Ukrainian Court Seizes Assets of Ex-Deputy Prime Minister Valerii Khoroshkovskyi in Tax Evasion Case

A Ukrainian court has seized a portfolio of real estate assets linked to former First Deputy Prime Minister and ex-head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Valerii Khoroshkovskyi, as well as his long-time business associate Vadym Hryhoriev. The decision stems from an investigation into large-scale corporate tax evasion, according to investigative journalist Volodymyr Bondarenko, who cited official court records.

Although Khoroshkovskyi has lived abroad for over a decade, he is reportedly still active in Ukraine’s domestic business scene. He retains a stake in the national broadcaster Inter and controls a network of commercial properties in Kyiv. His business operations in Ukraine are managed by Hryhoriev, who is involved in acquiring high-value real estate through state auctions.

According to Bondarenko, entities associated with Hryhoriev frequently participate in auctions held via Prozorro, Ukraine’s public e-procurement and privatization system. Properties acquired by these entities include: the former VTB Bank headquarters in central Kyiv (Shevchenko/Pushkinska), a business center at 8 Prorizna Street (formerly Kyivmetrobud), the historic Hermitage Hotel on Bohdan Khmelnytsky Street, and the former Expobank building on Dmytrivska Street.

“Hryhoriev doesn’t just buy elite properties — he systematically inflates auction prices, which distorts the market and puts pressure on other participants, including high-profile buyers like Maksym Krippa,” Bondarenko noted.

The court-imposed asset seizure was carried out between March and May 2025 as part of a criminal case investigating tax evasion totaling UAH 184 million (approximately $4.5 million).

Dozens of companies were named in the court ruling, including: POBUTSERVIS (office complex on Zhylianska St.), DIPROBUDMASHYNA (properties on Leipzyska, Pushkinska, and Prorizna), KMZI named after Vatutin (a former industrial site on Antonovycha St.), AGROPROMSYSTEMA,
and KIYANKA Store (location of a premium GoodWine supermarket), among others.

Investigators found that these Ukrainian entities deliberately underreported profits while channeling payments to two Cyprus-based offshore companies: Biesef Investments Limited and Amarena Limited.

Bondarenko also recalled that Hryhoriev had previously been accused of underpaying UAH 160 million during the acquisition of the Kyivmetrobud headquarters — a 7,400-square-meter property on Prorizna Street.

The journalist hinted at possible links between the Khoroshkovskyi-Hryhoriev group and Russian business interests, promising further disclosures in upcoming reports.