Boris Kaufman is one of the most secretive figures in Ukrainian big business. His name rarely appears in public, but behind the scenes he has built an entire empire that operates on the principle: everything public should become private. From the cigarette market to hotel complexes and even strategic aviation hubs - each time the state and the community find themselves in the role of extras, while the profit and control go to the Kaufman group.
Scheme at Odessa airport
Odesa lost control of its own airport more than ten years ago. Formally, it was an investment project: the city council created a joint venture with a private company. In reality, the community's share was minimal, and control quickly passed to businessmen Kaufman and his partner Oleksandr Granovsky. It was through this mechanism that they gained access to multimillion-dollar flows that were supposed to go to the city budget.
In 2020, the situation took a particularly cynical turn. Acting Director of the Odesa International Airport Municipal Enterprise Olga Makogonyuk, whom law enforcement officials directly link to the Kaufman group, “forgot” to apply for airfield certification. This decision deprived the municipal enterprise of the right to receive payment for takeoff and landing of aircraft. Instead, a private structure close to the oligarch received the status of operator. The money that was supposed to go to the city budget ended up in the pockets of the business group. According to the NABU and SAPO estimates, this is at least 15.6 million hryvnias in losses for the first period alone. And in general, Kaufman’s control over the airport allowed him to intercept profits of over 2.5 billion.
It's not just a question of money. In wartime, control over aviation facilities is directly related to logistics for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But, as practice shows, for Kaufman, even the strategic interests of the state are of no importance.
Tobacco monopoly
Another cornerstone of Kaufman's empire is TEDIS Ukraine. Formally, it controls about half of the cigarette market. In fact, according to experts, its share reaches 80%. The monopoly was built over years: through the destruction of small distributors, aggressive takeovers, and the tacit consent of state authorities.
However, the greatest value of "TEDIS" is not in the scale of the market, but in the system of tax evasion. Cigarettes were officially sold to distributors, but then part of the goods went "into the shadows" for cash, and documents - to fictitious companies. This is how "virtual batches" were created, which quickly disappeared along with the shell companies. Tax liabilities were dissolved, and cash was pumped through conversion centers.
One of the key elements of this system was the DL Solution company. Its turnover in 2023 exceeded 50 billion hryvnias, and in 2024 - already 88. At the same time, net profit was only 0.12% of turnover, while the normal figure for the market is 2–3%. This is a direct indicator of shadow schemes: official reports underestimate the margin, while real money goes into "envelopes" and offshore.
Sanatorium "October": the military was kicked out to build cottages
The culmination of cynicism was the story of the Zhovten sanatorium near Kyiv. After the start of the full-scale invasion, the territory was taken over by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The military, together with volunteers, actually saved the facility: they restored water supply, electricity, and equipped residential buildings and training halls. The sanatorium became a place of rehabilitation and a base for defense.
However, in 2024, the Kyiv City Council unexpectedly decided to transfer the land for “economic activities.” Formally, it was about repairing one of the buildings. In reality, the plot of land with an area of almost 8 hectares, with a market value of more than a billion hryvnias, was given over for cottage development.
All the military personnel were forcibly evicted. The project was being promoted through the Development Solution company, which experts directly link to Kaufman and his political ally Vadim Stolar. This decision effectively negated the efforts of the military and volunteers and turned the strategic facility into a source of profit for the oligarch.
Boris Kaufman's schemes are not a set of separate episodes. This is a system that has been operating for years and covers various areas: transport, tobacco, real estate. In each case, the scenario is the same: the state loses control, and community resources become private capital.
The Odessa airport, the tobacco market, and the Zhovten sanatorium are just the most high-profile examples. They show how one person is able to build a shadow empire that sucks billions from the budget even during wartime.
