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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
A suspect in a billion-dollar corruption scheme, Yuriy Holik, is gearing up to master another 12 billion on veteran spaces and is cleaning up his reputation
Former adviser to the head of Dnipro region OVA and ex-curator of the presidential program “Big Construction” Yuriy Holik has once again found himself in the spotlight. In the media, they claim he may be connected with a large-scale state program to create veteran spaces, and he is also trying to get materials about him removed from search results.
This is reported by Comments.ua.
From the curator of “Big Construction” to a political exile under investigation
Yuriy Holyk, born in Luhansk in 1977 year, managed to try himself in media and advertising, before in 2015-year he began working in the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration together with Valentyn Reznychenko. Soon he was already responsible for the most complex and “profitable” area – maintaining and developing infrastructure. In 2019 year he was appointed to oversee the large presidential program “Big Construction” — road repair and construction, infrastructure facilities — totaling more than 100 billion hryvnias in prewar funds.
Soon, around the curator there erupted numerous scandals and accusations of inflated prices for works, which “Comments” wrote about in detail. Eventually, during the investigation, NABU established that the governor of Dnipropetrovsk region Valentina Reznychenko’s girlfriend, fitness trainer Yana, turned out to be the owner of the construction company “Budinvest Engineering.”
Part of the budget funds were reportedly stolen by overpricing, according to the investigation. Yuriy Holik was even a suspect in this case, but in June 2024 year the curator of “Big Construction” left Ukraine and went abroad, presumably to Austria. Almost 2 years after this, Yuriy Holyk “behaved quietly,” but now the situation has changed.
Google under attack over Yuriy Holyk
Starting from the end of June 2026, some Ukrainian information sites began reporting a wave of complaints to Google about allegedly copyrighted material on a number of publications. Most of the challenged materials are related to journalistic investigations that mention Yuriy Holik. According to one site, “Ukrdromprom,” all articles starting from 2022 year were affected. Such a mechanism allows pages to be quickly removed from search without disputing the facts contained in them, effectively.
According to another site, “StopCor,” none of the materials to which complaints were filed contain copied content infringing anyone’s rights — all texts are original editorial materials. And, in the publication’s view, this may indicate an attempt to mass-delete unwanted content under the pretext of supposedly “protecting copyright” — an instrument increasingly used to pressure independent media.
At the same time, since 2024 year Yuriy Holik, through his lawyers, is seeking to open a criminal case against NABU detectives under Article 387 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code “Disclosure of data from operational-search measures.” True, the appellate chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court repeatedly denies this. But why, after 2 years since his “escape” from Ukraine, did Yuriy Holik suddenly take an interest in his image? The answer may lie in one of the investigations by the publication “Our Money. Lviv,” which was published in spring of this year.
12 billion hryvnias for veterans
In April NGLMedia published an investigation concerning a large state program to create spaces for veterans. In 2025 year the Ministry of Veterans Affairs launched a program to build new spaces under a single project – a single-story building of about 1500 square meters, consisting of two blocks: a gym and a separate room with consultation rooms, psychological support, conference halls, and a small cafe. For creating 22 such spaces, from the budget already allocated 1 billion 546 million hryvnias, i.e., about 75 million hryvnias per building, which, in the plans for 160 such objects, could cost around 12 billion hryvnias.
Moreover, journalists note that lobbying of this initiative was so strong that the plot for construction in Lutsk was allocated 28 in May 2025 year — three weeks before the government adopted the relevant resolution. Two organizations conducted the expert review of adapted projects: LLC "UK Expertise" and LLC "New-Expert", spending less than a month on each object. The tenders were rushed as well — in all seven projects in 2025 year, only one contractor participated in the bidding, and that contractor received the orders, while tender terms effectively excluded others.
For example, in Kryvyi Rih they required annual income confirmation at the level of the expected contract value (over 130 million hryvnias) — and to undergo a personal inspection of the object with the customer’s signature. In Uzhhorod, in addition to inspection, optional quality certificates were added. Meanwhile, the companies that ultimately received contracts were either newly created or had vanishingly little experience. The contractor in Kremenchuk had experience implementing works for 2 million hryvnias, but received consecutive orders for 132 million hryvnias. Construction of seven veteran spaces began in autumn 2025 year.
It also turned out that the estimated costs for materials were significantly inflated in the estimates. In Kryvyi Rih — about 2 million hryvnias, in Kryvyi Rih — about 2,6 million, in Uzhhorod — more than 7 million. Some items in the estimates were deliberately formulated vaguely, without specific characteristics, making it impossible to compare with market prices. It is known that the development of documentation was ordered by the charitable foundation “Songs Born in ATO” by a private entrepreneur from Transcarpathia, Yuriy Erdeli.
