13.02.2025
Business of Occupiers
Ecology
Investigations
Corruption octopus of the Servants of the People in the Ministry of Environment and the State Service of Geology and Mineral Resources. Sanctions against the biggest oligarchs: a distraction or a real fight?
The National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions against Ukraine’s largest oligarchs: former President Petro Poroshenko, co-owners of the Privat group Hennadiy Boholyubov and Ihor Kolomoisky, and Ferrexpo owner Kostyantyn Zhevago. At the same time, Poroshenko’s taxpayer identification number in the sanctions letter contains one extra digit, and Zhevago’s date of birth has been increased by 17 years.
So, will the sanctions really apply to businessmen and why did the authorities pay attention to these figures?
The gas business of Kolomoisky, Boholyubov and Khomutynnik
The Sakhalin field, located in the Kharkiv region, is one of Ukraine’s largest gas prospects. Its total resources are more than 15 billion cubic meters of gas. At the same time, the field is not produced by the state for the benefit of the people, but by private entities such as Ukrnaftoburinnya. The latter has offshore registration (JKX Ukraine B. V.; DERIPON COMMERCIAL LTD; ARES SYSTEMS LTD; ARIANA BUSINESS LIMITED) and is linked to oligarchs Kolomoisky, Khomutynnik and Boholyubov. Thus, the billions received from extraction end up in the pockets of the now-sanctioned oligarchs, not in the country’s budget.
Kolomoisky’s partner Khomutynnik also owns 50% of Ukrgaz Invest, which operates under a joint venture agreement with Ukrnaftoburinnya. It is surprising that a person from the Yanukovych era, who has been repeatedly accused of corruption schemes, still continues to control the country’s subsoil. At the same time, the National Security and Defense Council also ignored this fact and did not impose sanctions against Khomutynnik, which is strange, isn’t it? And although the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv ordered the SBU to launch an investigation into the case, the security forces are in no hurry to comply with the ruling. That’s all you need to know about the effectiveness of our law enforcement.
Kolomoisky and his business partner Alyona Degryk-Shevtsova have been manipulating financial flows through the Ayboks Bank for a long time, legalizing large sums of money received through dubious financial transactions, such as in casinos. In the last days before the bank’s closure and license revocation, they managed to withdraw significant amounts: UAH 125 million to Kolomoisky’s accounts, and UAH 175 million to Shevtsova herself. These transactions were part of a money laundering scheme that allowed PariMatch and other casinos and bookmakers to continue their financial manipulations.
Reforming the State Service of Geology and Subsoil or why the authorities need to take action now
Yesterday, the President of Ukraine announced a large-scale reform of the State Service of Geology and Subsoil, which has been one of the most corrupt structures in the country for many years. The agency, which is supposed to distribute licenses and special permits for subsoil extraction, has become a real “black cash register” for officials and security forces.
And although the Service is trying to create a model of transparency by announcing open tenders on the Prozorro platform, everyone has long known that auctions are pre-programmed in favor of the “right” companies and people.
The State Service of Geology and Subsoil has created a bureaucracy in the process of obtaining special permits, which eventually led to the fact that it is impossible to go through this process without a “decision maker.” As a result, a significant part of Ukraine’s oil and gas resources is now under the control of financial and industrial groups linked to Russia and well-known oligarchs, including the previously mentioned Kolomoisky, Khomutynnik and Boholyubov.
For example, ELION INVEST LLC, NAYER COMPANY LLC, PRICE COMPANY LLC and others continue to try to obtain their permits through manipulation of registers and submission of forged documents with the participation of high-ranking officials, including the head of the State Service of Geology and Subsoil, Oleh Hotsynets.
In addition, the State Service of Geology and Subsoil is subordinated to the Ministry of Environment, where top officials, including Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, are well aware of the schemes and often benefit from them themselves. The specialized committees and subcommittees of the Verkhovna Rada on ecology and subsoil, led by Bondarenko and Yakymenko, are also involved in the chain, and not only as lobbyists. For example, with Yakymenko’s assistance, the Perzhanska Ore Company received a permit to mine beryllium at the Perzhanske deposit, and his servant’s own company, Kharkivnerudprom, was able to seize sand quarries in the Kharkiv region.
Therefore, we believe that it would be even more effective to impose sanctions against officials of the Ministry of Environment, the State Service of Geology and Mineral Resources, and law enforcement officers who continue to cover up crimes and grant special permits, recreational land, and forests for undue gain. Such measures would significantly improve the situation inside the country and make their followers understand the consequences of their corruption.
Bogolyubov and the seizure of the port of Borivazh
Another sanctioned oligarch, Boholyubov, is a partner of the aforementioned oligarch Kolomoisky, with whom they controlled a significant portion of economic assets through the Privat group.
After the nationalization of PrivatBank in 2016, when the state took control of Ukraine’s largest financial institution, Bogolyubov went to court in an attempt to get his shares back. His attempts were unsuccessful, however, as the courts did not recognize his claims.
One of the largest assets still owned by Bogolyubov is the grain terminal in Pivdennyi port and the Borivazh terminal, which is controlled through offshore companies. These assets were part of a scheme to maintain control over important economic infrastructures. The Borivazh port had a large debt to PrivatBank, but the company associated with Boholyubov continues to manipulate the assets through judicial manipulation.
The bankruptcy case against Borivaz has clear signs of fictitiousness: the company has changed its place of registration and is trying to avoid paying off its debt of about UAH 5 billion through the courts. This was made possible by bribing certain judges and manipulating documents, which is still ongoing.
And although, based on our materials, a number of law enforcement agencies, including the Kyiv City Police Department, have entered information into the URPTI under No. 52024000000000660, Part 2 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the case still has no logical continuation, where Bogolyubov’s assets have been seized and the oligarch himself has been put on the international wanted list.
Kozlovsky and the seizure of land in Lviv region
Although telegram channels wrote about the imposition of sanctions on Lviv businessman Hryhoriy Kozlovsky, in fact, the NSDC ignored the figure of the owner of Emily Resort. This is a shame, as a number of facts point to the need to impose such measures on Kozlovsky as well.
For example, the man, through collusion with officials of the Lviv Regional State Administration, the State Geocadastre, and further manipulation of the registers, managed to privatize the land around the lake to build the Emily Resort complex. The land, which was supposed to remain recreational, was transferred for development under questionable conditions, which caused a public outcry. The case has been under investigation by the NABU for a long time, but this does not affect the use of the territory and the earnings from it by Kozlovsky’s company.
The businessman also has plans to build a new hotel on the land of the Lviv region’s forest fund and has already begun to implement the first steps – cutting down trees and trying to privatize the land through a corrupt mechanism.
In addition, the Vynnykyi Tobacco Factory, which has been Kozlovsky’s main asset for years, is involved in an investigation by the Bureau of Economic Security into the illegal trafficking of excisable goods. Despite the businessman’s official withdrawal from the factory’s ownership, he continues to control the company through affiliates. This means that he is the “father of smuggling” – the production and sale of excise-free cigarettes.
Investigations initiated on our materials (Lviv Regional Police Department No. 1 – 42024140000000294 under Part 3 of Article 197-3, Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office – 42024140000000294 under Part 3 of Article 197-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) are ongoing. So far, there have been no results, and we are waiting for law enforcement to hear us and local activists.
Did you witness a crime?
Let us know about it. We will help protect the violated rights!
Share the post:
Last news
-
13 March 2025Kharkiv The Great Construction Program
-
11 March 2025Corruption Money laundering
-
5 March 2025Cybercrimes
-
28 February 2025Investigations Kharkiv
-
21 February 2025Investigations