What happened
On January 20, the National Military Memorial Cemetery announced the dismissal of Volodymyr Petrov — the principal owner and host of the "Iceland" TV channel — who worked at the institution as a senior specialist in the communications and information technology department. The administration's statement said that the dismissal was processed on the basis of a personal resignation and in the prescribed manner.
"The dismissal took place on the basis of the employee's personal statement and was processed in accordance with the law."
— National Military Memorial Cemetery (official statement)
Context and accusations
On January 12, Member of Parliament from Holos, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, stated that Petrov had allegedly been an employee of the memorial cemetery since July 31, 2025, had therefore held a reservation until January 21, 2026, and received a salary of 70,000 UAH from the state budget. Zheleznyak links these arrangements to work for certain political circles.
"Petrov, since July 31, 2025, was an employee of the National Military Cemetery, had thereby a reservation until January 21, 2026, and received 70,000 in salary from the state budget."
— Yaroslav Zheleznyak, Member of Parliament
According to Zheleznyak, another host of "Iceland," Serhiy Ivanov, had a similar "reservation" at the private company STARTEC INDUSTRIES — a contractor for state energy companies, including Energoatom. Law enforcement in November 2025 linked Ivanov to a large-scale corruption investigation as part of Operation "Midas" (the so-called "Mindichgate").
Agency responses and consequences
On January 16, the head of the Ministry for Veterans Affairs, Nataliya Kalmykova, reported that the ministry had initiated an official investigation into the memorial's management after information about the reservations emerged. This indicates the probe will concern not only an individual official but also procedural aspects — how and by whom such employments and payments were arranged.
"The ministry has initiated an official investigation into the work of the management of this state institution after information about Petrov's reservation emerged."
— Nataliya Kalmykova, head of the Ministry for Veterans Affairs
Why this matters
This is not just about a single salary or a single personnel decision. Memorial institutions are institutions of trust: they preserve the memory of the fallen and work with veterans and families. Information about possible abuses involving reservations or payments undermines that trust and raises questions about systemic transparency in state institutions during martial law.
What happens next
The official investigation must answer several key questions: whether there were violations in hiring procedures, who made decisions about the reservations, and what the personnel and legal consequences will be. For the public, it is important to ensure the probe is independent and public — only in this way can trust in the institution that cares for national memory be restored.
In short: Petrov's dismissal is not an isolated episode but an indicator that requires transparent answers. Whether the initiated review will lead to concrete decisions now depends on the investigation's results and the political will of oversight bodies.
