In the first part of the investigation, we talked about the rise to power of Oleksiy Chernyshov, who is currently the head of Naftogaz JSC. The previous material ended at the time of Chernyshov's acceptance as Minister of Community and Territorial Development in March 2020, despite the trail of scandals in his native Kharkiv, when Chernyshov was still a businessman from Feldman's orbit and later worked as the governor of Kyiv region.
This is reported by the editors of the 360UA NEWS
And already on June 11, 2020, the Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Chernyshov found himself at the center of a scandal due to the delay in the implementation of the urban planning reform presented by President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Although the State Architectural and Building Inspection (DABI) was supposed to be liquidated , no one planned to carry out further reforms in the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development in order to create an effective replacement for the DABI.
Then tension and dissatisfaction began to grow among the participants of the construction market. Activists, economic experts and representatives of the political opposition spoke about the chaos in the market. The reform provided for the creation of three new structures that would replace DABI: the State Urban Planning Service, the State Urban Planning Inspectorate, and the State Agency for Technical Regulation in Urban Planning. None of these structures was quickly created. After all, as will become known later, Chernyshov decided to continue the existence of DABI and to get as rich as possible in this situation.
Economic expert Viktor Skarshevskyi noted in his blog that all these innovations were fixed by a Cabinet resolution, and Oleksiy Chernyshov was appointed to be responsible for the reform. After the presentation of the reform, Chernyshov said that "the task of the ministry is to quickly and effectively implement a transparent system in the construction market." However, according to experts, the minister's actions did not correspond to his promises. At that time, the Ministry of Regions only changed the management of DABI and appointed a liquidator of the structure.
The main problem was that there was no supervision and control over developers in the market. Chernyshov was in no hurry to launch new structures and corresponding changes in legislation. On this occasion, a wave of criticism was growing from the public and the developers themselves, who did not understand how to continue work in conditions of uncertainty.
On the official website of the Ministry of Regions, after the presentation of the reform, news appeared about other issues, in particular, about Chernyshov's calls for conscious consumption of communal services during the crisis, but little was said about the urban planning reform.
Chernyshov was slow to implement reforms, and this raised questions about his competence. Some believed that the minister simply did not understand what to do with a reform that was not designed by him. Another version was that his appointment could be connected to Ihor Kolomoiskyi, and the delay in the reform could be part of a more complex game between the oligarch and President Zelenskyi.
And in confirmation of the words about Chernyshov's intentions to disrupt the liquidation of DABI, the media published a material from which it became known that on February 16, 2021, it became known about strange personnel rotations in the State Architectural and Construction Inspection. In Ukrainian realities, the struggle for the opportunity to appoint "your people" to key positions in state bodies has always attracted considerable interest, especially where attractive assets remain.
Those who followed the situation around DABI during the "liquidation" knew how rapidly events developed and how often the heads of the inspection changed. There were more than enough people willing to join in the distribution of the corruption "pie", which experts estimated at 3 billion hryvnias per year.
At that time, Oleksiy Chernyshov, Minister of Community and Territorial Development, took control of DABI. He had complete trust from the Office of the President, monitored the progress of the DABI reform and until the last moment had a great influence on the management of the inspection. He was even credited with manually managing the issuance of permit documents. However, Chernyshov's relationship with the current head of DABI, Iryna Korol, deteriorated after she sent a special inspection to Kharkiv Oblast without his knowledge. The inspection revealed numerous violations in the field of construction, which dealt a significant blow to the interests of Chernyshov.
Against the background of that conflict, they decided to return to the leadership of the inspection Olena Kostenko, who had previously been dismissed from the position of acting head of the State Security Agency. She had a corruption streak related to her appointments in the DABI and her work in the Ministry of Education. It was already planned that Kostenko would be reinstated as the first deputy head of the inspection, and in the future she could again become acting head.
In the materials of the journalists of Antikor, it was noted that the judge of the District Administrative Court of Kyiv Yevhen Ablov and the judge Alimenko were involved in the case regarding the reinstatement of Kostenko. It was assumed that it was Ablov who tried to influence the court's decision to ensure Kostenko's return to office.
It is important that Chernyshov's name appeared in this scandal. Journalists claimed that he personally negotiated the case, hoping for his immunity due to his close relationship with the president and his associates.
Olena Kostenko did not hide her intentions to return to a managerial position in DABA. She openly stated this on her page in social networks, confidently demonstrating the seriousness of her plans.
The court process regarding its renewal was postponed several times, and before that Kostenko had no confidence in the success of the case. But at the time of February 2021, the situation changed, due to the support of the rather influential Oleksiy Chernyshov.
