Corruptionist Yuriy Holyk Pedals Away: How the “Entrepreneur” Is Trying to Evade Responsibility on an Elite Bicycle

Corrupt official Yuriy Holik fled to Austria amid scandals surrounding the “Great Construction,” and now is building a new public image — a drone developer and a bike influencer with bicycles costing $10–15 thousand. Meanwhile, questions about multi-billion budget contracts and his ties to contractors have not disappeared.

Now mentions of old scandals around Holik are being scrubbed from the Internet. We are republishing the material to remind readers where this story began and what remains behind the scenes of the ex–“Great Construction” supervisor’s new image.

Ukrainian “entrepreneur” Yuriy Holik, known as one of the coordinators of the “Great Construction” program at the start of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s term, has again come under the spotlight. This time not because of state projects but thanks to a new persona jokingly called in social networks a “bike influencer.”

A post in the Telegram channel “Battalion Monaco” highlights his transformation: “At first glance you might think you’re looking at a professional cyclist from the Tour de France. But no — this is our Yuriy Holik. The very cashier of the ‘Great Construction,’ who has now requalified as a bike influencer.”

The post notes that Holik rides bicycles costing $10–15 thousand, choosing top carbon brands equipped with modern electronics, not bicycles “of Ukraine.” His “trips” do not take place on roads he promoted as part of the “Great Construction,” but on “quality routes in Kyiv region built before his participation in the project.”

By the way, Yuriy Holik hails from Luhansk; he is a businessman, public figure, and volunteer, co-owner of the Creative States coworking network, and cofounder of Smartass fitness clubs. He worked as an advisor to the heads of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regional administrations, and from August 2019 year to March 2020 year he held the position of adviser to Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk. In addition, Holik led the “Regional Development” program of the analytical center “Ukrainian Institute of the Future” (UIF).

Holik gained his greatest popularity as one of the key ideologues of the “Great Construction” program — an ambitious project envisaging a large-scale reconstruction of roads, schools, kindergartens, and sports facilities across Ukraine, despite the military actions in the southeast. However, the program was repeatedly criticized for suspicions of corruption schemes and inefficient use of budget funds.

In 2023-2024 years, journalists from Bihus.Info published investigations indicating repeated trips of Holik to the Office of the President of Ukraine (despite his lack of an official position), as well as correspondence of Holik with a representative of the company “Budinvest,” which received more than 4 billion UAH from the budget. The correspondence pointed to possible corrupt ties between Holik and the contractor.

Another scandal was the report about Holik’s trip in 2024 year to Austria via the “Path” system with a disability certificate. This news sparked anger online, where Holik was called part of the “lohoctocracy” — a term used to criticize the government’s entourage. Still, Holik promised to return — and he returned.

Despite the scandals, Yuriy Holik appears to have chosen a new way to attract attention. In the Telegram channel “Battalion Monaco,” authors ironically note that his bike fleet consists of premium-class bicycles, and his helmets function as portable charging stations. This contrasts with the image of a person previously associated with large-scale infrastructure projects. The post emphasizes that Holik avoids the roads he promoted as part of the “Great Construction,” since, according to the authors, “the asphalt remained only in presentations.”

On Holik’s own Facebook page he talks about testing new drones and his bike rides, and when faced with a biting comment “In Austria?” he replied with equal irony: Giro De Obuhiv and Tour De Husachevka.

Holik’s transition from a state manager to a bike influencer is seen as an attempt to deflect attention from past scandals, building an image of a successful person who helps the military despite accusations of corruption.

Some social media users note that his cycling is a personal matter, unrelated to his past activities. However, such posts are in the minority, and their tone is often interpreted as an attempt to defend Holik. For example, one user wrote: “Holik rides a bicycle for $15k, while the roads of the ‘Great Construction’ are still pitted. Coincidence?”