How a former prosecutor and his team gained influence in Naftogaz

The news outlet “Western Information Front” has presented new evidence of abuses at LLC “Gas Distribution Networks of Ukraine,” which includes representatives from the entourage of Gennady Kernes.

Journalists continue to investigate the activities of Oleksiy Kalyna, a former prosecutor and associate of Kernes, who now works at NJSC “Naftogaz of Ukraine.” Kalyna and his associates from Kharkiv occupy key positions in the new company “Gas Distribution Networks of Ukraine,” which is controlled by “Naftogaz.”

With Kalyna’s arrival at the company, his former subordinates from the Kharkiv city administration, and ex-employees of the prosecutor’s office were appointed to numerous positions.

Important figures in the company

Among the key figures at LLC “Gas Distribution Networks of Ukraine,” a special role is played by Volodymyr Rozhansky, Kalyna’s fellow countryman from Kharkiv, who also previously had connections with Kernes. Although he is not formally on the board of the company, he is believed to be the de facto head of the department of labor protection, industrial safety, and environmental protection.

Previously, this position was held by Natalia Pereverzeva, an IDP from Donbas, who was reportedly fired due to Kalina’s dislike of her political views.

Rozhansky is well known as a former assistant to People’s Deputy Dmytro Svyatash, who is currently in Russia and has been sentenced in absentia in Ukraine for fraud and high treason. Many consider Rozhansky to be Svyatash’s protégé.

Volodymyr Rozhansky’s career

In 2015, Rozhansky was included in the electoral list of the “Vidrodzhennia” party led by Kernes and won a seat on the regional council thanks to corruption connections. In 2018, he was appointed head of the Main Department of the State Labor Service in the Kharkiv region despite lacking relevant experience. A year later, he was charged with corruption but lost a court case, which ultimately protected his reputation.

He was later fired in 2021 due to inefficiency. After a brief period of service in the civil service, he joined the LLC “Gas Distribution Networks of Ukraine.”

Rozhansky’s declarations show that he and his wife own numerous real estate and expensive assets, including 15 land plots and several cars.

Procurement scandal

Rozhansky found himself at the epicenter of a scandal over the procurement of quickly constructed defensive structures, suspected of not paying attention to the supplier’s ties to the aggressor country. The tender for 18.7 million hryvnias was won by the newly created company “L7”, whose head has ties to Russian enterprises.

Preliminary documents indicate that the products offered by “L7” are manufactured by the company “Hobbit House,” whose managers are suspected of having ties to Russian special services.

Additionally, according to the information, protective structures were purchased at inflated prices, resulting in budget losses. The competent authorities should conduct a thorough investigation of these purchases to establish all the relevant circumstances and conduct a thorough investigation.

The circumstances surrounding the abuses in “Gas Distribution Networks” leave many questions unanswered that the law enforcement system must address, as this may indicate serious corruption schemes that threaten national interests.