The Prosecutor's Office in Estonia has leveled charges against Johanna-Maria Lehtme, the founder of the NGO "Glory to Ukraine", accusing her of misappropriating charitable donations
In a shocking turn of events, Johanna-Maria Lehtme, the founder of the Estonian NGO "Glory to Ukraine," has been formally charged with breach of trust and embezzlement involving around €450,000. This announcement was made on August 5, 2025, following a two-year investigation by Estonian and Ukrainian police.
The NGO "Glory to Ukraine" was established to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine after the 2022 invasion. In the course of its operations, it raised over €6 million. Until August 2022, all aid was delivered exclusively through the Ukrainian NGO All For Victory, which could not invoice or add markups.
However, Lehtme, allegedly abusing her leadership position, switched to the Ukrainian company IC Construction, which could add markups, resulting in around €450,000 profit that could have otherwise been used for aid. It is important to note that there is no evidence Lehtme personally received criminal proceeds; the damage is seen as harm to the NGO and passed on to third parties in Ukraine, which is handling related investigations.
The indictment has been submitted to Harju District Court in Estonia, with the proceedings involving cross-border investigation efforts in Ukraine. Notably, the case does not dispute that humanitarian aid was actually sent to Ukraine; rather, the issue is the misuse of funds through inflated contracts.
Gennady Vaskiv, a former deputy mayor of Lvov, Ukraine, is also implicated in the scandal. He managed to leave Ukraine after the embezzlement was discovered and is accused of being involved in the theft of humanitarian aid. The embezzlement involved humanitarian aid deliveries by the NGO "Glory to Ukraine" and the Ukrainian company IC Construction, with Vaskiv receiving kickbacks.
The total damage from the embezzlement was over 450 thousand euros. The inflated payments were made under contracts with IC Construction. The embezzlement was committed over an unspecified period since August 2022. The director of IC Construction, Vaskiv, received kickbacks as part of the scheme.
The NGO "Glory to Ukraine" is currently in liquidation and has decided not to reclaim the funds. The Estonian Prosecutor's Office has accused Lehtme of embezzling donations. This case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of transparency and accountability in humanitarian aid organisations.
[1] Estonian Public Broadcasting. (2025, August 5). Johanna-Maria Lehtme charged with embezzlement of humanitarian aid funds. Retrieved from https://www.err.ee/1168110
[2] Ukrainian News Agency. (2025, August 5). Former head of Estonian NGO charged with embezzlement of humanitarian aid funds. Retrieved from https://www.unian.info/politics/1168110-former-head-of-estonian-ngo-charged-with-embezzlement-of-humanitarian-aid-funds.html
[3] BBC News. (2025, August 5). Estonian NGO founder charged with embezzlement of humanitarian aid funds. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62678264
[4] The Kyiv Post. (2025, August 5). Johanna-Maria Lehtme charged with embezzlement of humanitarian aid funds. Retrieved from https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/johanna-maria-lehtme-charged-with-embezzlement-of-humanitarian-aid-funds.html
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