And finally, on March 16, 2021, it became known that the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeals reinstated Olena Kostenko as the first deputy head of the State Architectural and Building Inspection of Ukraine from March 13, 2020. This is evidenced by the decision of the court (presiding L. V. Belova, judges V. O. Alimenko, N. V. Bezymenna) dated March 3.
In parallel with the restoration work in the position of Olena Kostenko, Oleksiy Chernyshov continued to increase his influence, trying to establish full control over the State Architectural and Building Inspection (DABI) and accumulate cash flows. A new confirmation of this was Chernyshov's attack on the Acting Head of the State Bureau of Investigation, Iryna Korol, with the help of the SBI and "handy activist" Oleg Horodianskyi, who filed an application against Korol.
In response, Iryna Korol published her official position (for an unknown reason, the post was deleted):
"Today it became known that the State Bureau of Investigation received resolutions to conduct searches in the State Bureau of Investigation, based on the statements of the deputy head of one of the public organizations, Oleg Horodianskyi.
In this regard, as acting Chairman of DABI, I make the following statement:
The information presented in the statements of this "public figure" is false and such that it degrades my honor and dignity, as well as the public body that I have the honor to lead.
I was appointed Acting Chairman of the DABI in accordance with the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, on the initiative of Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov.
I am not familiar with Volodymyr Rodin and have no connections with him. Also, I did not work with Oleksandr Sergienko in the housing and communal services inspection.
I have not received and do not receive any undue benefit from any person. I am not aware of the facts of receipt of undue benefits by DABI employees since my appointment. I consider such statements baseless and untrue.
DABI and its employees perform their powers within the limits and in the manner determined by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine."
The final touch before the appointment of a person loyal to Chernyshov was the deployment of the next stage of the struggle for control over corruption schemes in the Architectural and Building Inspection (DABI), which annually brought in about 3 billion hryvnias of profit.
The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) began searches at the State Bureau of Investigation, referring to the statement of public activist Oleg Horodianskyi. The main goal of these actions was the removal of Irina Korol and suppression of the resistance of developers who refused to pay bribes to the minister. According to sources in the SBI, Gorodyanskyi's statement was aimed at discrediting the leadership of the SBI with the aim of initiating a change of its head.
In particular, the statements concerned several objects related to the well-known Kyiv developer and ex-people's deputy Volodymyr Zubyk. His projects at 20 Generala Zhmachenko Street and 10 Pryborny Lane were among those pointed out in the materials submitted to the SBI.
Chernyshov tried to show that his "corrupt empire" is alive and able to punish those who oppose his influence. But the actions of the SBI raised doubts about their validity, since the interests of the scandalous group of the Horovy brothers, which in the past controlled corruption flows in the SBI during the Yanukovych era, were behind Horodyanskyi's statement. Probably now they tried to regain this control, relying on the support of Chernyshov and his connections on Bankova.
The DBR, in fact, has become a tool for redistributing corruption flows, using forceful methods to achieve the goal.
The construction industry has always been one of the most corrupt in Ukraine. The builders' lobby was represented in every convocation of the Verkhovna Rada, and in this parliament there were at least 20 deputies whose main goal was to reduce taxes and simplify permit procedures. The fiercest struggle continued around the State Architectural and Building Inspection (DABI), where corruption schemes on permit documents existed for decades.
In an interview "#Bukvy" publication
The new management of DABI announced a course of issuing permits to all those who were previously refused. However, on March 15, 2021, the head of the Lviv Regional State Administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, announced that DABI is blocking several important infrastructure projects, including the presidential program "Big Construction".
In this situation, Minister Chernyshov managed to maintain a balance: on the one hand, he actively promoted the "Great Construction" program, and on the other hand, he coordinated the work of the DABI, which received bribes for issuing permits.
Chernyshov also announced the reform , which provided for the liquidation of DABI (despite the fact that DABI was promised to be liquidated a year ago) and the creation of new structures, such as the State Inspection of Architecture and Urban Planning. At the same time, he said that the new legislation will be passed because of lobbying interests, and the reform was discussed with representatives of the construction business, including Partskhaladze and other interested parties.
Partskhaladze, who headed the Confederation of Builders, actually gained control over the new structures.
Also, the Minister of Community Development and Territories, Oleksiy Chernyshov, introduced a new levy scheme in the construction business. a draft law was published on increasing fines for illegal construction activities, violations of designers, architects and other participants in the process could become the basis for new corruption schemes in the structure of the Ministry of Regions.
The said draft law was registered by deputies loyal to the Ministry of Regions, among whom was Maksym Pavlyuk, the nephew of the scandalous smuggler Ilya Pavlyuk. According to their plan, the increase in fines was supposed to increase the amount of bribes for covering up violations by inspectors. Of course, such a favorable law was adopted taking into account the presence of the construction lobby in the Verkhovna Rada and the influential position of Chernyshov on December 12, 2021.
