09.07.2024 Business of Occupiers

How did Ukraine’s oil and gas end up in the hands of the ‘Russian world’ lovers Katsuba? Gas and oil production in Luhansk and Poltava regions

The Katsubаs are a well-known family of politicians and businessmen from the Yanukovych era. Their name is still associated with the most high-profile scandals: fraud worth billions of hryvnias at Naftogaz, sponsorship of the propagandist Shariy, gas and oil production in the Luhansk region, calls for the praise of the occupying power and friendship with the most odious figures in Russia. 

As you know, each member of the Katsub family has found a vocation of the soul. The eldest, Volodymyr, after an unsuccessful attempt to get into the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, became the head of the Kharkiv District Council. The younger sons, Serhiy and Oleksandr, built successful careers at Naftogaz, where they were sent to implement the corruption schemes of the family’s ‘wallet’, President Oleksandr Kurchenko.

Later, law enforcement officers found that Naftogaz had purchased petrol from Kurchenko at prices inflated by UAH 449.9 million. Moreover, the actual supply of petrol under the contracts with Gaz Ukraina-2020 did not take place. At the same time, each of the certified documents was signed by the Katsuba brothers, who were soon detained.

As you can imagine, the investigative actions and investigations of law enforcement officers did not yield any results, so the brothers easily left the country and continued to implement old and new schemes in their homeland. 

How the Katsubs took over Ukraine’s gas business

While the younger Katsuba left the gas business after a series of scandals and accusations, his ex-wife, on the contrary, is debunking all stereotypes and gaining momentum in the industry.

Tatiana Guzenko is not only a blogger who actively broadcasts her life on social media, but also a successful businesswoman, which she became immediately after her marriage to Katsuba Jr. 

In 2020, Tetiana Guzenko and her father Oleksandr became the owners of fugitive oligarch Oleksandr Onyshchenko’s company Nadra-Geoinvest LLC, which is developing the Skorobahatkivske oil and gas condensate field in Poltava region. 

By the way, Onyshchenko himself is currently hiding abroad, and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine suspects him of organising a corruption scheme to embezzle public funds during the production and sale of natural gas by the state-owned Ukrgazvydobuvannya.

In 2021, Guzenko acquired another Onishchenko company, Plast PJSC. The company was renamed Stratum Ukraine LLC. It holds special permits for geological research and pilot exploration of the West and East Yevsug gas fields.

In January 2022, a month before the outbreak of war, the State Service of Geology and Subsoil approved the issuance of a special permit for oil and gas production in Luhansk Oblast to Stratum Ukraine without an auction.

Although Oleksandr himself has repeatedly stated that he and his wife are divorced, few people believe in this division of affairs. The fake nature of the divorce is also evidenced by Guzenko’s social media, where she shows a joint holiday and, for the sake of secrecy, installs emoticons instead of Katsuba’s face. 

According to one of the materials, the couple filed for a fictitious divorce to avoid confiscation of assets related to the criminal proceedings against Oleksandr.

Strategic assets in the hands of Katsuba, a supporter of the ‘Russian world’

The elder Katsuba, Volodymyr, has not given up his business in Ukraine either. The man still controls a strategic wartime enterprise in the Kharkiv region – Novoselivskyi Mining and Processing Plant. 

The raw materials extracted and enriched at the company’s facilities are used to produce optical, wave, art and medical glass, assorted tableware, showcase, lighting and signalling glass, and glass products with a wide range of applications in machine and instrumentation, etc. 

We sent information requests to obtain information on the legality of the activity and to identify violations in the operation of such a facility. Thus, the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine in its response dated 18.06.2024 stated the following: ‘In order to implement the Plan of state supervision (control) measures of the State Ecological Inspectorate of Ukraine for 2021, approved by the order of the State Ecological Inspectorate dated 27.11.2020 No. 454, the Inspectorate carried out a planned state supervision (control) measure of the Private Joint Stock Company Novoselovsky Mining and Processing Plant from 14.06.2021 to 29.06.2021.

During the unscheduled inspection, the following violations of environmental legislation were identified:

  • instrumental and laboratory measurements of pollutant emissions from mobile sources are not provided;
  • Waste storage and disposal is not carried out in accordance with environmental safety requirements, namely: mixing of waste in garbage bins was recorded;
  • professional training, advanced training and certification of specialists in the field of waste management are not provided;
  • there is no permit for waste management operations;
  • No. 1013 of 30.12.2020 has not been adjusted to the register maps of waste generation, treatment and disposal facilities;
  • 4 facts of disposal of polyethylene, glass, and solid waste in unauthorised places on paved land plots on the territory of the enterprise were revealed.

Based on the facts of the revealed violations, 4 officials of the Private Joint Stock Company ‘Novoselovsky Mining and Processing Plant’ were brought to administrative responsibility (under part two of Article 79, Articles 82 and 824 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offences), in the form of fines totalling UAH 3,400, which were paid voluntarily in full.’

So, not only are the Katsubas taking over the budget and strategic assets, subsoil and enterprises of Ukraine, but they are also provoking an environmental disaster?

We continue to investigate the responses received from the regulatory authorities, including for evidence of corruption. Based on our materials, the decision of the Oktyabrskyi District Court of Poltava dated 24.06.2024 (case No. 554/6381/24) obliged officials of the State Bureau of Investigation located in Poltava to investigate the facts stated in the application and launch an investigation. 

In the meantime, we urge you to report any frauds of the Katsub family that you know about, as well as any other environmental crimes committed in your region. To cooperate, write to the chat bot or email info.nonstopukraine@gmail.com.

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