02.04.2025 Corruption

Fuel that kills engines and the country: what do people say about BRSM-Nafta?

In 2024, BRSM-Nafta, Avantage 7 and MOTTO gas station chains left the state without more than UAH 1 billion in taxes. These are not just numbers – these are funds that could have been spent on drones, bulletproof vests, or salaries for our defenders. In addition, drivers who buy fuel from the networks receive a “bonus” in the form of fuel that destroys engines. So how do large chains manage to circumvent the tax system so easily?

BRSM-Nafta: Andriy Biba’s empire

The BRSM-Nafta chain is one of the largest in Ukraine, with 216 filling stations as of 2024. Its founder, Andriy Biba, started the business back in 1992, selling fuel at a single gas station in Kyiv. Today, his chain is a giant, one of the three largest importers of liquefied natural gas to the country. But the shiny signs hide a dark side: numerous scandals, from the explosion at a gas station in Pereiaslav-Khmelnytskyi in 2014 (6 dead) to the fire at the Vasylkiv tank farm in 2015 (6 more victims). At the time, the company tried to shift the blame to a “terrorist attack,” but the investigation pointed to technical violations.

In 2024, Biba’s name surfaced again in anti-corruption investigations. Journalists wrote that the businessman was “living it up in Italy” and had ties to Russia, while his network was at the top of the anti-taxpayer rating.

Officially, BRSM-Nafta declares the average salary of its employees at UAH 9,500 per month. Over the year, this figure even fell by 8%. Is it possible to maintain 4400 employees and 216 filling stations with such figures? Not without “envelopes” and shadow schemes.

Another interesting point is the quality of fuel offered by BRSM-Nafta. Drivers have repeatedly reported problems with car components that occurred immediately after a visit to the chain’s filling station.

In response to the dissemination of reports about the activities of BRSM-Nafta, we began to receive letters of complaint about the removal of articles. They claimed that the information was “inconsistent with the actual circumstances” and that the data presented was false. However, isn’t such a categorical reaction and threats to apply to law enforcement agencies a confirmation of the network’s non-transparency?

However, the management of BRSM-Nafta does not have to worry: according to our information, the Central Department of the National Police in Poltava region (No. 12025170000000232 under Part 3 of Article 212) and the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office (No. 42025110000000029 Part 1 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) are already conducting investigations into the existing violations in the operation of the network. Therefore, time will tell.

Tax evasion schemes

According to Serhiy Kuyun, Director of A-95 Consulting Company Sergiy Kuyun, in 2024, the BRSM-Nafta network potentially underpaid 680 million hryvnias in taxes to the budget. Avantage 7 “saved” 300 million, and MOTTO – 150 million. In total, the gas station chains left up to 30% of potential revenues from the fuel market in the shadows. This is at least UAH 6 billion a year.

With an average tax rate of UAH 2.62 per liter of fuel, BRSM-Nafta paid only UAH 1.36 per liter. For comparison, market leaders pay up to UAH 3.27 per liter. And this is only official data. How much more is hidden behind gray schemes?

Shit in the tanks: what is being poured into your cars?

Shadow taxes are not the only problem. The journalists conducted their own investigation and took fuel samples at various gas stations, including the BRSM-Nafta chain. The results of the laboratory tests are shocking: the sulfur content in BRSM-Nafta gasoline is almost four times higher than the norm, and the content of benzene and ethanol is twice as high as allowed. The situation is similar in diesel.

What does this mean for drivers? Sulphur destroys catalysts, benzene increases the toxicity of emissions, and excess alcohol literally “burns” engine parts.

An interesting fact: in 2012, BRSM-Nafta proudly announced the production of gasoline with bioethanol as an “ecological fuel”. However, what was once presented as an innovation has now become a cost-saving tool – alcohol is added in huge volumes to make the product cheaper, ignoring quality standards.

In fact, we are witnessing how representatives of the BRSM-Nafta network are tarnishing their own reputation not only in the eyes of consumers, but also in the eyes of the state.Fuel that kills engines and the country: what do people say about BRSM-Nafta?

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