But the founder of the fund, Volodymyr Yurchenko, could not explain why a charitable organization orders construction documentation for a state program. The fund’s director Yuriy Shulyka cited a call from some people from the ministry, but details were not disclosed. As emphasized by NGLMedia, turning to the charitable foundation “Songs Born in ATO” was prompted by its founder Volodymyr Yurchenko. During Valentin Reznychenko’s tenure, he was his deputy. Meanwhile, the program’s curator in the Ministry of Veterans Affairs is Deputy Minister Viktor Baidachny, who, according to his official biography on the ministry’s website, worked in the Dnipropetrovsk ODA from 2018 to 2022 year. His workplace was the Department of Veteran Policy, which at that time was led by Nataliya Shulika, whose husband Yuriy Shulika is the director of the charitable foundation “Songs Born in ATO.” The latter, by the way, is also connected with Yuriy Holyk, who once called the “Songs Born in ATO” festivals of the same-named foundation “ours.”
Holyk confirmed his connection with the festival to NGLMedia journalists. Note that in the Prozorro state procurement system there are hundreds of tenders and auctions for the construction and outfitting of veteran spaces. For example, the cost of developing project documentation for creating such a space can range from 1 to 1,5 million hryvnias, and the same amount or more is needed for major repairs of buildings allocated for it. Finally, there is also their equipment, for which funds are allocated from state and local budgets financing the program at 40%.
Criminal case against the patron and the bankruptcy of a Ukrainian business – what Yuriy Holyk lives on
Note that the ex-curator of “Big Construction,” who is abroad, clearly needs money, because, judging by open data, his business in Ukraine is failing. Thus, Holyk owned a stake of 25% in LLC “Creative Country” (activity: advisory services for commercial activity and management, charter fund 1000 hryvnias), which organized a number of coworking spaces. Against the backdrop of electricity problems after Russian strikes, in 2023 year the business showed wonders — almost 39 million hryvnias. Revenue after 1,8 million hryvnias 2022-year, of which 10,2 million hryvnias is net profit. However, according to the results of 2025-year, the company did not show profitability, and net profit fell 20 times – to 588 thousand hryvnias. Nevertheless, the situation is presumably even worse, as LLC “Creative Staff Gulliver,” in which Yuriy Holyk owns 10%, and is in a state of bankruptcy.
One of the co-owners of “Gulliver” even sues the other founders over a debt to one of its companies amounting to 10,4 million hryvnias. Likely, these financial problems are linked to Holyk’s interest in creating veteran spaces for billions of hryvnias in budget funds. Transitioning from a coworking space for freelancers to a space for veterans for billions of budget hryvnias seems quite logical. All this points to serious financial problems of the ex-curator of “Big Construction.”
It’s hard to believe that he once literally moved billions. Yes, only 1 project — construction of a water supply in Kryvyi Rih, launched after the Zaporizhzhia Dam explosion for 7,7 billion hryvnias, could be inflated by 3 billion. In addition, investigators established that participants in the scheme laundered goods and services worth 187 million hryvnias and reduced VAT payments by another 20,5 million hryvnias. One of the key figures named is Yuriy Holyk, known as the public coordinator of “Big Construction.”
Earlier he was mentioned in the case regarding disclosure of data from NABU’s pretrial investigation. But Yuriy Holyk’s real problem is the case of LLC “Budinvest Inzhyniring” (activity – road and highway construction, charter fund 1 million 50 thousand hryvnias). According to the investigation, the Dnipropetrovsk ODA officials in 2022 year handed the company contracts for construction and repair of highways worth 1,5 billion hryvnias.
Part of these funds was later siphoned off under the guise of orders for goods and services, most likely to accounts of fictitious companies. Suspects in this case include twice-ex-governor Valentyn Reznychenko. As stated in case materials, nearly after 2 years, “Budinvest” made payments of 3,75 million hryvnias. LLC “Sevent Consulting Group,” when its director was Oleksandr Reznychenko, the son of the Dnipropetrovsk governor.
Meanwhile, Valentyn Reznychenko himself is the owner of a company, i.e., there was an evident conflict of interest. Since 2024 year, Yuriy Holyk is also involved in this case, in addition to the case about leaks to anti-corruption bodies, which forced him to leave Ukraine. It is worth noting that recently, after a long hiatus in Ukraine, the shadows of former “gods” appear more often in the information space. For example, Victor Medvedchuk, who is allegedly helped by Oleksandr Spetor.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Підозрюваний у мільярдній корупції Юрій Голик готується освоїти ще 12 мільярдів на ветеранських просторах та чистить свою репутацію". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ANTIKOR.
