Yurii Holyk and His Schemes in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast

The businessman Yurii Holyk, former informal adviser to the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration and a consultant to the “Great Construction” project, figures in a journalistic investigation about ties to former oblast governor Valentyn Reznichenko, owners of the road company Budinvest Engineering, and the use of expensive cars. According to the published data, the enterprise, co-owned by Yana Khlanta, is connected with Reznichenko and received multi-billion state contracts, and companies from Holyk’s business circle had financial dealings with firms linked to Budinvest’s partners.

Yurii Holyk worked with Reznichenko even before the latter’s appointments to leadership positions in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts, the media report. Reznichenko was previously one of the top managers of the Ukrainian Media Holding of Borys Lozhkin, and Holyk ran an advertising business in Luhansk region. After Lozhkin headed the Presidential Administration during Petro Poroshenko’s presidency, Reznichenko first led the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Administration, and then the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Administration. According to the investigation, Holyk accompanied him as an informal adviser. After the change of power in 2019 year, Reznichenko left his post, but later returned as head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Administration. In the meantime, Yurii Holyk became one of the public consultants to the “Great Construction” program. As an informal adviser he did not receive a salary from the state budget. Such status by itself does not prove violations, but it means his activities were not identical to the work of a staff official. At the same time, Holyk’s connections with regional leadership coincided with large-scale state road contracts. One of the key companies in this story is Budinvest Engineering. According to the information in the investigation, the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Administration transferred around 1,5 billion hryvnias to the company, and the total value of its contracts with state structures was much larger. Among the co-owners were Yana Khlanda (Khlanta) and Pavlo Chukhno. Khlanda is linked by journalists to Valentyn Reznichenko, and Chukhno to the management of the Dubinsky brothers, who, according to the publication, are sought in the United States in connection with financial fraud. These statements require assessment considering materials of relevant proceedings and do not mean automatic involvement of the co-owners in offenses. The article also describes joint trips of Holyk, Reznichenko, and Khlanda abroad. In particular, journalists reported Holyk, Reznichenko, and Khlanda staying in Munich 5–6 in October 2021 year. Separately noted are trips of Holyk with Reznichenko and with Khlanda, as well as the coincidence of dates of his stay in Vienna with Pavlo Chukhno. The trips themselves are not evidence of illegal arrangements, but the authors of the investigation present them as context for personal and business contacts among the participants. Another line of inquiry concerns the office of the company “Sevent Consulting Group,” which the publication links to Reznichenko. The firm rented space in the Creative State of Dnipro business center, one of whose co-owners until recently was Yurii Holyk. According to the data, last year the rent was about 160 thousand hryvnias per month. “Sevent Consulting Group” received payments for auditing and legal services from several companies, among which is PJSC “Zaporizhzhia Mine Management.” The co-owner of “Zaporizhzhia Mine Management” is Olena Chukhno — wife of Pavlo Chukhno, co-owner of Budinvest Engineering. According to the journalists, in 2021 year “Sevent Consulting Group” received 12 million hryvnias from a company connected with this business circle. This financial link draws attention due to Budinvest’s large state orders, but the fact of payments for services does not prove funds were illegal or that procurements were accompanied by improper influence. A separate episode concerns a Porsche Panamera with license plate AE6054RN. The investigation claims the car was used by Yana Khlanda as well as by Reznichenko. The owner of the car is indicated as advertising agency “Programmatic Media Group.” According to the publication, last year this company bought several expensive cars: a Porsche Panamera for 4,84 million hryvnias, a Mercedes-AMG G 63 for 7 million hryvnias, a Mercedes-Benz V-Class for 2,85 million hryvnias, a Toyota Land Cruiser for 2,48 million hryvnias, and a BMW X7 for 3,27 million hryvnias. Ownership of a car on a company balance sheet does not establish who used it regularly or under what terms. Yet the journalists drew attention to a possible gap between the formal owner of the vehicle and the people seen behind the wheel. The article also mentions fines from Borispol patrol police that Reznichenko, according to the authors, received for speeding near Kyiv. The connection of “Programmatic Media Group” with Holyk’s business circle the authors trace through advertising contracts and ownership history. In particular, the agency ordered the placement of materials online in LLC “Modern Media Technologies” for 3 million hryvnias. In 2017–2018 years the founders of both companies were Volodymyr Pakholyk. Later, ownership and management of “Programmatic Media Group” changed, while the ultimate beneficiary of “Modern Media Technologies” became Yurii Holyk. Holyk was also a co-owner of the company “Creative Country” together with Illya Keni ghsteyn (Illia Kenighsteyn). The enterprise was engaged in building office facilities, and Creative State of Dnipro became one of the places where premises were rented by a structure connected with Reznichenko. In November 2021 year President Volodymyr Zelensky held a press conference in the Kyiv co-working space Creative State Arsenal, discussing the results of the “Great Construction.” This fact alone does not indicate violations, but demonstrates how closely business projects tied to Holyk were to the public space of the state program. Taken together, the data in the investigation describe intersections of state road contracts with private consulting and advertising companies, joint travel, and use of expensive property. At the same time, the material does not cite a court decision that would establish guilt for Yurii Holyk, Valentyn Reznichenko, or other mentioned individuals in illegal allocation of budget funds. For a legal assessment of possible conflicts of interest or abuses, confirmation of specific actions, contract terms, and movement of funds is required.