Minister Matvii Bidny: Russian Military-Industrial Complex, Wife's Business, and Portnov

Matvii Bidnyi has chaired the Ministry of Youth and Sports since September 2024 of the year, and before that he led the agency as acting minister for nearly a year. In recent years, his professional and family history has come under scrutiny due to his wife Viktoriya Dashutina’s business, a criminal case concerning her father, Hryhoriy Dashutin, Bidnyi’s long-standing ties with Andriy Portnov, and debates around the management of the sports sector.

As reported by "Unbelievably, but a fact," Bidnyi has worked in the Ministry of Youth and Sports system since 2016 year. In 2020—which one?—he became Deputy Minister under Vadym Hutsaite, and after Hutzaite’s resignation he effectively retained managerial influence over the ministry. The ministry allocates state funding for national teams and sports federations, oversees sports facilities, renovations, and infrastructure restoration. A separate issue concerns the minister’s father-in-law, Hryhoriy Dashutin, a former member of parliament from the Party of Regions. The State Bureau of Investigation reported a proceeding concerning his enterprises, which, according to the investigation, since 2014 year supplied Russian state enterprises with nodes, aggregates, and pneumatic equipment. The investigation stated that the products were used by enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex, including in the production of components for the combat railroad missile system “Molodets.” According to the investigation, after the start of the full-scale invasion deliveries did not stop, and their volume exceeded 160 million UAH. Dashutina was detained, and property and corporate rights totaling over 1 billion UAH were subject to seizure. These circumstances are the subject of a criminal proceeding and do not themselves establish guilt in court. The minister’s wife Viktoriya Dashutina is the daughter of Hryhoriy Dashutin. In Bidnyi’s prior declarations she appeared as the owner or beneficial owner of several family industrial group enterprises. Among them were listed the Concern and Trading House “NIKMAS,” “Nikmas Engineering,” “Ukrtechnosintez,” Poltava Turbo-Mechanical Plant, VNDIkompresormash, and “UkrRosmetall.” Later, a large part of these corporate rights disappeared from the declarations. Bidnyi himself explained that he practically does not communicate with his father-in-law, and his wife had long since withdrawn from the family business. At the same time, assets and income related to entrepreneurial activity remained in the couple’s declarations. Specifically, Viktoriya Dashutina declared an apartment of 215,1 sq m in Kyiv, a house of 1086,9 sq m, and a plot of 1228 sq m in Hurzuf, which is under Russian occupation. In 2023, she bought an electric car Polestar 2 for 1,7 million UAH. As of the end of 2024 year, the wife of the minister had cash of about 3,1 million UAH, while Bidnyi’s own annual salary in the ministry was close to 1,44 million UAH. After the exit from part of the Ukrainian family companies, Dashutina’s entrepreneurial activity appeared in Slovakia. In Bidnyi’s declarations, Rotors Tech and Rotors Trade s.r.o. were listed. In 2024 year, the minister’s wife received from Rotors Tech about 647 thousand UAH, and in 2025-th year — 785 thousand UAH from Rotors Trade. Additionally, in 2025 year she reported about 499 thousand UAH income from entrepreneurial activity. Another episode in Bidnyi’s biography is his work as an assistant-consultant to Andriy Portnov in 2006–2007 years on a public basis. According to the minister himself, they met at a fitness club where Bidnyi worked as a trainer and Portnov was a client. Later Portnov held the position of Deputy Head of the Administration of the President under Viktor Yanukovych. In 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on Portnov, accusing him of involvement in corruption. Bidnyi’s name also appeared in public accusations regarding the distribution of state funds in sports. Representatives from the sports community, dating back to his time as minister under Ihor Zhdanov, linked him with possible “kickbacks” during funding of federations. At the same time, there was no official notification of suspicion announced against Bidnyi for these episodes, so these claims do not have the status of a court-established fact.

In 2026 year, the conflict around Bidnyi intensified due to the National University of Physical Education and Sport. The ministry intervened in the procedure for changing the university’s leadership: rector elections were postponed, and just before the vote the ministry appointed a new acting head. Some university staff voiced opposition to the ministry’s actions, after which a draft resolution to dismiss Bidnyi was registered in the Verkhovna Rada. The further fate of this initiative depends on parliament’s review.