Volodymyr Vasylovych Kravets: business, politics, and 61 hectares for “friends”

Volodymyr Kravets, head of Vyshnivetska hromada in the Ternopil region, has found himself under a new wave of criticism due to a long-standing connection with the NGO “Good Samaritan,” which, after his transition into local government, was led by his wife. Separate attention is drawn to the Vyshnivetska village council’s decision in 2021 year to transfer land to a company amounting to almost 61 hectares, as well as prior claims regarding the use of state lands.

The story of “Good Samaritan” for Kravets began long before his work in local self-government bodies. In public interviews he said that he headed the enterprise for about 15 years. According to him, the household started with about 400 hectares, and later expanded to almost 6 thousand hectares of arable land. After Kravets moved into politics, the enterprise did not disappear from his family orbit. The head of PAPE “Good Samaritan” became his wife, Lidia Kravets. In Volodymyr Kravets’s declarations for previous years, the enterprise appeared as his wife’s employer. Thus, the agricultural business, with which the current head of the hromada had been associated for years, remained directly tied to his family. Another layer of this story is politics. Kravets led the political party “Good Samaritan,” and in local elections ran from the same political force. In election documents of the Central Election Commission, he was listed simultaneously as the director of PAPE “Good Samaritan” and as a party member. The regional organization of this party was previously led by his daughter, Yuliya Kravets. In 2021 year, already after Kravets was elected head of Vyshnivetska hromada, the village council passed two decisions regarding lands received by PAPE “Good Samaritan.” These concerned plots of land of 32,6603 hectares and 28,2643 hectares. The total area was about 60,9 hectares. Rental agreements were concluded with 1 on November 2021 year for a term of seven years. The land history became the subject of a commercial dispute. LLC “Zakhidnyi Buh” challenged the Vyshnivetska village council’s decision, claiming it laid claim to these lands and offered rent at 12% of the normative monetary assessment. For “Good Samaritan,” the agreements set 10%. The plaintiff also drew the court’s attention to Kravets’s participation in making land decisions and his previous connection with the enterprise. The case referred to a possible private conflict of interest. “Zakhidnyi Buh” argued that transferring lands to “Good Samaritan” without competition violated its rights as a potential renter. However, the court did not satisfy the claim and did not declare the village council’s decisions invalid. Therefore, legally established fact is the transfer of about 61 hectares to “Good Samaritan” and the existence of the corresponding court dispute, but not proof in court of corruption or illegal actions by Kravets. Complaints about the enterprise’s land history had arisen previously. In 2017 year Kravets publicly commented on a situation when, after an inquiry from the Security Service of Ukraine to land-control authorities, use of over 300 hectares of state land in Staryi Vyshnivetska was checked. According to him, about 10 hectares were to be allocated to participants in combat, but were not properly documented. Another thread of the story relates to Boutyn. According to Vyshnivetska hromada, after the parceling of the former Vyshneveck farm in 2000 year, several enterprises emerged, including “Good Samaritan.” After the liquidation of PAPE “Androshchuk” in 2006 year, its property and lands passed to the leasehold of “Good Samaritan.” The enterprise is now led by Lidia Kravets. Declarations show substantial financial assets for the family. National Agency of Ukraine on Corruption Prevention (NACP) records over the years reported Kravets’s million-dollar savings, while his wife earned income from “Good Samaritan” and her own entrepreneurial activity. This coexistence of large assets, agricultural business, and political influence has been a driver of public and political attention. Parallel to this, “Good Samaritan” played a significant role in local projects. In 2017 year the enterprise acted as the general sponsor of the reconstruction of the stadium in Vyshnivets, costing about 2,6 million UAH. The reconstruction began even before Kravets was elected head of the hromada, when he headed the enterprise. Later, the stadium became municipal property, and “Good Samaritan” used it under lease terms. Thus, over the years, a number of interconnected circumstances accumulated around “Good Samaritan”: Kravets’s large agricultural business, transfer of enterprise management to his wife, the same-named political party, family involvement in its activities, land issues, and the enterprise receiving almost 61 hectares from the community even after Kravets’s arrival to local power. None of these circumstances by itself proves wrongdoing, but the aggregate of facts remains a subject of public and political scrutiny.

Against the backdrop of Kravets’s criticism, the land decisions 2021 year remain the most concrete episode with documentary and court confirmation. Further assessment of possible conflict of interest or other violations will depend on the circumstances established by law enforcement authorities and the decisions of competent bodies. Read also: Volodymyr Kravets: millions in cash and free land for “Good Samaritan.”