Nazariy Gusakov, a 31-year-old Lviv man with spinal atrophy, has recorded his first video message after being suspected of embezzling donations collected for treatment. He said he is in a clinic in Milan and is aware that the Prosecutor General’s Office is preparing to announce the suspicion.
Nazariy Gusakov, a 31-year-old Lviv man with spinal atrophy, has recorded his first video message after being suspected of embezzling donations collected for treatment. He said he is in a clinic in Milan and is aware that the Prosecutor General’s Office is preparing to announce the suspicion.
«Yesterday I spoke with my deputy, she reported that today or tomorrow we will report the suspicion of [Nazariy Gusakov] in absentia. In absentia, because the person involved is not in the country», — said Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko on July 23.
He added that the investigation had gathered «enough evidence» to report the suspicion and noted that many people in this case refused to recognize themselves as victims.
«The amount of losses now, if I’m not mistaken, is 1.2 million because more than 300 victims refused to be victims. Therefore, we cannot incriminate this person for the entire amount of money transferred», — Kravchenko said.
On the evening of July 23, Nazariy Gusakov published a video message on his page, in which he commented on the words of the Prosecutor General.
«Today I learned that the Prosecutor General’s Office wants to hand me a suspicion of committing a crime. I am not hiding from the investigation and the court. I am reporting my physical location. This is a medical facility in Milan on the street…», Gusakov said in the video.
He said that he was not going to «hide from the investigation and the court,» but due to deteriorating health, his interests would be represented by lawyer Natalia Beldiy.
In a comment to the publication «Suspilne», she said that as of the morning of July 24, Nazariy had not yet received suspicions.
«When such suspicion is announced, Nazariy Gusakov and I will choose the tactics of defense in this case. Nazariy Gusakov intends to cooperate with the investigation and the court», — Beldiy noted.
According to her, Nazariy Gusakov left for Italy due to deteriorating health, and not to evade criminal prosecution.
«He can’t even look at the camera, he can’t hold the phone. In order for me to communicate with him, there must be some kind of assistant who will take the phone call or call me. It’s even difficult for him to sit in a wheelchair,» the lawyer said.
Nazariy Gusakov is a 31-year-old Lviv resident with a rare disease, SMA (spinal muscular atrophy), for whom Ukrainians massively collected donations through social networks, media, as well as with the assistance of many top bloggers, politicians, show business representatives, and other public figures.
The scandal erupted in June 2025, when social media users asked for reports on the spending of funds collected for treatment. When Gusakov failed to do so, he was suspected of misusing the donations.
According to journalist Olga Khudetska, who was one of the most active participants in the investigation into possible fraud by Nazariy Gusakov, the total amount of funds he raised is ultimately unknown.
«In fact, we cannot understand the volume of his fees, we only see 49 million withdrawn from banks. And what was on the crypto wallets and cards, where he asked to transfer funds, bypassing banks, and what he collected through personal messages — we do not know», — Khudetska noted.
Nazariy Gusakov explained the origin of the millions on his crypto wallet, noting that «this is the money of people who were chasing away winnings from poker or betting».
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the scandal surrounding Gusakov, reporting that Gusakov left the territory of Ukraine on June 13. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi reported that 31-year-old Gusakov, who suffers from SMA, left for Italy, but plans to return to Ukraine.
Subsequently, the National Police initiated criminal proceedings against Nazariy Gusakov under Part 4 of Article 190 (fraud) and Part 3 of Article 209 (legalization (laundering) of proceeds from crime) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
At the end of June, it became known that the National Police was conducting searches in Kyiv and Lviv in a case of possible fraud and money laundering.
