How Khomutynnik and Astion Raidered Billion-Dollar Assets and Profit from Them. For How Much Did Prytula’s Relative Buy a Roof with Sanctions?

Oligarch Vitalii Khomutynnik is building his luxurious life in Monaco, while his wife publicly calls on Ukrainians to donate to the needs of the Armed Forces. A yacht for $20 million, a Gulfstream for $25 million, and a Rolls-Royce for $600 thousand — far from the full list of the family’s wealth, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, earned from Ukrainian subsoil, gas, and state property. But the main question is who has been doing the “dirty work” for Khomutynnik for years: his business partner Vasyl Astion, a former deputy of the Dnipropetrovsk regional council and head of Dnipro Agro Group, who engaged in raider seizures of assets for the benefit of the senior partner. While Khomutynnik stayed in the shadows, Astion became his “raider hand” — taking over enterprises, land, and state property, helping the senior partner expand his business empire.

A vivid example is the Republic shopping mall, which was built for almost 10 years with loans from the Nadra bank of Dmytro Firtash. In 2012 year, Nadra issued 2,59 billion hryvnias for the construction of the shopping center, but after Nadra’s bankruptcy, the claim rights on these loans were sold for only 777 million hryvnias — at least three times cheaper than the financing amount. The winner was the company SOLTEX CAPITAL, formed just before the auction, and later the property complex of the Republic, valued at over 2,1 billion hryvnias along with the land, passed to JSC DILIDGENS, connected with Firtash, Khomutynnik, and Astion. The Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine recognized the auction as a conspiracy of connected participants, and the Supreme Court affirmed this decision — the state did not receive over a billion hryvnias.

Today the Republic is managed by DILIDGENS, whose ultimate beneficiary through the offshore Dresdenco is Firtash together with Khomutynnik and Astion’s group. At the same time, the mall’s rental spaces are registered to a separate company — Ltd. “TRC Republic” — through which financial operations related to the mall are conducted. And at the center of this story is Vasyl Astion again — Khomutynnik’s former assistant and his business partner, who effectively accompanied the asset’s operations.

In the same scenario, the Harosh railway (Horolsky) plant for infant nutrition was raided — the only enterprise in Ukraine producing infant milk formulas. In 2014–2016 years, the plant was first “reorganized” through fictitious meetings and forged documents, after which its assets began to be sold off through companies connected with the Astion family: equipment, vehicles, buildings, land, and trademarks were taken for a sum far below the real value of the enterprise. In October 2015 year, security structures entered the plant’s territory, and the rightful owner, his representatives, and workers were forcibly removed from control. Over several years, the enterprise, into which more than $60 million was invested, was driven to the sale of the property complex in 2018 year for only 25,2 million hryvnias to the company “Dniproagro.”

Perhaps the most telling is the plant’s fate after 2022 year. The enterprise belonged to Russian citizen Georgy Sazhinsky, so it should have come under state control and ARMA, but instead the asset ended up in structures connected with Vitaliy Khomutynnik and the Astion family. Ownership was arranged through the Cypriot Cacique Limited, the beneficiary of which is Khomutynnik, and a company of the Astion family. Essentially the only Ukrainian producer of infant milk formulas, which after the start of the full-scale war was to become a state asset due to the owner’s Russian origin, ended up in private hands. Moreover, its prior raiding preceded forged documents, forceful removal of the owner, and sale of property for 25,2 million hryvnias.

In addition, Khomutynnik is a reliable business partner of Hennadiy Boholyubov, who financed the “cardboard square” of Mikhail Fedorov, hoping to receive personal preferences. Simultaneously, Boholyubov together with Khomutynnik controlled PJSC VK Ukrnaftoburinnia and the development of the Sakhalin oil and gas condensate field in Kharkiv region. Through controlled structures, they obtained special licenses and approvals, after which oil and gas were extracted without proper accounting, concealing real volumes of raw materials and evading royalties and taxes. Unaccounted gas, despite a ban, was exported to Europe at inflated prices, and funds were funneled through Cypriot and offshore structures, including JKX Ukraine B.V. and Cacique Limited.

We have exposed Khomutynnik’s activities since 2024 year, and during this time, we have sent 7 statements and 6 complaints to law enforcement and oversight bodies, covering more than 1000 addressees. To date, we have obtained 20 rulings by investigative judges, which obliged the Specialized Ecology Prosecutor’s Office, Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office, the Territorial Administration of the State Bureau of Investigation in Kyiv, the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine, the Main Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine, the Main Investigation Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Main Security Service Directorate in Kyiv and Kyiv region, the Investigative Department of the Security Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv region, all to commence a pre-trial investigation.

In addition, we secured the opening of a number of criminal proceedings:

The BEEB in Kyiv — No. 72026102500000023 under part 1 art. 240 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; The SBU in Kyiv and Kyiv region — No. 22026101110000300 under part 2 art. 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;

Poltava Regional Prosecutor’s Office — No. 42025170000000096 under part 4 art. 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;

SBU in Kyiv and Kyiv region — No. 22026101110000299 under part 2 art. 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;

GSU of the SBU in Kyiv and Kyiv region — No. 22025101110000103 under part 2 art. 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;

Darnytska District Prosecutor’s Office of Kyiv — No. 42024102020000051 under part 2 art. 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;

Solomiansky District Prosecutor’s Office of Kyiv — No. 42025102090000020 under part 1 art. 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

However, law enforcement officers do not intend to initiate a pre-trial investigation regarding Prytula’s relative.

Khomutynnik and Astion should not receive another status of “businessmen with questions,” but sanctions, asset freezes, and full confiscation of illegally acquired property. Because behind the beautiful facade of Monaco, yachts, and private jets lie Ukrainian subsoil, state property, enterprises, and billions that could have long been ending up in the pockets of close associates. The state must take back everything that was stolen from Ukrainians — from corporate rights and land to real estate and funds. And then the main question will no longer be “how much more will Khomutynnik earn,” but how much of his assets Ukraine will finally reclaim.