Ukrenergo reveals embezzlement of nearly 450 million; six charges filed
According to Ukrinform, this was reported on Telegram by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
According to him, the organizer is the founder and de facto controller of private energy supply companies through which electricity was sold.
The man involved four market participants in the scheme and created a network of controlled companies. Through them, they supplied electricity to users and systematically manipulated consumption forecasts.
“They deliberately underestimated electricity demand, knowing that actual consumption would be significantly higher. In other words, on paper they showed that little electricity was needed, but in reality they sold significantly more,” Kravchenko noted.
As a result, a deficit arose—the difference between what was declared and what was actually used. This deficit was automatically covered by the state so that users would not be left without power.
Meanwhile, the participants in the scheme received full payment from users for the electricity supplied. However, instead of settling accounts with the state, the funds were diverted through controlled companies and individual entrepreneurs, effectively embezzling them.
Instead of paying off their debt to Ukrenergo, they deliberately allowed it to accumulate, driving the companies into irrecoverable debt and initiating bankruptcy proceedings. The scheme was then repeated with new companies.
The resulting losses amount to over 447 million hryvnias.
All participants in the scheme have been notified of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The organizer is additionally charged under Part 3 of Article 27 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The issue of imposing preventive measures on them is being decided.
Law enforcement officials are investigating additional incidents and potential similar losses for the years 2025–2026.
The investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement officials are identifying all individuals involved and examining other potential instances of criminal activity for the years 2025–2026.
The Security Service of Ukraine reported on Facebook that, according to the case materials, six individuals acting as part of an organized group are involved in the scheme. Among them are executives of Kyiv and Kharkiv-based companies that supply electricity to industrial users.
During 26 searches of the suspects’ residences and business premises, authorities seized smartphones, computer equipment, seals, working documents, and rough notes containing evidence of the crimes.
Six participants in the schemes were notified of their status as suspects in connection with the crimes committed under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The suspects face up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.
As reported by Ukrinform, officials at a branch of Ukrzaliznytsia in the Ivano-Frankivsk region have been implicated in the embezzlement of over 900,000 hryvnias paid by passengers for services at train stations.
