In 2024 the highest payments among the heads of local military administrations in Kherson region were received by the head of the Kherson City military administration, Yaroslav Shanko. His average monthly salary amounted to about 185 thousand hryvnias.
This is reported in a piece by the Center for Journalistic Investigations.
Overall, the Center for Journalistic Investigations analyzed the incomes of 49 heads of local military administrations in the region. The smallest payments were recorded for the head of the Novomykolaivska SVA of Skadovsk district, Yevheniia Hlebova — in 2025 her salary amounted to 56.7 thousand hryvnias per month.
The Kherson City MVA explained that Yaroslav Shanko, as an active serviceman, receives monetary support in accordance with Cabinet of Ministers resolution No. 397, which regulates funding for the activities of military administrations.
As journalists found, a significant part of Shanko’s income consists of bonuses that in some months exceeded the official salary. In particular, in December 2025 his salary was 72 111 hryvnias, whereas the bonus was 77 339 hryvnias.
The Department of External Communications of the Kherson City Council reported that the decision to award a bonus to the head of the city military administration is made by the head of the Kherson RDA in agreement with the head of the regional administration. Before his appointment to the post in June 2025, Yaroslav Shanko served for two years as deputy head of the Kherson OVA.
The Center for Journalistic Investigations also notes that compared with 2024 the incomes of heads of local military administrations who are active servicemen have significantly increased. This is related to a change in the source of funding: until mid-May 2025 their monetary support was paid at the expense of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Among them is the former head of the Kherson MVA, Roman Mrochko.
As of 2025, serving as heads of several local military administrations in Kherson region were also active servicemen: Valerii Melnychenko (Vynohradivka rural MA), Serhii Kukhta (Skadovsk city MA), Oleksii Batkalov (Bekhter rural MA) and Mykola Yatsenko (Tyahyn rural MA).
After the change in the payment procedure their incomes increased significantly. Thus, Oleksii Batkalov in 2024 declared about 200 thousand hryvnias in salary, while for the period from May to December 2025 he received almost 530 thousand hryvnias. Serhii Kukhta in 2024 declared 267 thousand hryvnias, and for the same period in 2025 — almost 873 thousand hryvnias.