The National Agency of Ukraine for the Identification, Investigation, and Management of Assets Derived from Corruption and Other Crimes (ARMA) has put up for auction land plots of ski resorts in the Zakarpattia region and the lower station with a chairlift and the upper station of a ski lift with the consent of the owners for a total amount of over UAH 347 million.
According to the announcement on the Prozorro.Prozori platform, one of the lots included 115 land plots with a total area of about 98 hectares in the Khust district (Pylypetska OTG), 93 land plots with a total area of over 98 hectares in the Svalyava (Bereznykivska SR) and Khust (Pylypetska OTG) districts of Zakarpattia region, as well as the lower station with a chairlift and the upper station of a ski lift.
The starting price of the lot is UAH 150.4 million.
The other lot includes 145 land plots belonging to Borzhava Development LLC, 56 land plots belonging to Borzhava Invest LLC, 42 land plots belonging to Borzhava Land LLC, and two land plots belonging to Dumka LLC. The land is located in the Mukachevo and Khutsk districts of Zakarpattia.
The starting price is UAH 176.5 million.
The third lot includes 41 land plots owned by Taurus Invest LLC, also located in the Mukachevo and Khutsk districts of Zakarpattia.
The starting price is UAH 20.9 million.
It is noted that consent to the sale of the seized property was given by the owners of the assets of Borzhava Development LLC, Taurus Property LLC, Taurus Land LLC, Taurus Invest LLC, Dumka LLC, Borzhava Land LLC, and Borzhava Invest LLC.
Auctions based on the English model are scheduled for December 2.
According to Opendatabot, the ultimate beneficiary of these companies is Austrian citizen Gernot Leitner, a representative of the Austrian ski industry and a long-time participant in the preparation of the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
As reported, the state began searching for investors for the construction of the Borzhava ski resort back in 2013 to implement the project “Olympic Hope 2022: Creation of Sports and Tourism Infrastructure.” However, a number of projects, including Olympic Hope 2022, were not implemented due to embezzlement by officials of the State Agency for Investment and National Projects Management and the State Investment Company, as revealed by detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.
Later, in 2020, Leytner presented the resort project. Construction was scheduled to begin in 2021.
Ukraine will stop clear-cutting of main use in the mountain forests of the Carpathians from 2027 and will switch to selective “re-formation logging”, said the head of the State Agency of Forest Resources of Ukraine Viktor Smal in an exclusive interview with the agency “Interfax-Ukraine”.
“This is a revolution. We have given the industry three years to prepare, train staff and switch to methods closer to natural ones,” he said. According to Smal, the new approach will increase the resilience of ecosystems to climatic and biotic factors and ensure continuous natural regeneration of the forest.
State Forestry Agency: timber stock can grow three times faster with nature-like forestry
The State Agency of Forest Resources of Ukraine is a central executive body coordinating the management, protection, reproduction and rational use of forest resources of the country. The agency supervises more than 70 state enterprises, including the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine”, as well as scientific, conservation and inventory institutions.
According to the investment platform Inventure.com.ua, an interesting investment opportunity has entered the market: a mountain recreation complex near the popular tourist centers Slavsko and GORA in Lviv region is for sale for $980,000.
The complex was built in 2023 and includes:
According to Inventure estimates, the gross income of the facility is $166,000 per year, with operating costs at 30-35%.
OKKO Group has begun construction of the first hotel complex of the GORO Mountain Resort in the Lviv Carpathians, the company’s press service reports.
“The construction of the first hotel complex is a strategically important stage in the implementation of the holistic concept of an international all-season resort. According to the master plan developed jointly with Austrian experts, a balanced combination of mountain, ski, hotel and entertainment infrastructure will help increase the length of guests’ stay, which will have a positive economic effect for the entire region,” said Vasyl Danyliak, CEO of OKKO Group and co-founder of GORO Mountain Resort.
The first complex includes three 415-room designer hotels with a total area of 48 thousand square meters, of which 11 thousand square meters are allocated for commercial and entertainment infrastructure, and construction of the first one has begun, the press service ofInterfax-Ukraine said.
OKKO Group started construction of a large-scale recreational project GORO Mountain Resort in October 2024. The total area of the future resort is almost 1.2 thousand hectares, of which 360 hectares are planned for mountain and ski infrastructure, and more than 800 hectares for the development of hotel, commercial and recreational facilities.
GORO Development, an investment and development company that is part of OKKO Group, is engaged in the sale of the resort’s hotel real estate. It is responsible for the development of architectural concepts, construction, functional and recreational content, as well as attracting investments in the hotel business.
