Suggested Title: PR Evacuation in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk: Behind the Scenes of MPs' Political Marketing

While the mandatory evacuation continues in the Donetsk region and transit hubs in neighboring oblasts are suffocating from a lack of capacity, the frontline cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk have turned into a filming location for a multi-part PR show. Under the banners of the public organization "VPO Ukraine," led by Member of Parliament Maksym Tkachenko, and the "Kryla Donbasu" (Wings of Donbas) charity fund managed by Oleksiy Bakhtin, a large-scale campaign has been launched to simulate rescues and collect donations onto private bank cards.

Official responses from state agencies and register analysis have completely shattered the facade of this "humanitarian mission".

The Customs Phantom and the Scrapped Mitsubishi

The main protagonist of social media posts is a white Volkswagen Transporter minibus, covered in "VPO Ukraine" branding and carrying a yellow UK license plate, AJ54 USE.

According to the UK Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), the license plate AJ54 USE cannot legally exist on a Volkswagen vehicle. This plate was originally assigned to a black 2004 diesel Mitsubishi Shogun Sport, which was permanently scrapped and destroyed back in 2015.

The State Customs Service of Ukraine put an end to the mystery of this vehicle. In its official response to a journalistic inquiry (No. 19/19-02-02/14/5069 dated September 14, 2026), the agency stated:
"As of September 14, 2026, no records were found in the information resources of the customs authorities regarding the crossing of the customs border of Ukraine by a vehicle with the foreign registration number AJ54USE between February 24, 2022, and September 13, 2026."

The vehicle never crossed the border, was never imported as humanitarian cargo, and legally does not exist in Ukraine. It is a pure "phantom" with illegally attached plates from a destroyed foreign SUV.

Military Command Verdict: No Clearances or Permits Issued

Evacuation safety in a combat zone requires strict coordination with military authorities. However, an official response from the Donetsk Zonal Department of the Military Law Enforcement Service (the Military Command of the Donetsk Oblast), signed by Colonel Vadym Pachevsky (Out. No. 803/21/VykhZPI dated September 15, 2026), notes that:

• The Military Command did not approve any organized civilian evacuation efforts by the "Kryla Donbasu" fund or the "VPO Ukraine" NGO in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk during August and September 2026.
• No special permits were issued for the Volkswagen Transporter vehicle (AJ54 USE) or for the driver, Oleksiy Bakhtin.

The uncustomed minibus with cloned license plates was moving through a high-security regime zone without any military clearance or permits, operating solely under the protection of MP logos.

One-Man Theater: Metamorphosis at the Train Station

The "evacuation" footage quickly descended into farce. On September 12, two videos were published on the foundation's social media page just three minutes apart:

1. In the first video, Oleksiy Bakhtin, wearing a bulletproof vest, sits inside the vehicle next to a gray-bearded man who is also wearing a camouflage body armor vest. Both look like a combat rescue crew.
2. In the second clip, the exact same man stands in front of the minibus hood near the Sloviansk railway station. His body armor has been removed, he is now wearing a cap, and he introduces himself to the camera: "I am Naidenko Anatoly Volodymyrovych, I was evacuated from the Khimik district."

The distance from the Khimik district to the Sloviansk railway station is 3.5 kilometers via a paved city road (a 5-minute drive). Dropping off a known co-driver, who changed clothes in front of the camera, was framed as a heroic rescue mission from under heavy shelling.

Panic Rebranding and Manufactured Plates

Following the submission of the first journalistic inquiries, the staged scheme began to unravel:

• Disappearing Contacts: The direct hotline number for the "VPO Ukraine" NGO (+38 086 600 77 88) was hastily stripped from the minibus body, and the area was covered with a red "EVACUATION" sticker.
• The Appearance of a Double: On September 14, another vehicle—a Ford Transit—appeared in the footage. Instead of a legal registration plate, a handmade plate reading CE 5 USE was bolted to its rear doors. The UK government register returns a definitive answer for the combinations CE5USE, CE05USE, and CE55USE: "Vehicle details could not be found." The plate does not exist in any system.

Spa Lottery Instead of Rescues

While Bakhtin's "frontline" operations stage costume changes and collect money into a private crowdfunding pot for an armored vehicle (which has raised only a tiny fraction of the requested 1.18 million UAH), MP Maksym Tkachenko was in Kyiv presenting another initiative: a raffle of 30 vacation packages to a premium spa hotel in the Carpathian Mountains for large families.

The primary requirement for participation is the mandatory entry of personal data for all family members (including children) into the internal database of the "VPO Ukraine" NGO. This detailed contact harvesting from millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs), masked as a charitable lottery, concludes with the MP's cynical wish in the video: "Good luck!"

The use of uncustomed transport with forged license plates, simulated rescues using their own crew as actors, and the complete lack of authorization from military command point to one conclusion: the actual safety of civilians has become nothing more than a backdrop for acquiring media coverage and financial capital.

Empty Space in Prozorro: Shadow Budgets Over Public Accountability

Throughout nearly four years of full-scale war, the "VPO Ukraine" NGO (EDRPOU code 44746340), headed by MP Maksym Tkachenko, has neither conducted nor participated in a single state procurement contract. According to the Clarity Project analytical system, public finance registers show an absolute zero: 0 tenders as a buyer and 0 concluded contracts as a provider.

The legal name of the entity reveals a political manipulation: the acronym "VPO" was not borrowed from the Ukrainian term for Internally Displaced Persons (Vnutrishnio Peremishcheni Osoby), but stands for NGO "Volya, Peremoha, Obiednannia Ukrainy" (Will, Victory, Unification of Ukraine).

The organization is listed in the non-profit registry, but its actual financial streams bypass any public reporting:

• No official contracts exist with military administrations, relevant ministries, or local communities for civilian evacuation or housing services.
• All fundraising campaigns, including the million-UAH pot for Bakhtin's non-existent armored car, are funneled exclusively into the private bank cards of individuals.
• Acquired sponsor resources are distributed behind closed doors in the form of spa giveaways in exchange for citizens' personal data.

The total lack of any digital footprint in the Prozorro procurement system confirms that Tkachenko's structure operates outside state oversight, utilizing the humanitarian sector to accumulate shadow funds and build political capital.

In Closing: Criminal Allegations Filed

This story no longer belongs to the realm of journalistic ethics or political PR. It has crossed firmly into the jurisdiction of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The illegal use of forged and cloned license plates, movement within high-security frontline zones without any military permits, using internal staff to simulate rescues, and gathering millions in donations on private bank accounts is not "humanitarian aid." This is a cynical business built on war, where human grief serves as a prop and an MP's mandate acts as a shield against accountability.

The editorial board of this news agency will not stop at publishing investigative reports. All gathered evidence—including official responses from the State Customs Service confirming that the phantom vehicle never crossed the border, documents from the Military Law Enforcement Service proving the evacuations were completely unauthorized, international registry records, and verified video evidence—is being handed over via official criminal complaints to:

• The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine;
• The National Police of Ukraine;
• The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU);
• The State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) (regarding the actions of public officials and the Member of Parliament).

Hiding behind good intentions or deleting social media posts will no longer work: every screenshot has been saved, every plate number recorded, and every document signed and stamped by state officials.