05.03.2025
Corruption
Investigations
Money laundering
Does the Monakivtsi group under the guise of Arakhamia’s servants and Hetmantsev control international aid?
“The Monakivtsi”, who controlled the vast majority of financial flows, including funds provided as international aid to Ukraine, are gradually losing influence over the tax authorities. And although the activities of the organized crime group were supported by top representatives of state bodies: the head of the Servant of the People faction Arakhamia, the head of the relevant parliamentary committee on tax policy Hetmantsev, General Koval, and former MPs from the OPFL Abramovych and Stolar, it seems that even high-ranking officials are not so easily able to supervise the old schemes over time.
Who are the Monakivtsi?
The Monakivtsi is a kind of criminal group of Servants of the People, former OPZZh and top management of the Tax Service, the National Police’s State Security Service, who for years controlled schemes for making money on the grain corridor, smuggling to the EU, manufacturing and selling excisable goods, gambling, and most importantly, international aid.
The Group supervised the activities of the excise department of the tax service through its back office located in the Parus shopping center in Kyiv and headed by General Yevhen Koval. For a long time, General Koval tried to maintain control over excise taxes, but with the arrival of Ruslan Kravchenko, the situation changed.
Monakiv’s people had a clear division of responsibilities among themselves, which allowed the old schemes to work clearly and, most importantly, quietly. For example, Vyazmikin, a former law enforcement officer, monopolistically transported grain at inflated prices through the controlled AVTODROM LLC, a branch of the JSC “STATE FOOD AND GRIND CORPORATION OF UKRAINE”, the ODESA GRIND TERMINAL. In addition, he received a bribe of $7 from each ton of products.
Together with his associate from the “Monaco Battalion” Abramovich, Vyazmikin headed the underground production of cigarettes at a factory in the village of Hoshcha, Rivne region. The latter specializes in counterfeiting excise stamps for Rothmans, Marlboro, Parliament, and others, which are then sold through Ukrainian kiosks and illegally shipped to Europe.
The Monakivtsi also took over the process of smuggling from Europe. Thus, almost all the equipment presented in well-known networks such as Avik, Ipeople or Yabko became part of the group’s financial flows. And the casinos – Favbet, Pin-up, Gorilla, 1xbet, PariMatch, whose advertisements you see every day in the media and telegram channels – also operate and deceive thousands of Ukrainians, including military personnel and minors, thanks to the Monakivtsi.
The group’s structures are also used to carry out numerous schemes to “cash in” and withdraw budget funds from the frontline regions. At the same time, the vast majority of financial flows cover the Kharkiv region, where officials of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration and the Kharkiv City Council use shady means to legalize financial assistance from partners and the budget, which should be used for social needs and infrastructure restoration, but instead end up in the pockets of corrupt individuals.
Particularly critical is the fact that the group’s representatives are involved in fraudulent “disappearance” of aid from the EU and the US, which once again destroys Ukraine’s reputation in the eyes of its partners.
This unimpeded activity of the Monakivtsi was ensured by Arakhamia, who is close to the Presidential Office, and Hetmantsev, the chief “taxman” and supervisor of the State Tax Service. Although the Servants still hold senior positions, their influence seems to be fading.
The same can be said about the acting director of the Bureau of Economic Security, Perkhun, who, fighting for a successful competition for the official position, resorts to death threats and forging documents from our NGO.
Therefore, right now it is necessary not only to silence these schemes, but also to actively fight them. We need to make sure that the Monakivtsi, who have been robbing the country for years, are held fairly accountable for their actions. We have long been filing applications and complaints with law enforcement agencies, initiating investigations and speeding them up by appealing to investigating judges. This is the only way to bring the groups out of the shadows and stop their criminal activities, which continue to harm the country’s economy and security.
Tax revenues: first positive signals, but there are caveats
Despite all the difficulties, tax revenues in Ukraine at the beginning of 2025 look quite positive. In January-February this year, the tax authorities exceeded their targets by as much as UAH 21.9 billion.
In February this year alone, the state budget received UAH 78.8 billion, which is UAH 12 billion more compared to the same period in 2024. This growth not only compensates for inflationary processes, but also creates a positive trend for economic development in times of war.
Of particular note is the increase in revenues from taxes such as personal income tax (up 13.6% or UAH 26.2 billion), VAT (up 13.3% or UAH 21.6 billion), and excise taxes on domestic goods (over UAH 10 billion). In particular, the excise tax on tobacco products grew by 62.6%, which is a clear sign of improvement in administration.
It is also worth noting the increase in revenues from excise taxes on imports. Compared to last year, this figure increased by almost UAH 2.5 billion, which is a major step towards better control over cross-border supplies.
Blocking tax invoices: on the way to abolishing “tax serfdom”
It is also worth mentioning the so-called “toxic practice of blocking tax invoices”, which for years has been one of the tools for manipulating financial flows. Previously, businesses faced blocking of their tax invoices on formal grounds, which significantly complicated financial transactions and jeopardized the normal functioning of enterprises.
Today, the situation has changed. Over the past few months, the number of “risky” invoices in the SMKOR system has decreased to 0.39%, and 9,000 companies have ceased to be “risky”. This means a significant victory for business, as working capital is no longer blocked unreasonably.
In other words, the tax “serfdom” that allowed the controlling authorities to rob entrepreneurs by unreasonably blocking invoices has been abolished.
Victory or new challenges for the tax authorities?
Changes to the tax system in early 2025 give hope for significant improvements. However, until the control over the Monakivtsi’s schemes in gambling, smuggling, production of excisable goods, grain corridor and, most importantly, manipulation of international financial flows is put in order, the complete victory over corruption and manipulation will remain in question.
We will continue to analyze, monitor, and provide new materials to law enforcement and regulators so that all these changes do not become just an illusion of improvement, but a real step towards restoring trust in state institutions.
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