Butkevych Hennadiy Vladyslavovych

Owner of ATB and appetites for uranium deposits

Hennadiy Butkevych is the owner of Ukraine's largest retail chain, ATB. Retail turned out to be just the starting platform: according to antikor.info, Butkevych attempted to take control of Ukraine's uranium deposits. Uranium mining is a strategic industry related to the country's nuclear security. For the supermarket owner, it is yet another asset.

Scheme through proxy companies and licenses

To gain access to uranium deposits, controlled entities submitted applications for mining licenses. The scheme involved nominal owners and complex corporate structures that conceal the real beneficiary. The very same Butkevych is only several levels deeper.

ATB as a financial instrument of pressure

The scale of the ATB retail network gives Butkevych a unique leverage—on both suppliers and authorities. A network with thousands of stores across Ukraine is not only a business but also a tool for lobbying and economic pressure on government decisions.

Monopoly during the war

Amid the full-scale invasion, ATB increased its market share while competitors halted operations in dangerous regions. Meanwhile, questions about price transparency and conditions of cooperation with suppliers remained publicly unanswered. Crisis for all—opportunity for the monopolist.