After losing their business, the Grimenkovs fled to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. There, Igor tried to “befriend” the separatists, but to no avail. In their new home (Novomoskovsk, now known as Samar), the couple set up a public organization to assist refugees and attempted to establish a legitimate business. When that failed, Igor Grimenkov turned to old connections to secure state aid for purchasing housing for himself and his family.

According to a journalistic investigation, the Grimenkovs actually sold their property in Donetsk Oblast profitably and bought an apartment in central Novomoskovsk, registering it under Igor’s elderly mother. To obtain funds from the state and European partners, they forged documents claiming their property had been seized by separatists.

Journalists note that most so-called refugees from Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts exploited a similar scheme: they sold their properties to separatists, relocated to other cities, and filed paperwork alleging loss of assets due to the occupation.

To rehabilitate his image in the eyes of the state, Igor Grimenkov joined the “Tornado” volunteer battalion. On social media, he portrayed himself as a “hero,” yet there’s no photographic evidence to back this up. Instead, there’s information that after law enforcement detained the battalion’s leadership, Grimenkov struck a deal with investigators, obtained a “Combatant Status” certificate (UBD), and disappeared for a time.

While digging into Igor Grimenkov’s background, we came across the “Myrotvorets” website, which lists Svyatoslav Ihorovych Grimenkov (who changed his surname to Podhursky), born on 05.11.1989. His father is identified as Grimenkov Igor Yevhenovych, born on 22.01.1962, with a tax ID (DRFO) of 2266700637. The birth date and tax ID match the Igor Grimenkov featured in our investigation. It’s reasonable to assume that Svyatoslav Grimenkov is Igor’s biological son from his first marriage and is accused by “Myrotvorets” of separatism.

According to our information, Igor Yevhenovych himself was also listed on the “Myrotvorets” website, but his name disappeared from it after his participation in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) with the “Tornado” battalion.

Following the full-scale invasion by Russian occupiers in 2022, Grimenkov and his family fled to Switzerland. However, he soon returned to Ukraine, as the family received funds from the state and European partners to purchase housing, designated for refugees from Donetsk Oblast.

Upon arriving in Novomoskovsk (Samar), Igor Grimenkov teamed up with a shady realtor, Yevhen Gordienko, through whom he sold an apartment officially registered under his mother’s name and a garage that wasn’t even his property, but merely rented. They sold the assets and split the proceeds.

We also have in our possession a portion of the correspondence between Igor Grimenkov, realtor Yevhen Gordienko, and a victim of their fraudulent actions. Take a close look:

Details of the Fraudulent Scheme:

In the distant 90s and nearly up to the early 2000s, shady realtors would find individuals like Igor Grimenkov and, for a cash reward, convince property owners to participate in a scam. In turn, these black-market realtors would locate buyers (victims) for the properties. During the signing of the purchase-sale agreement at the notary’s office, the owner, following the realtors’ instructions, would ask for water in the presence of the buyers and realtors, loudly complaining of a headache or heart pain—repeating it several times to ensure everyone heard clearly. After signing the necessary documents and receiving payment for the property, the realtors would admit the owner to a hospital, while simultaneously preparing a statement to law enforcement claiming the owner was unaware of their actions during the signing due to poor health and was now hospitalized.

Law enforcement would accept the statement, launch an investigation, and interview all witnesses. After gathering evidence and questioning those involved, they would recommend that the “affected” owner—who had already sold their property—file a civil lawsuit to declare the purchase-sale agreement invalid. The shady realtors, through their lawyers, would prepare the lawsuit, submit it to the court with materials collected by the police, and win the case.

In some instances, the realtors orchestrated this scam to pressure the buyers—now the new property owners—into agreeing to a settlement and paying additional money.

Notably, notaries were also complicit in these fraudulent schemes.

A similar pattern emerges in correspondence involving Igor Grimenkov, who, together with realtor Yevhen Gordienko, sold property.

The conclusions are obvious.

Having received funds from the state and European partners, Grimenkov purchased an apartment in Ivano-Frankivsk and relocated his mother there. The proceeds from selling his mother’s apartment in Novomoskovsk were transferred to his wife, who by then had moved to Germany, where, in her words, “living is cheaper, aid is more generous, and most importantly—they promised citizenship.”

Thus, the Grimenkov family secured money from the state and European partners as refugees from Donetsk Oblast who had supposedly lost their home due to the occupation. In reality, they sold their property in Donetsk Oblast, bought an apartment in Novomoskovsk, registered it under the mother’s name, later obtained state aid for new housing in Ivano-Frankivsk, and kept the money from the Novomoskovsk sale to buy property in Germany.

Currently, the couple resides in Germany, receiving aid there as Ukrainian refugees, while leaving behind a trail of fraudulent activities, substantial funds, and real estate in Ukraine.

We believe that law enforcement authorities in Ukraine and Germany must investigate and provide a legal assessment of the Grimenkov family’s actions.