ascent ended a month later: the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine conducted searches at Veprytsky's home and workplace. State auditors found financial irregularities in his activities amounting to approximately 100 million hryvnias (about 3.8 million dollars at that time). He was first suspended from his position and then fired.

Veprytsky himself called the decision biased and claimed that he acted according to the law. In his resignation, he saw the reaction of influential groups to his publicity and attempts to fight corruption schemes within the company.

The outcome of that story is unknown; Ukrainian media no longer wrote about it, and the manager himself withdrew from the public eye. However, two years later, the National Police declared Veprytsky wanted.

Павялічыць

The agency's website card indicates that he is wanted under the following articles:

• Part 5 of Art. 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Appropriation, embezzlement of property or seizure thereof by abuse of official position on a particularly large scale or by a group of persons);
• Part 2 of Art. 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Official forgery, which led to grave consequences).

They wanted to take Veprytsky into custody, but could not find him. As a result, he was declared missing since September 2022 — a status he retains to this day.

New life in Belarus

All the aforementioned events did not prevent Roman Veprytsky from finding work in Belarus in 2024. He became the director of the "Izamat-komplekt" factory, which produces fasteners. The factory itself is located in Ivatsevichy in the Brest region, while the warehouse and office are in Minsk.

Павялічыць

Photos on the factory's website and social media show: the factory is run not just by a namesake, but by the same person who is wanted in Ukraine. The Amazon Recognition service estimates the probability of a match at 99.9%.

Павялічыць

Veprytsky is also connected with the pro-government Belarusian Peace Foundation. He can be seen at the organization's events; in publications, he is presented as an advisor to the chairman of the board — that is, Maksim Misko. However, such a position is not mentioned on the foundation's website.

Павялічыць

Recently, Veprytsky visited the Palace of Independence in Minsk for a meeting of entrepreneurs with Prime Minister Alexander Turchin. Judging by the photo report, he managed to address the official with a question (or possibly a proposal).

Павялічыць

Interestingly, the former official brought with him to Belarus not only an interest in business and public activity, but also a hobby. On Veprytsky's "Wikipedia" page, someone compiled a long list of his awards and achievements — for example, the medal "Leaders of the XXI Century", the Order "Patriot of Ukraine", the first working copy of the Kyiv railway station.

Also on this list is the largest collection of elephant figurines in Ukraine. Before his departure, there were 3700 of them; the deputy even included them in his annual declarations. In Belarus, Veprytsky joined an association of collectors, and this summer he received a special certificate for his collection. By the way, it has grown: there are now over four thousand figurines.

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