Lviv resident with SMA Husakov, suspected of fraud, put under nightly house arrest

The Pechersky District Court of Kyiv has ordered a preventive measure in the form of nightly house arrest for Nazariy Husakov, a Lviv resident suspected of fraudulent fundraising allegedly for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) treatment, following his return to Ukraine from medical treatment in Italy.

"The Pechersky District Court of Kyiv ordered the suspect a preventive measure in the form of house arrest," the Office of the Prosecutor General informed Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.

The previous day, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced Husakov’s return to Ukraine and noted that the charges against the Lviv resident had been updated.

"He was served with a notice of changed suspicion. The legal qualification of the actions has not changed; however, during the investigation, the number of victims increased from 34 to 96, and the amount of damages rose from UAH 1.3 million to UAH 2 million," Kravchenko emphasized.

According to the investigation, the individual organized a fundraising campaign on social media and Telegram channels, claiming a critical need for an expensive drug to treat SMA. "At the same time, according to the Lviv City Council, since June 2024, he had been receiving this medicinal product free of charge at the expense of the local budget," the Prosecutor General recalled.

Information support from well-known media figures and influencers was used to collect funds via the PayPal and BuyMeACoffee platforms.

"At the same time, the investigation believes that the collected funds may have been used not for the stated purpose, but for gambling, cryptocurrency investments, and personal needs," Kravchenko specified.

According to the Prosecutor General, a motion was submitted to the court to apply a preventive measure in the form of round-the-clock house arrest. "It was intended that he would be able to leave his place of residence only to receive medical assistance or to head to a shelter during an air raid," the Prosecutor General informed.

On June 17, 2025, posts began circulating on the X social network alleging that Husakov was not responding to questions regarding reports on funds collected for treatment, specifically for SMA prevention medication.

In turn, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy stated that in 2023, the Lviv City Council signed a memorandum with Roche Ukraine, which manufactures drugs for SMA patients. In June 2024, Husakov became the first adult from Lviv to begin receiving these medications free of charge, specifically the drug Evrysdi. He receives three vials per month in accordance with medical conclusions.

On July 24, law enforcement officers notified Husakov of suspicion of misappropriating funds through fraud under the pretext of collecting aid for treatment.