Prosecutors Uncover Group Plotting to Seize Missing Scientist's Estate in Bucha

The Disappearance of Mykola Kolbun

According to Главком: Ukrainian scientist and inventor Mykola Kolbun, a noted developer of information-wave therapy, vanished from the occupied city of Bucha in March 2022. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, his disappearance occurred around 5:00 PM on March 3, 2022, when two Russian occupiers led the 77-year-old from the courtyard of his home at 52-A Yablunska Street. He was subsequently listed as missing.

On March 31, 2026, authorities announced they had exposed a criminal group from Kolbun's inner circle that was attempting to seize his assets. The scientist's property, valued between 18 and 40 million hryvnias, includes several Kyiv apartments, a suburban house, commercial real estate, and bank accounts. The investigation is proceeding under several articles of Ukraine's Criminal Code, covering cruel treatment of civilians, attempted fraud, document forgery, and interference with information systems.

• Among the suspects are Anna Miroshnychenko and Yevheniy Khizhnyak, as well as Islam Osmanov, a native of Chechnya, who has been charged in absentia and is currently believed to be in Austria.

Preliminary information indicates that in a phone call on April 21, 2022, Osmanov stated Kolbun was dead. However, by May 2022, he told a relative the scientist was alive and receiving treatment. Osmanov later claimed Kolbun was treated in Gomel, Belarus, and died in Austria on October 8, 2022. Ukrainian consular offices in both Belarus and Austria have confirmed Kolbun was never in Belarus and that no record of his death exists in Austria. Investigators are also examining a potential murder theory and the possibility Kolbun's body was cremated, preparing to exhume his mother's remains for DNA comparison.

Court Proceedings and Suspicions

Throughout 2023, Miroshnychenko attempted to have Kolbun declared dead in court, but Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi District Court denied her claim. In a separate case, in April 2025, a court did declare Kolbun deceased based on a lawsuit filed by Hanna Berezna, the scientist's second cousin, a ruling that had been initially confirmed in November 2023. The investigation established that Kolbun's will dated May 8, 2020, signed by other individuals, was forged; a notary confirmed the document was prepared while Kolbun was outside Kyiv.

Vasyl Baitsym, Kolbun's business partner and co-founder of LLC 'Biopolis-Plus', is also connected to the case. In 2017, Kolbun won a court case against Baitsym, recovering a debt of $60,000. In May 2024, a court froze a bank account belonging to Kolbun containing approximately 800,000 hryvnias recovered from Baitsym. A portion of these funds was received by Islam Osmanov for Kolbun's supposed 'ransom'.

This complex case requires further investigation, as authorities are examining the involvement of roughly twenty individuals in the criminal group that plotted to take over Kolbun's estate. The scientist's disappearance is a stark reminder of the lawlessness and targeting of civilians that occurred during the early stages of Russia's full-scale invasion. The outcome of this investigation could set a significant precedent for holding perpetrators accountable for war crimes and property seizures in occupied territories.

The investigation into Mykola Kolbun's disappearance has unveiled a broader scheme, highlighting the complexity of the case. As authorities delve deeper, details emerge about the criminal group's attempts to unlawfully acquire his assets, revealing the lengths to which individuals may go to exploit the situation. This development raises significant concerns about the safety and rights of other missing persons in similar circumstances.