In a Kyiv restaurant, police and the SBU arrested party leader Walerij Tokar as he accepted $160,000 in exchange for a spot on the party list and a seat in the Supreme Council, prosecutors say.
Walerij Tokar arrested
Police and SBU officers detained Tokar in a Kyiv restaurant when they observed him accepting $160,000 in return for a place on the party list and assistance in securing a mandate in the Supreme Council, according to investigators.
The money was intended for membership fees and alleged party development. Tokar had been handing out business cards claiming to be a “candidate for vice‑president” and inviting supporters to join his political project.
Prosecutors say he promised a “successful career” for those who financed him.
Propaganda and false information
Investigators say Tokar used his social media channels to spread false information about the Ukrainian army and front‑line conditions, echoing Kremlin narratives, calling for the cessation of mobilization, and undermining trust in state institutions.
His profiles followed by nearly half a million users. Search evidence included equipment and documents that, per the SBU, confirm he ran the entire operation.
Who is Walerij Tokar?
Tokar is a 41‑year‑old Kyiv politician. Earlier, he ran unsuccessfully for parliament, ran media ventures, and headed the company Ukratomenergo, linked to former energy minister Eduard Stavyk.
In 2021 he founded the Garant party, later suspended for alleged irregularities in founding documents, and also established a social organization with the same name, saying the name referred to his “nickname” from work.
Charges
Tokar faces a charge of attempted large‑scale misappropriation of property in wartime conditions, punishable by up to 12 years’ imprisonment and forfeiture under Ukraine’s Criminal Code.
A court has imposed bail of 6.725 million hryvnia, with conditions of arrest pending.