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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
NABU and the SAP uncovered a scheme to seize about 100 thousand tons of Ukrnafta petroleum products worth more than 2,88 billion hryvnias. One of the case’s figures, according to Babel’s sources, is businessman Mykhailo Kiperman, whom NABU earlier declared wanted. So where is Kiperman now? And what is known about his future?
100 thousand tons of fuel
NABU and the SAP announced the exposure of an organized group that, according to investigators, in 2017–2020 years seized about 100 thousand tons of Ukrnafta petroleum products. The value of the fuel is estimated at over 2,88 billion hryvnias.
According to anticorruption agencies, the volume of appropriated petroleum products amounted to almost 20% of all the fuel that Ukrnafta sold through its own gas station network during the scheme’s operation.
How the scheme worked
According to investigators, the business group’s leaders transferred Ukrnafta petroleum products to a controlled company under commission agreements.
Later, part of the fuel was transferred to other related enterprises, after which it was sold through the gas station network—both wholesale and retail.
Proceeds from the sales were sent to accounts of controlled companies, including foreign ones.
To hide the ultimate owners, law enforcement claims, they used a network of offshore companies in Cyprus, Belize, St. Kitts and Nevis, and the British Virgin Islands.
Who was charged
Four people were notified of suspicions in connection with this episode.
Among them is the scheme’s organizer, whom NABU calls one of the leaders of the business group that effectively controlled Ukraine’s oil sector.
Also charged were a lower-level organizer, the chairman of the board, and the deputy chairman of the board for commercial affairs of joint-stock companies controlled by the business group.
Another figure—a former vice president of Ukrnafta, a foreign national—had the suspicion sent abroad for service as part of international legal assistance.
According to Babel’s sources, one of the case’s figures is Mykhailo Kiperman.
What is known about Kiperman
Mykhailo Kiperman is a Ukrainian businessman long associated with Igor Kolomoiskyi’s business circle and the Privat group. He comes from the family of entrepreneur Yurii Kiperman, owner of Optima-Oil, and in different years has been connected to large assets in the oil, energy, telecommunications, and construction sectors.
Kiperman served on the supervisory boards of Ukrnafta and Ukrtatnafta, and, according to the StopCor dossier, had interests in the Kremenchuk refinery, Dniproazot, tourist complexes in the Carpathians, and other businesses. In various years his wealth was assessed by Ukrainian business rankings: notably, Forbes in 2012 estimated it at $191 million.
Kiperman’s name has already appeared in a criminal proceeding regarding Ukrtatnafta. According to law enforcement, in February 2022 nearly 600 million hryvnias may have been illegally withdrawn from the company’s accounts. In January 2024 the court arrested the businessman in absentia; he is accused, among other things, of embezzlement of property on a particularly large scale and official forgery.
After the full-scale invasion began, Kiperman left Ukraine. He was in Switzerland. At the same time, in the new NABU case regarding 100 thousand tons of petroleum products, the suspects’ names are not officially released, but Ukrainian media citing sources indicate that one of the figures is Kiperman.
Besides business, Kiperman is known for having been married in the past to singer Vera Brezhneva; from that marriage he has a daughter, Sara.
Investigative journalism
Journalist Yurii Nikolov also noted in his post that Kiperman, despite being wanted, may be abroad. Nikolov states that the businessman settled in Switzerland.
Can Kiperman be returned to Ukraine?
In light of the new suspicion, the question arises whether Ukrainian law enforcement is taking steps for the international search for the businessman and his possible return to Ukraine.
Specifically: were Kiperman’s details sent to Interpol? Has Ukraine asked other states to search for him? Is his extradition to Ukraine possible?
These questions are especially relevant given that this concerns not just one episode but several criminal proceedings involving the businessman.
What StopCor says
The StopCor editorial office has already contacted NABU and the SAP regarding the case of appropriation of Ukrnafta petroleum products worth 2,88 billion hryvnias.
Specifically, we asked about the procedural status of Mykhailo Kiperman and other figures, the progress of the investigation, possible international search measures, and further procedural actions.
A separate request was sent by the editorial office to the Office of the Prosecutor General.
We are awaiting responses from law enforcement agencies and will clarify, among other things, whether Kiperman was declared wanted internationally, whether attempts were made to detain him abroad, and whether the businessman’s extradition to Ukraine is being considered.
StopCor will monitor the case’s developments and publish the law enforcement agencies’ responses after receiving them.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Швейцарія чи Ізраїль? Де ”живе своє краще життя” розшукуваний НАБУ мільярдер Кіперман?". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: NARDEP 24.
