Key facts
- Mykhailo Kiperman, a business partner of Ihor Kolomoisky, has been charged by Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau.
- The charges relate to an alleged $65 million embezzlement scheme at state-controlled oil producer Ukrnafta.
- The scheme allegedly involved the theft of 100,000 tonnes of oil products and laundering the proceeds.
- Kiperman is identified as the alleged ringleader.
- Other suspects include Yevhen Krychevskyi, Feliks Lunyov, Bohdan Baradnyi, and Andriy Pinchuk.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) of Ukraine has charged Mykhailo Kiperman, a business partner of Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, in connection with an alleged Hr 2.88 billion ($65 million) embezzlement scheme at the state-controlled oil producer Ukrnafta. A law enforcement source confirmed the charges to the Kyiv Independent on September 15, 2026.
Kiperman is identified as the alleged ringleader of the operation, which is accused of stealing 100,000 tonnes of oil products and subsequently laundering the proceeds. Other individuals facing charges include Yevhen Krychevskyi, a shareholder in companies linked to Kolomoisky; Feliks Lunyov, a former vice president at Ukrnafta; Bohdan Baradnyi, CEO of the Halychyna oil refinery; and Andriy Pinchuk, a deputy CEO of Ukrtatnafta.
Ukrnafta was jointly owned by Kolomoisky's Privat Group and the state-owned Naftogaz until 2022, when Kolomoisky's stake was nationalized under martial law. Kolomoisky himself is currently facing legal proceedings, including charges from 2023 related to the alleged embezzlement of $250 million from PrivatBank, Ukraine's largest bank, which was nationalized in 2016.