Former Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov is closing his "We Build Ukraine" fund, which lasted only a year. According to sources, the project was intended to serve as a channel for the development of hundreds of millions of dollars under the guise of international cooperation. The fund was also linked to a potential deal between Ukraine and the United States on rare earth metals.
While still in office, Kubrakov gained access to important government documents and reportedly made arrangements with then-US Ambassador Bridget Brink to lobby for his own interests. After his resignation in May 2024 and Brink's return to the US, the arrangements became irrelevant, the metals negotiations took a different turn, and the fund with the big name turned out to be unnecessary.
The situation for the former minister became more complicated on July 11, 2025, when the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) searched his home as part of the case of People's Deputy Yevheniy Shevchenko, suspected of treason and fraud of UAH 14.5 million. According to the investigation, Shevchenko embezzled funds under the pretext of purchasing fertilizers in Belarus, but the money was used for other purposes.
Kubrakov's name has repeatedly appeared in corruption scandals: inflated tenders, monopolization of the infrastructure works market, failures in the protection of critical infrastructure. Observers note the systemic nature of the problems: state resources are being turned into a tool for enrichment for a narrow circle of individuals.