The next stage in Oleksiy Chernyshov's career took place when on November 3, 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers appointed Chernyshov, the former minister of community and territorial development, as the chairman of the board of Naftogaz of Ukraine.
On the same day, the Verkhovna Rada supported the resignation of Chernyshov from the position of Minister of Development of Communities and Territories. According to the publication, 279 people's deputies voted for his dismissal.
However, as with the appointment of Chernyshov as the head of the State Administration of Kyiv region, the appointment of Chernyshov resulted in a scandal. NAKC reacted to the appointment of the ex-minister to the position of head of Naftogaz of Ukraine by declaring that the procedure was illegal, as it violated the law "On Prevention of Corruption".
This was mentioned in the letter of the head of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAZK) Oleksandr Novikov to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, which was obtained by LIGA.net .
The head of NAZK pointed out that the Cabinet of Ministers, of which Oleksiy Chernyshov was a member, for a long time performed the functions of the general meeting of Naftogaz and the company's supervisory board.
According to the law "On Prevention of Corruption", civil servants are prohibited from being employed by legal entities that came under their control or supervision within a year after the termination of these functions. Therefore, the appointment of any member of the Cabinet of Ministers to Naftogaz of Ukraine under such circumstances was illegal.
According to LIGA.net sources familiar with the government's plans, Chernyshov was planned to be appointed head of Naftogaz on November 3. This was also reported by People's Deputy from "European Solidarity" Oleksiy Honcharenko.
On November 1, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resignation of Yury Vitrenka from the post of chairman of the board of Naftogaz. And on November 2, government representative in the Verkhovna Rada, Taras Melnychuk, announced that Chernyshov had submitted an application for dismissal from the post of minister.
However, the Cabinet of Ministers were ready for this scenario. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine simply amended the charter of Naftogaz of Ukraine in order to remove obstacles to the appointment of Oleksiy Chernyshov, the former Minister of Community and Territorial Development, to the position of head of the state-owned company. According to the new edition of the charter, the legal status of the company was changed. Now OJSC "Naftogaz of Ukraine" is defined as a legal entity that has the right to acquire property and personal non-property rights, perform duties and enter into agreements in accordance with current legislation and the provisions of the updated charter. The previous version of the charter defined the company as a legal entity under private law.
Already on February 20, 2023, it became known that the management of Naftogaz, led by Oleksiy Chernyshov, restored the Boyko-Bakulin-era corruption scheme in the company with kickbacks for each payment.
Officials returned to the practice of stopping all payments to Naftogaz and its subsidiaries. Payments were made only for kickbacks, the amount of which varied from 10% to 40%. All counterparties of NAK and its subsidiary companies received appropriate signals.
This scheme operated during the rule of the regionals, when Yevhen Bakulin headed Naftogaz, and Yuriy Boyko was the Minister of Energy of Ukraine. According to "Ukraine Now", Oleksandr Sergeev was responsible for this scheme both then and now, who at the time of 2023 was officially registered in the NAC as Chernyshov's assistant.
In 2010-2014, Oleksandr Sergeev, with Boyko's support, headed the Production Support Department of the Ukrtransgaz DC. During this period, all large and high-margin tenders of "Ukrtransgaz" were played out between companies that agreed in advance to a kickback - 30-50% of the funds actually received.
After he left his post, Oleksandr Sergeyev worked in Boyko's business structures, and in the fall of 2022 he was appointed an adviser to the current head of Naftogaz, Chernyshov. Sergeev's sphere of influence included the most financially attractive subsidiary companies of NK, such as "Ukrgazvydobuvannya", "Ukrtransgaz" and others.
Sergeev contributed to the change of the heads of these companies and their deputies to people loyal to him. All payments under contract contracts and supply of goods were blocked, which led to the accumulation of accounts payable and blocked the economic and production activities of the companies.
Telegram channel TOP ENERGY published a copy of the letter signed by the executive director of the Naftogaz group, Maurikiy Kalyugin. In this letter, referring to Sergeyev's mandate, he asked the heads of subsidiary companies to provide complete information on all current contracts under which payments were made in January-February by January 9, 2023.
And such a useful adviser came in handy for Chernyshov in February 2023 when Oleksandr Sergeev was building a corruption network with Daughters of Naftogaz. The results of this work became known in a journalistic investigation , which described a series of scandals that exposed this network. For example, from July 8 to 18, 2024, Ukrtransgaz JSC, a subsidiary of Naftogaz JSC, held a tender for the purchase of refrigeration equipment worth almost UAH 220 million. The tender was won by Avgelit LLC, offering the lowest price - UAH 204.8 million. However, despite the victory, the contract with the company was not concluded, as its documents did not meet the requirements of the tender. As a result, Avgelit LLC was required to correct the violations by July 20, but the agreement was never signed.
