The entourage of former MP Oleg Dmytrenko from Chernihiv region may stand behind the bankruptcy of the state milk producer in Zhytomyr region – media

The bankruptcy of the state enterprise “Rykhalske” in Zhytomyr region, which specializes in keeping dairy breeds of cattle, may have benefited the entourage of former People’s Deputy from Petro Poroshenko Bloc Oleg Dmytrenko, who was elected in the Chernihiv region. Recently the State Property Fund suspended the ineffective management associated with former director Serhiy Koretskyi; as a result, the enterprise must begin repaying wage debts and debts to counterparties. Meanwhile, some activists plan to parcel out the state enterprise’s lands and return the previous leadership, the Korotko.Pro publication reports.

The publication notes that the enterprise became known across Ukraine at the end of 2025 when animal welfare activists found improper treatment of animals at the farm. Several dozen cows died from disease, the rest were overly thin, and some animals examined lacked identification tags, meaning they had been brought to the enterprise illegally. The director was notified of suspicion of official negligence: allegedly, he avoided addressing the cows’ health problems, did not involve the appropriate specialists, and as a result the state suffered losses of more than 1 million UAH.

According to public data, “Rykhalske” owns more than 100 plots of land with a total area of about 3 thousand hectares, of which 2,8 thousand are arable land. Until 2023 the enterprise was under the management of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences; later the government decided to transfer the neglected state enterprise to the State Property Fund with subsequent preparation for privatization. In November 2024 the bankruptcy procedure for SE “Rykhalske” was initiated by SFP “Batkivshchyna”, which had leased part of Rykhalske’s lands, provided equipment for its operation, and at the same time claimed in court an unpaid debt in the amount of 34 million UAH.

Bankruptcy may be part of a scheme to withdraw the enterprise from the State Property Fund’s management and avoid paying taxes. Because of court claims, Rykhalske’s property is frozen. There is an opinion that the agricultural enterprise “Batkivshchyna” initiated the bankruptcy in agreement with then-state enterprise director Serhiy Koretskyi. “Batkivshchyna” belongs to former People’s Deputy from Chernihiv region Oleg Dmytrenko. “The basis of his business is driving state enterprises into bankruptcy and then privatizing them for his own benefit. Therefore, the possibility of ‘raiding’ another state enterprise does not leave the Dmytrenko family alone. They have launched not only an economic blockade of SE ‘Rykhalske’ but also a discrediting information campaign against the enterprise on the pages of Chernihiv online outlets. They say some of these outlets belong to Dmytrenko himself,” the article says.

Koretskyi, through whose hands Dmytrenko is trying to retain control over the enterprise, was dismissed by the State Property Fund in the spring of 2025 due to systematic failure to execute orders and directives. An audit of his activities revealed accumulated wage debts totaling more than 5 million UAH and another 7 million UAH in debts on open enforcement proceedings (to counterparties and payments to the state budget). The former director immediately appealed the dismissal in court and is still in litigation with the state enterprise.

According to the publication, Koretskyi’s return to the village is supported by a small initiative group led by the former storekeeper of the state enterprise, Anatoliy Prysyazhniuk. They support Koretskyi because of his promises to parcel out the state enterprise’s lands and distribute them to the villagers who work at the enterprise. “It is effectively about the illegal seizure of state land and causing it damage, since the enterprise’s lands are not an asset that can be parceled out. Therefore, the State Property Fund has no such plans: the enterprise is listed for sale as a single property complex and is awaiting an investor,” the author adds.

After Koretskyi, the Fund appointed Viacheslav Herasymenko as director. It was Herasymenko’s alleged official negligence (a suspicion was announced in July 2026) that likely led to the cows’ deaths and the spread of disease on the farm. However, it is quite possible that such a state of affairs—without long-term proper support from investors, constant looting and siphoning of funds from the company by Koretskyi and his entourage—could have been the only possible scenario. “It was the initiative group led by Koretskyi and Prysyazhniuk that prevented the new director from entering the enterprise and also prevented local residents who worked here and cared for the animals from working,” the article states.

3 August 2026 the State Property Fund appointed a new director—Yurii Bakhilov.

At the meeting, they emphasized the need to audit the enterprise, resolve problematic issues, and ensure the effective use of state assets and land resources. The significance of the situation around the state enterprise at the national level is evidenced by the fact that State Property Fund head Dmytro Natalukha personally came to introduce Bakhilov to the staff, and the regional military administration leadership attended the meeting. Bakhilov must resolve problems with wage arrears, debts to the budget and to counterparties, and prepare SE “Rykhalske” for the privatization competition.