Over the next 15 years, GORO Development plans to build 25 hotels with 5,150 rooms at the resort. The first phase on a 127-hectare plot near the village of Volosyanka, 5 km from the village of Slavsko in Lviv region, will include five hotel complexes, a total of nine hotels with 1100+ rooms, and is scheduled to be completed in 2028-2029.
In addition to hotels, it is also planned to build 41 75 km long ski slopes with 342 hectares of snow, two modern gondola lifts and 11 chair lifts, as well as Welcome and Mountain centers.
“GORO will become one of the largest recreational and infrastructure facilities in Ukraine, which will affect the country’s position in the European tourism arena,” Danyliak said.
As reported, in December 2024, the project received a long-term loan from FUIB for 10 years to implement key ski infrastructure facilities, including the Welcome Center, the lower station of the gondola cable car, and a multi-level parking lot, which are already under construction.
The total investment in GORO Mountain Resort is estimated at $1.5 billion. Of this amount, OKKO Group plans to invest $500 million at the expense of its own and credit funds, and another $1 billion is planned to be raised from other investors.
OKKO Group in GORO Mountain Resort acts as the sole owner, major investor, master developer, developer and operator to ensure the harmonious development and holistic concept of the all-season recreational project. OKKO Group has engaged world-class Austrian experts to create an international format: PKF Hospitality (investment analysis and concept), ILF Group (master plan and ski infrastructure) and Doppelmayr/Garaventa Gruppe (design of the lift system and cable cars).
OKKO Group unites more than 10 diversified businesses in manufacturing, trade, construction, insurance, maintenance, and other services. The flagship company of the group is Galnaftogaz, which operates one of the largest filling stations in Ukraine under the OKKO brand, with about 400 filling stations.
The group’s founder and ultimate beneficiary is Vitaliy Antonov.
AI Development and Ribas Hotels Group are planning to open Dzen Residence hotel complex in Ivano-Frankivsk region in 2025, the press services of the companies report.
“Dzen Residence is a new product for the Ukrainian real estate market. We are confident that the combination of Japanese aesthetics with the Carpathian nature will create consistently high demand and provide a stable income for our investors,” said AI Development co-founder Igor Didyk.
According to the release, the complex will be located in the village of Yablunytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk region, at an altitude of 960 meters above sea level, with a panorama of the Chornohora ridge. The 8-hectare area will accommodate 86 houses of 5 categories with an area of 42-110 sq.m. and a condo hotel with 60 rooms of 3 categories. Dzen Residence is designed in such a way that each house has a view of Hoverla, and the rooms of the condo hotel – of Petros.
The infrastructure of the complex includes a biobasin, a 655 sq. m. spa complex with an infinity pool and 5 types of saunas; a recreation area with a fireplace, places for tea ceremonies, yoga classes, two padel tennis courts; two restaurants with a panorama and a food court in the coworking area; parking for cars. A grid bridge will be built at a height of 15 meters and a pedestrian zone around the river will be arranged; there is a water source with a high mineral content; ponds with trout and Japanese carp. A large event hall (2 thousand square meters) was designed for business conferences or other events.
The project developer is AI Development. The integrated management of the hotel complex will be provided by Ribas Hotels Group. The project is designed for two stages of construction: the opening of the first stage is scheduled for Q3 2025, the second – for Q1 2025. Investors can buy cottages with an area of 55 m² with a minimum investment of $203.5 thousand, as well as apartments in condominiums with an area of 29 m2 and a price of $107.3 thousand.
“We forecast an average occupancy rate of 63% for this complex with an average room rate of $144. In terms of operating profitability, we forecast 11.1%. The total profitability, taking into account operating activities and capitalization, is 15.7%,” said Artur Lupashko, founder of Ribas Hotels Group.
AI Development is a development company founded in 2023, with an authorized capital of UAH 50 thousand. The company’s founders are Igor Didyk and Andriy Babula, with 50% of the authorized capital each.
Ribas Hotels Group is a full-service international management company with 10 years of experience, with 55 hotels under management and construction in its portfolio, including 8 projects in Bali, 1 in Moldova, and 1 in Poland. The total number of rooms is over 1000.
On Sunday and Monday, a significant avalanche hazard is expected in the highlands of Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattia regions, the State Emergency Service warns.
“On February 4-5, a significant avalanche hazard (level 3) is expected in the highlands of Ivano-Frankivsk region, and on February 5, due to the expected thaw and precipitation (wet snow and rain), in the highlands of Zakarpattia region,” the State Emergency Service said in a message posted on its telegram channel on Sunday.
The State Emergency Service asks to refrain from hiking in the mountains these days.
