On May 28, 2026, investigators from the Main Directorate of the National Police in Donetsk Oblast served a notice of suspicion under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on the so-called "mayor" of Mariupol appointed by the russian occupation authorities in connection with the unlawful seizure of property belonging to Ukrainian citizens.

Who is the suspect

Oleh Valeriyovych Morgun (born March 19, 1967) is a native of the village of Sadkivtsi in Vinnytsia Oblast and a former law enforcement officer.

In the summer of 2014, he was appointed acting head of the Mariupol city department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Donetsk Oblast, replacing Valeriy Andrushchuk, who had been abducted by russian-backed militants. However, Morgun later sided with the enemy. After leaving the police force, he settled in the temporarily occupied territory.

On March 12, 2015, he became head of the occupation administration of Novoazovsk district. In 2017, the Pryazovskyi District Court of Zaporizhzhia Oblast sentenced him in absentia to 11 years in prison for participation in a terrorist organization under Part 1 of Article 258-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

In November 2023, he voluntarily assumed the position of the so-called "acting head (mayor) of the Mariupol urban district municipality."

Circumstances of the crime

After his appointment, Morgun allegedly conspired with other representatives of the russian occupation administration to coordinate and facilitate the large-scale appropriation of private property belonging to Ukrainian citizens.

To this end, the occupation authorities adopted a number of unlawful regulations, including a so-called law that enabled them to identify and designate as "ownerless" residential properties belonging to Ukrainians who had left the city. Under this scheme, real estate was taken from its lawful owners and transferred into so-called municipal ownership for subsequent allocation to residents loyal to russia.

According to the investigation, Morgun's role was to sign decisions registering real estate as "ownerless."

Between July 2024 and June 2025, he signed 39 decisions concerning the appropriation of 3,790 real estate properties, including apartments and residential buildings, allegedly to create the appearance of legality for the actions of the occupation authorities.

Suspicion

Morgun's actions have been classified as a war crime involving violations of the laws and customs of war under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

According to investigators, these actions constitute a gross violation of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and the Hague Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land.

Investigators also note that the large-scale appropriation of housing by the occupation authorities may constitute a crime against humanity in the form of persecution under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The criminal proceeding was entered into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations under No. 42020050000000222 on May 14, 2020.