16.04.2025
Business of Occupiers
Money laundering
How the Katsubs stole from Naftogaz and now control the reconstruction and gas production
Can a corrupt official who has stolen hundreds of millions escape responsibility and return to power? The story of Oleksandr Katsuba and his family shows that it is possible in Ukraine. The convicted former Naftogaz official continues to make money from war and destruction through shell companies, family ties and manipulation of public procurement: taking away contracts for the reconstruction of Kyiv region and manipulating resources by establishing control over gas production.
Who is Oleksandr Katsuba?
Former Deputy Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine, son of Volodymyr Katsuba, a member of the Party of Regions, and brother of another former MP, Serhiy Katsuba, Oleksandr became known for fraud that cost the state hundreds of millions of hryvnias.
In 2017, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv found the youngest Katsuba guilty under a number of serious articles of the Criminal Code. These included the creation of a criminal organization (Article 255(1) of the Criminal Code), embezzlement of property on an especially large scale (Article 191(5) of the Criminal Code), attempted embezzlement (Article 15(2), Article 191(5) of the Criminal Code), and forgery (Article 366(1) of the Criminal Code).
He was accused of embezzling UAH 450 million from Naftogaz and attempting to misappropriate another UAH 5.1 billion. In 2012-2013, Katsuba helped Serhiy Kurchenko’s company Gas of Ukraine 2020 steal gasoline worth more than UAH 450 million through fictitious purchases of petroleum products. The scheme was simple: public funds were pumped through shell companies, while the real product never reached Naftogaz.
Subsequently, Katsuba entered into an agreement with the prosecutor’s office, pleaded guilty, paid UAH 100 million in compensation, and received a sentence of 1 year and 5 months in prison. Thanks to Savchenko’s law (a day in jail = two days in jail) and 8 months in jail, he was released right in the courtroom. But was this the end of his story?
An attempt to “whitewash” his reputation
A year after his release, Katsuba applied to the court for early expungement of his conviction, claiming that he had proved his reformation through his “exemplary behavior” and “public activities”. The court rejected the request, citing the Criminal Code: for particularly serious crimes, including corruption, a conviction is only expunged after 8 years without new crimes, and early expungement is impossible.
Not giving up, in 2023, Katsuba’s lawyers went further, demanding a review of the verdict based on “newly discovered circumstances.” They claimed that Katsuba had allegedly given false testimony under pressure to avoid a harsher sentence. The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv considered and directly defeated the arguments, stating that the plea agreement was voluntary, concluded with the participation of three lawyers. In 2017, Katsuba publicly expressed remorse, and there was no evidence of coercion. Other proceedings cited by the defense were not relevant to the case.
The court upheld the verdict, but the very attempt to review it shows: Katsuba does not just want to avoid being labeled a corrupt official – he wants to regain influence and whitewash his reputation as much as possible.
Katsuba’s Business in the Time of War
Today, Oleksandr Katsuba is a co-owner of Katsuba Corporation and is associated with a number of companies that receive government contracts and control strategic resources. Although he publicly denies working with government contracts, the investigation shows otherwise. The following companies can still be linked to his name:
- Alfa-Gas LLC. Until 2023, one of the founders was Tetiana Guzenko, Katsuba’s pseudo-ex-wife. The company is engaged in the gas business and has already received permits for production at the Kaverdinske and East Petrenkivske gas condensate fields, as well as for the Kaverdinske gas processing plant. But Katsuba himself denies any involvement.
- I.B.K. Development LLC. This company is actively involved in the reconstruction of Kyiv and Kharkiv regions. According to ProZorro, the company has signed more than 20 contracts for the restoration of destroyed Irpin, receiving millions from the state budget. At the same time, according to the old scheme, the prices in the estimates are significantly overstated.
- Stratum Ukraine LLC. The company, controlled by Tetiana Guzenko, received a license for gas production in Luhansk region. Since 2022, it has been a defendant in a criminal case for actions in favor of the aggressor country.
- Novoselivskyi GOK. Controlled by the Katsub family, the company continues to mine quartz in Kharkiv district, despite accusations of collaboration and supplying materials to Russia.
- NADRA-GEOINVEST LLC, indirectly linked to the Katsubs, has received permits to operate 11 wells at the Skorobohatkivske OGCF and the Selyukhivske oil field. All the permits have an unlimited term or are valid until 2031.
“Ukrgazvydobuvannya as an instrument of abuse Katsub
In 2024-2025, the state-owned enterprise JSC Ukrgazvydobuvannya received a number of permits for the emission of pollutants for the operation of wells in Poltava and Kharkiv regions. At first glance, this seems to be a routine procedure for a gas production company. However, an analysis of the documents received from the authorities in response to our information requests indicates that these permits hide corruption schemes that allow those close to the government to make money from state resources.
The Katsub family plays a key role in these schemes. Through their connections with officials and influence on public procurement, they secure access to gas resources, which they then resell through affiliated companies in Ukraine and abroad.
According to the register of permits for emissions of pollutants in 2024-2025, Ukrgasvydobuvannya JSC received at least 21 permits for wells and complex gas treatment facilities. The documents are issued to ensure the operation of wells, but their number and frequency raise questions. Why does a state-owned enterprise need new permits so often? And why do most of them relate to fields controlled by Poltavagasvydobuvannya and ShebelynkaGasvydobuvannya branches?
We have once again submitted materials to the regulatory and law enforcement authorities. We would like to get answers to our questions and speed up the investigation of criminal proceedings opened based on our materials.
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