How oligarchs move stolen Ukrainian mineral wealth offshore. Butkevich Empire: ATB, BGV group and the pockets of the “Servant of the People”

Gennadiy Butkevich has built an entire system that allows him to gain control over Ukraine's strategic subsoil, move profits offshore, and provide political cover for his business interests. As Ukrainian deposits pass under the control of BGV Group structures, corporate rights are issued through Cypriot companies, and key decisions on subsoil use are made with the participation of loyal politicians. That is why, after the government change, the main question arises: will the new Minister of Economy and Environment, Kravchenko, be able to restore state control over strategic subsoil, or will Butkevich's empire continue to earn billions from Ukraine's natural resources?

Gennadiy Butkevich has long ceased to be only a co-owner of the retail network “ATB.” In recent years he has actively formed his own mining empire through the BGV group, which gained control over a number of strategic Ukrainian deposits. One of the key assets is LLC “PERSHANSKA MINING COMPANY” (EDRPOU code – 39926457), where Butkevich is the ultimate beneficial owner, and 83,3% of the corporate rights are registered to the Cypriot company BGV Group Limited. At the same time, the Ukrainian company BGV is registered to Yakimenko, who is its director and co-owner.

In the previous parliamentary elections, Butkevich financially supported the party “Servant of the People” and ensured the entry of Yakimenko's son, MP Pavlo Yakimenko, into the Verkhovna Rada. Accordingly, the cost of such a “political ticket” could have been about 2 million US dollars. After being elected, Yakimenko headed the Subcommittee on Subsoil Use of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Use of Natural Resources of the Verkhovna Rada, chaired by MP Bondarenko. It was after this that Butkevich began actively purchasing special permits for subsoil use and channeling assets through BGV structures.

The most valuable asset of the company became the Pershanskoye deposit of beryllium. This is not just an ordinary mineral deposit; it is one of the largest beryllium deposits in Europe. The metal is used in the manufacture of missile equipment, aircraft, satellites, electronics, nuclear energy, and other defense-industrial complex products. That is why beryllium is on the list of strategic raw materials, upon which a state’s technological and defense independence depends.

1 November 2019 year, LLC “PERSHANSKA MINING COMPANY” received Special Permit No. 6383 for subsoil use for a term of 20 years. The permit covers the “Northern” and “Krushynka” parcels of the Pershanskoye deposit, and the official start of industrial mining was set for the period 2021–2024 years. As of today, mining has already begun.

According to expert assessments, reserves of the Pershanskoye beryllium deposit are valued at approximately 80–100 billion US dollars. In fact, this is one of Ukraine's most valuable mineral assets, which has not only economic but also strategic significance for the state. That is why the question of who controls this resource and under what terms the rights to its development were obtained has public importance.

Meanwhile, mining is carried out underground, and one of the mines is located on the territory of the Polissia Nature Reserve and its protected zone. The Pershanske deposit lies within the territory of the nature reserve fund, where the law establishes a special regime for protecting natural complexes. However, for some reason, previous ministers did not raise questions about the special protection regime, because everyone took kickbacks for inaction.

Specifically, regarding the illegal activities of Butkevich, we filed a dozen complaints and statements about committing criminal offenses. According to our materials, the Security Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv region opened criminal proceedings No. 22025220000000172 under part 3 of Article 240 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; the Prosecutor's Office of Kharkiv region – No. 12025220000000612 under part 3 of Article 240 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. However, despite criminal proceedings, beryllium mining continues, and Butkevich himself increases his profits hundreds of times.

The new Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine, Oleksiy Kravchenko, has all the powers to put an end to the history of illegal use of strategic subsoil. It depends on his decisions to revoke the special permits for the Beryllium deposits and return to the state the reserves of this strategic metal, whose value, based on available estimates, reaches about 100 billion US dollars. If these permits remain in force, future profits from Ukrainian beryllium will go to private structures associated with Gennadiy Butkevich, not the state.