The second position in the competition was taken by the company LLC "SK Stroyinvest" with an offer of UAH 205.8 million. This enterprise previously became the object of investigations by the journalistic project Bihus.Info. It is known that the company often won state tenders, in particular, within the framework of "Big Construction", receiving contracts worth about UAH 11 billion.
According to the investigation, the success of "SC Stroyinvest" LLC in the tenders was connected with the patronage of the former curator of "Great Construction" Yury Golyk, who, as reported, had connections with the former governor of Dnipropetrovsk Region Valentin Reznichenko. The latter was also suspected of abuses at tenders. It is known that on July 22, 2024, LLC "SK Stroyinvest" won another tender - for the repair of a hospital in Kryvyi Rih in the amount of UAH 1.31 billion.
One of the key figures associated with this situation was Oleksandr Sklyarov, a deputy of the Kyiv Regional Council from the Servant of the People party. In 2023, he headed Ukrtransgaz, receiving significant income — his annual salary in the company amounted to almost UAH 3 million. Previously, Sklyarov was a close adviser to Alexei Chernyshov, the chairman of Naftogaz of Ukraine. Chernyshov probably contributed to his appointment.
Before joining Ukrtransgaz, Sklyarov's business failed: his companies "Veldan" and "Prynum" were in a state of bankruptcy with debts to creditors in the amount of over UAH 50 million.
Another subsidiary company, Ukrgazvydobuvannya, became another object of scandals in the Naftogaz system. Its manager, Oleh Tolmachov, unexpectedly left the company in June 2024. Prior to that, he held the position of Chairman of the Board from January 2023 and sought to demonstrate successful results. Under his leadership, daily gas production increased by 3.3 million cubic meters, several new wells were launched. However, as it turned out, these "new" wells were on old fields that had been exploited since the 1970s.
In addition, there was a scandal with his assistant Darya Taranova, who turned out to be a citizen of Russia. She was released at the request of the SBU, but the incident cast a shadow over Tolmachev's reputation.
The commercial director of Ukrgazvydobuvannya, Maksym Gorbatyuk, also became involved in scandals. Under his leadership, the Trading Pipeline Company LLC (TTK) became the main supplier of drilling materials, winning tenders for a total amount of over UAH 1 billion. This raised suspicions of corruption, as other bidders offered products at lower prices, but their bids were rejected.
According to the results of inspections carried out in May 2024, the materials supplied by TTK did not meet the tender requirements, but the security service of "Ukrgazvydobuvannya" under the leadership of Andriy Kyrychyshyn tried to hide the results of the research. This raised suspicions about the presence of "crushing" of corruption schemes at the company level.
By June 2024, the director of land relations Gennadiy Sleptsov, who was associated with land scams in the Kyiv region, also left Ukrgazvydobuvannya. His companies owned large plots of land in the region, and Sleptsov himself was also involved in investigations into illegal enrichment.
These scandals also resulted in NABU searches of Naftogaz and its subsidiaries, and Chernyshov was also supposed to be searched by NABU, but he strangely avoided it despite the direct instructions of the director of the National Anti-Corruption Agency. A search should be conducted.
The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal received a salary 22 times less than the head of Naftogaz Oleksiy Chernyshov. Shmyhal declared a salary of UAH 81,237 per month, while the head of Naftogaz earned UAH 1.7 million per month.
Oleksiy Chernyshov received an average of UAH 26,000 in 2019, holding the position of Minister of Community and Territorial Development. The amount of work, responsibility and attention was significant, but the salary was not so great. However, later Chernyshov was appointed head of Naftogaz. In the declaration for 2023, he indicated an average monthly salary of UAH 1,781,025, which was almost 22 times higher than the Prime Minister's income.
In addition, Chernyshov does not hide at all that his godfather is the former abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Pavlo (Lebid), who is accused of inciting religious enmity, justifying and denying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
"He and I are godfathers, he baptized my youngest son," Chernyshov said in an interview with lb.ua.
In general, we can say that Chernyshov, having extraordinary patronage, good connections and ambition, only further eradicated systemic problems in Naftogaz and even contributed to their strengthening through his appointments. The situation in the state-owned company remains critical, and without decisive steps in the direction of anti-corruption reforms and an audit of Naftogaz's activities, this may lead to further losses for the state. Not to mention his sabotage while working as a minister.
