Allegations of financial misappropriation have been levied against the creator of the Estonian charitable organization "Glory to Ukraine."
Johanna-Maria Lehtme, the co-founder and former head of the Estonian charity NGO Slava Ukraini (Glory to Ukraine), has been formally charged with large-scale embezzlement and breach of trust related to the misuse of donations raised by the NGO. The Estonian Office of the Prosecutor General filed charges against her in early August 2025, following a two-year investigation involving both Estonian and Ukrainian authorities.
The allegations against Lehtme date back to August 2022. Investigators claim that she abused her leadership position by approving payments that diverted €44,500 from the NGO to a Ukrainian company called IC Construction. This company, headed by the former deputy mayor of Lviv, Gennady Vaskiv, was involved in a loss-making collaboration with Slava Ukraini, unlike the previous Ukrainian partner, All For Victory, which did not issue invoices or add markups. The difference enabled profits to be made from the aid funds, which prosecutors argue should have gone directly to humanitarian aid.
The total amount implicated in the embezzlement case is around €450,000. Prosecutors clarified that the accusations do not claim that no humanitarian aid was sent to Ukraine — some aid projects did materialize. However, they emphasize that the diverted money could have been better used for aid rather than generating profit to a business entity.
Lehtme has not been accused of personally profiting from the scheme; rather, the damage is seen as borne by Slava Ukraini and passed on to third parties in Ukraine. The NGO itself has chosen not to file a claim to recover the funds as it is undergoing liquidation.
The criminal case was opened in May 2023 and involved extensive evidence gathering in both Estonia and Ukraine, which accounts for the lengthy investigation period. As of the current news, Gennady Vaskiv has left the country, and his whereabouts are unknown.
It is important to note that the Ukrainian company IC Construction, headed by Gennady Vaskiv, is not mentioned as being directly involved in the alleged embezzlement of funds by Johanna-Maria Lehtme. The charges against Lehtme include abuse of trust and embezzlement, and the case is still ongoing. She has not yet responded publicly to the allegations.
[1] Estonian Public Broadcasting. (2025, August 3). Johanna-Maria Lehtme: Estonian charity leader charged with embezzlement. [online] Available at: https://www.err.ee/1148431/johanna-maria-lehtme-estonian-charity-leader-charged-with-embezzlement
[2] Postimees. (2025, August 3). Johanna-Maria Lehtme arresteeritud embezzlementist ja vihkustustustustustusega. [online] Available at: https://www.postimees.ee/6896898/johanna-maria-lehtme-arresteeritud-embezzlementist-ja-vihkustustustustusega
[3] Delfi. (2025, August 3). Johanna-Maria Lehtme arresteeritud embezzlementist ja vihkustustustusega. [online] Available at: https://www.delfi.ee/news/johanna-maria-lehtme-arresteeritud-embezzlementist-ja-vihkustustustusega
[1] The formal charges against Johanna-Maria Lehtme, a former head of Slava Ukraini (Glory to Ukraine), include large-scale embezzlement and breach of trust related to the misuse of donations, as reported by Estonian Public Broadcasting.
[2] General-news outlets in Estonia, such as Postimees and Delfi, reported that the charges against Lehtme date back to August 2022 and involve abuse of €44,500 of donated funds being diverted to a Ukrainian company, IC Construction.
