On creative breads: in the 2017 officials earned over 100 million hryvnias from copyrights (infographic)

Electronic declarations are not only thousands of square meters of real estate and hundreds of paintings, icons, and expensive watches. They often include dozens of copyrights that bring their owners good income. The ranking of the most successful creative and resourceful officials was prepared by analysts of the “Declarations” project.

The real “cultural oligarch” (by the way, he also patented this name) turned out to be the “singing rector” and, simultaneously, Member of Parliament of Ukraine Mykhailo Poplavskyi. His declaration lists 127 copyrights for songs, music videos, farewell concerts, beverages, rector’s and professor’s sausage. In 2017 he even patented a dish such as okroshka. Overall last year Mykhailo Poplavskyi earned more than 26 million hryvnias from royalties (payments to the copyright holder).

More than 19 million were brought in by copyrights to the silver medalist of our ranking – Zhytomyr City Council deputy Petro Rud. He is the owner of the “Rud” trademark, which is the largest Ukrainian ice cream producer.

The mayor of Kropyvnytskyi and owner of the Yatran company, Andrii Raikovych, owns 34 patents for industrial designs and trademarks for goods and services. In 2017 he earned 18 million hryvnias from royalties.

More than 9 million hryvnias in royalties were paid to Member of Parliament Hlib Zahorii by the pharmaceutical firm Darnytsia. Rounding out the top five finalists is Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, whose sports brand brought him nearly 5 million hryvnias.

Also on the list of creative and resourceful top officials are Members of Parliament Volodymyr Mysyk, Serhiy Leshchenko, Olha Bohomolets, Oksana Bilozir, Roman Semenuha and the young writer who also serves as Minister of Internal Affairs, Arsen Avakov.

Overall, in 2017 payments for use of copyrights and creative activity brought Ukrainian officials more than 105 million hryvnias in income.