Suspicion against Nazarii Husakov has been changed: he has returned to Ukraine, where preventive measure to be imposed on him
31-year-old Nazarii Husakov has returned to Ukraine. The charges against him in the case involving fraud at a charity fundraiser for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy have been amended. A decision on a preventive measure is expected.
This was reported by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, according to Censor.NET.
What is known?
According to Kravchenko, Husakov returned to Ukraine after a stay in Italy, where he had been undergoing medical treatment.
"He was served with a notice of amended suspicion. The legal classification of the actions has not changed; however, during the investigation, the number of victims increased from 34 to 96, and the amount of damages caused rose from 1.3 million hryvnias to 2 million hryvnias," the statement reads.
According to the investigation, Husakov organized a fundraising campaign on social media, claiming there was an alleged critical need for an expensive medicine to treat SMA.
"At the same time, according to information from the Lviv City Council, he had been receiving this medicine free of charge since June 2024 at the expense of the local budget.
The fundraising campaign via PayPal and BuyMeACoffee utilized the promotional support of well-known media figures and influencers," the Prosecutor General said.
At the same time, investigators believe that the funds raised may have been used not for the stated purpose, but for gambling, investments in cryptocurrency, and personal expenses.
During searches of the suspect’s residence, a mobile phone and flash drives were seized. They are currently undergoing further examination.
A motion has been filed with the court to impose a preventive measure in the form of round-the-clock house arrest.
"It is expected that he will be allowed to leave his residence only to seek medical care or to go to a shelter during an air raid alert," Kravchenko added.
Nazarii Husakov's case
Earlier, 31-year-old Nazarii Husakov, who suffers from SMA (spinal muscular atrophy), a rare genetic disorder requiring expensive treatment, was accused of possibly embezzling millions in donations and diverting them not toward his treatment, but toward online casinos and cryptocurrency.
As the most well-known person with SMA in Ukraine, Husakov was supported by a number of Ukrainian media outlets and public figures. Among them were bihus.info, Serhii Sternenko, Ihor Lachenkov, Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi, and others.
Social media users were the first to draw attention to the suspicious fundraising for Husakov and the lack of accountability. Users of social media platform X asked Nazarii to provide proof of payment for the medications he was raising funds for, but the activist did not respond to these requests. Users found inconsistencies in the man’s statements regarding the monthly quantity of medication and identical photos on the Telegram channel that Nazarii had posted as proof of the purchased medications.
Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko briefed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the situation surrounding the fundraising campaign for Nazarii Husakov and possible instances of fraud.
In July 2025, Nazarii Husakov was notified of suspicion in a fraud case.
