In the name of Ukraine — against Ukraine: judge Konstantinova’s ruling in the Kudrytskyi case

In Kyiv, a judge whose family openly glorifies the “Russian world” has sent another former state official behind bars — this time, the former head of Ukrenergo. The Pechersk District Court of Kyiv imposed a preventive measure on former Ukrenergo CEO Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, ordering two months of detention with the possibility of bail set at 13.7 million UAH.

According to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the case concerns alleged fraudulent misappropriation of Ukrenergo’s funds back in 2018, when Kudrytskyi served as deputy head of the company. He denies the accusations, calling them “absurd.”

Notably, the ruling was issued by judge Kristina Konstantinova, well known for her controversial decisions in cases against civil activists. It was Konstantinova who authorised searches in the homes of Automaidan activists and later placed Serhii Filimonov and the late Roman Ratushnyi under house arrest on fabricated charges — merely for supporting Serhii Sternenko at peaceful assemblies.

Adding to the controversy, the judge’s daughter once posted an Instagram video justifying the annexation of Crimea, using the phrase “Ukrainian trash” and calling Ukrainians “cattle.”

Thus, when a judge whose own daughter spreads openly anti-Ukrainian rhetoric orders the arrest of a former state company head in a politically motivated case, it becomes yet another chapter in the long story of how Ukraine’s courts are turned into instruments of pressure.

As long as judges like Konstantinova continue to issue rulings “in the name of Ukraine” but in favor of its enemies, the judiciary will remain a key battleground for Russian influence in Kyiv. That is why cleaning up the courts is, above all, a matter of national security.