Under the guise of a large-scale investment program for the development of Ukrainian gas production, a scheme of systematic withdrawal of funds operated in the work of JSC "Ukrgazvydobuvannya" for years. According to industry sources, key decisions were made by the company's management in conjunction with affiliated contractors, who received billion-dollar contracts without competition and any technical justification.
Experts call exploration well No. 888 at the Shebelynskoye field the most illustrative example. Despite warnings in the original geological documentation about the absence of confirmed deposits and the low quality of seismic data, over UAH 1.3 billion was spent on the facility from 2019 to 2025. All decisions to continue funding were made contrary to the recommendations of specialized specialists.
Coordination of financial flows was ensured by the CEO Serhiy Lahno, the Procurement Director Roman Vlasenko, the Geological Exploration Director Maksym Vityk, and the Security Director Dmytro Tkachonok. They were the ones who coordinated the conclusion of a number of opaque contracts, including six contracts for the supply of cable products worth UAH 131.46 million. All contracts were signed in January–March 2025 without open bidding, and the actual volumes of purchases were deliberately fragmented to avoid control.
Violations were also recorded in the environmental block of the enterprise's activities. In the first quarter of 2025, the company reported a historical record of 107,136 meters of drilled wells. However, the drilling mud generated in the process, instead of being specially disposed of, was simply poured onto the terrain, which not only violates environmental standards, but also creates a threat of chemical pollution.
A separate episode concerns an accident on a high-pressure gas pipeline in April 2024. The investigation established that the cause was the illegal insertion of a jumper without design documentation. The incident led to a fire, damage to the local community, and called into question compliance with basic safety requirements at the enterprise.
The collected facts indicate that Ukrgazvydobuvannya was used as a financial springboard for non-transparent operations, while state investments were turned into a tool for withdrawing funds through controlled structures.
