Employees of the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) notified a Lviv businessman of their suspicions and detained the former chairman of the board of Ukrenergo on suspicion of fraudulent appropriation of funds from the state-owned enterprise EK Ukrenergo.
“Under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General, the SBI notified a Lviv businessman of suspicion and detained the former chairman of the board of Ukrenergo on suspicion of fraudulent appropriation of funds from NEC Ukrenergo,” the SBI reported on its Telegram channel on Tuesday.
“The scheme was organized by a Lviv businessman who had previously been exposed by the SBI for purchasing low-quality clothing for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for more than UAH 1 billion,” the agency said.
According to the bureau, in 2018, during tenders for the reconstruction of the external fencing of substations of the Southern and Western power systems, the official colluded with representatives of a private company.
At that time, as specified by the SBI, he held the position of deputy director for investments at the state-owned enterprise “NPC Ukrenergo.”
“Two contracts were signed between the parties for a total amount of over UAH 68 million. After that, the state-owned enterprise transferred over UAH 13.7 million in advance payments to the contractor, which the perpetrators embezzled,” the bureau said.
The SBI report does not name the individuals involved. They are former Ukrenergo head Volodymyr Kudrytskyi and Lviv businessman Ihor Hrynkevych.
Earlier, a source in law enforcement agencies told Interfax-Ukraine that SBI employees had detained former Ukrenergo head Volodymyr Kudrytskyi in the Lviv region and were preparing to charge him with fraud on an especially large scale.
The agency’s source specified that the case concerns businessman Ihor Hrynkevych and the alleged misappropriation of state-owned company funds during tenders for the reconstruction of power system facilities back in 2018.
NPC Ukrenergo has fully completed the construction of the first phase of passive protection facilities for its substations (PS), and the second phase is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2026, according to Yuriy Boyko, a member of the NPC’s supervisory board.
“There are queues for the construction of protective structures because it requires the equipment to be de-energized. Accordingly, it is impossible to carry out work simultaneously throughout the entire substation or at all facilities because they must provide power. We have already completed the first phase. The second phase is now actively under construction. According to the plan, more than 80% of the second phase should be completed by the end of the year. Full completion is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026,” Boiko said during a briefing at the Media Center of Ukraine in Kyiv on Thursday.
He noted that in different regions, especially those near the front lines, due to unrest and military risks, “the work is accompanied by long pauses, and its speed cannot be the same for everyone.”
Boiko also explained that the PS territory covers 20-70 hectares, and it is impossible to cover it with a sarcophagus, so resources and efforts must be focused on the most critical elements, in particular, autotransformers, which, according to him, “the Russians actively knocked out in the first year of the war.” In order to preserve the substation equipment, a plan has been developed to build protection for its key elements, the member of the supervisory board noted.
As reported, at the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Headquarters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov to coordinate officials, regional administrations, and energy companies to purchase additional short- and medium-range air defense systems, as well as to increase funding for drone manufacturers. The priority is to shoot down “suicide drones.”
Source: Interfax-Ukraine
Ukrenergo’s contribution to the development of educational initiatives in 2022-2025 amounted to over UAH 65 million, the system operator announced on its Telegram channel on Monday.
“Our company actively cooperates with many higher and pre-higher education institutions. In particular, these are the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Dnipro and Lviv Polytechnic Institutes, Vinnytsia National Technical University, and Kharkiv National Technical University of Municipal Economy named after O. Beketov,” the company said.
Together with these and other universities, Ukrenergo is improving its training programs for energy specialists in various fields and provides university teachers with opportunities for practical training at production facilities and in the company’s training center.
Ukrenergo also has an internship and employment program for senior students and graduates called Energy HUB.
“About 60% of participants in this program end up staying on to work full-time. Such initiatives help students start their careers immediately after graduation and help our company effectively build a qualified talent pool,” explained NEC.
Ukrenergo is among the largest business investors in Ukrainian education. The list of the top 51 companies that invest the most in education was compiled by Delo․ua and the Kyiv School of Economics.
The study took into account the volume of investments and educational initiatives of Ukrainian companies during 2022-2025. According to the organizers, this period was chosen for the ranking because investing in education during a full-scale war means believing in the future of both one’s own business and Ukraine as a whole.
On July 21, PJSC National Energy Company (NEC) Ukrenergo announced its intention to conclude a voluntary medical insurance agreement for its employees with the TAS insurance group (Kyiv). According to the Prozorro electronic public procurement system, SG TAS offered UAH 85.159 million against the expected cost of services of UAH 88.013 million. Another tender participant, SK VUSO, offered UAH 87.967 million.
As reported, the winner of a similar tender a year ago was also SG TAS, which offered UAH 58.793 million against almost the same expected cost.
Ukrenergo operates trunk and interstate power transmission lines and provides centralized dispatching of the country’s unified energy system. NEC is a state-owned enterprise under the authority of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine.
On July 8, PJSC National Energy Company (NEC) Ukrenergo announced a tender for voluntary medical insurance services for employees.
According to the Prozorro electronic public procurement system, the expected cost of the services is UAH 88.013 million. Applications for participation will be accepted until July 16. As reported, the winner of a similar tender a year earlier was SD TAS. The company’s price offer at that time was UAH 58.793 million, which was almost the same as the expected cost. Ukrenergo operates trunk and interstate power lines and provides centralized dispatching of the country’s unified energy system. NEC is a state-owned enterprise under the authority of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine.
The Supervisory Board of NEC Ukrenergo has elected its chief dispatcher and board member Vitaliy Zaychenko as chairman of the board, according to Andriy Gerus, head of the Verkhovna Rada’s energy committee.
“Vitaliy Zaychenko has become the chairman of the board of Ukrenergo,” Gerus told the Energorforma internet portal on Monday.
The company has not yet officially announced the results of the Supervisory Board meeting, which was scheduled for Monday.
As reported, on June 13, the Ministry of Energy, as the sole shareholder of the company, made new amendments to the charter of NEC Ukrenergo. They allow for the appointment of the chairman of the company’s board of directors in several attempts, the last of which, the third, by a simple majority of the members of the supervisory board, and the first two by a qualified majority, i.e., at least five votes (there are seven members of the supervisory board, four of whom are independent). If the third attempt is also unsuccessful, the Supervisory Board shall decide to announce a new competition for the position of chairman of the management board. It must take place within 90 calendar days of the date of such decision.
The shortlist of candidates for the position of chairman of the board of Ukrenergo, based on the results of the competition announced on February 5, 2025, includes the acting head of the company, Alexei Brecht, its chief dispatcher and member of the board, Vitaly Zaychenko, and another representative of the company, Ivan Yurik, who deals with Eurobond issues.
