Oligarch Nikolai Zlochevsky, convicted of bribery, is buying luxury real estate in Kyiv for hundreds of millions of hryvnia. The family of the ex-Minister of Ecology (he long ago transferred the business to his daughters Anna and Karina), against the backdrop of a high-profile corruption case and during the Great War, is expanding its fortune in a new area. They buy worthwhile and attractive real estate in the Ukrainian capital.
It was publicly known about the family’s purchase of the building of the bankrupt Arkada bank, located in the very center of Kyiv. The office was sold on October 10 at a “Dutch” auction (where the price is reduced from the starting price). The starting price was 971 million UAH. The auction was won by Sistemaoilinzhenering LLC with an offer of 351 million UAH, which corresponds to $700 per sq. m. This company had two competitors who offered even smaller amounts - Inter Way Capital LLC (UAH 342 million) and Financial Company Mont Blanc Finance LLC (UAH 302 million). Systemoilengineering is owned by the Cypriot company Diloretio Holdings, which, in turn, belongs to other Cypriot companies - Serminara Limited and Glacimo Limited, daughters of the famous gas producer Nikolai Zlochevsky. The ultimate beneficiary of the first company is Karina Zlochevskaya, and the second is Anna Zlochevskaya.
At the beginning of 2023, Baranov sold the property where the Food Market was located. This is a building of 1.8 thousand square meters and two plots for a total of 0.27 hectares. The land belongs to the state, but it comes “included” with real estate.
All this property was registered under Ukemochi LLC. The company, named after the Japanese goddess of food, at the time of the transaction was registered in the name of an apparently fake Kiev woman who had no other business. But already in the spring of 2023, “Ukemochi” officially became the property of Anna and Karina Zlochevsky. The price can start from 2 thousand dollars per square meter. This is the market price. How much a particular “Food Market” could cost depends on its profitability. But if we focus on the mentioned 2 thousand, then the entire Food Market should cost the new owners at least 3.6 million dollars.
Zlochevsky also acquired the Klyuevs’ office on Reznitsky. After the change of power in 2014, Ukrpodshipnik went bankrupt. His building in Pechersk was put up for auction. In October 2023, an office center of 3 thousand square meters with “stuffing” of office equipment was sold for 200 million hryvnia.
This is about a third of the money that Zlochevsky and his family paid to get rid of high-profile and lengthy bribery trials. Two companies came to fight for the debtor's property. The winner offered just one penny more. This winner, the financial company Mont Blanc Finance, is registered to a 28-year-old resident of Krivoy Rog, Vladislava Borzdova. Borzdova, judging by social networks and the court registry, raises two small children at home, drives a VAZ sedan and personally makes repairs in a simple private house.
Mont Blanc describes itself as a team of specialists specializing in lending and factoring operations, but it is impossible to contact them. The woman appears now or was previously listed as a founder in several other enterprises. One of them has the contact number of the Zlochevskys’ manager, in the other, the daughters of the ex-minister personally replaced Borzdova in the ownership structure.
Probably, her data is used by the asset management company Bonum Group, involved in the Zlochevskys’ business. Bonum manages 12 funds. Among them are two that officially belong to the Zlochevskys. The phone number of the head of Bonum Group, Alexander Kirimov, which is in the registers, does not work.
Before purchasing the office on Reznitskaya, the Mont Blanc company participated in only one auction - in the fall of 2022, together with the Zlochevskys.
At this time, the ex-minister’s company had its eye on the Arkada Bank building on Instytutskaya Street. Zlochevsky purchased it for 351 million hryvnia - only $600 per square meter. Competitors did not try to beat this offer. After purchasing an office on Reznitskaya, a company was registered in it under the same name of Borzdova, which should deal with real estate.
Zlochevsky, through his companies, also received ownership of the estate on Sagaidachny, 25. Part of the building, located on the corner of the street, was put up for auction by the State Export-Import Bank back in 2021. They didn’t sell it on the first try, but after lowering the price, they found a buyer.
These 5.5 thousand square meters of historical buildings in Podil went under the hammer for 334.9 million hryvnia. Among the owners of the investment company Comfort Capital, which owns real estate, are the Zlochevsky sisters, as well as the Poltava Drilling Company, part of the Burizma group. The Skyfall investment fund is registered here, which is managed by the above-mentioned Bonum Group. Using this fund, in 2023 the Zlochevskys sold one of their assets - river sand mining.
This business was registered in several LLCs, in the ownership structure and contacts of which the Kuznechnaya group or its representatives appeared in 2023. Kuznechnaya itself officially announced the acquisition of such a business in the summer, without naming the other party to the agreement. UP's interlocutor at the market confirmed that we are talking about the purchase of the Zlochevskys' assets.
Also on Sagaidachny, 25 there are offices of the company of Andrei Kuchkov, whom the media call Zlochevsky’s son-in-law. He runs the business on which the ex-minister built his empire - gas.
One of the companies registered here, Ukrgaztrading, skyrocketed in government contracts in 2023. According to the YouControl system, from September to December alone, it won tenders worth 4.987 billion hryvnia. Before this, I had not received a single government order. This gas supplier is recorded by Viktor Denisovich. He works in Kuchkov’s companies and has contacts leading to the Burizma group.
Zlochevsky’s own gas business has not gone into oblivion over the years either. In 2023, while the official was negotiating an agreement with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, his empire once again stumbled over a criminal case. But she just stepped over it and moved on.
At the beginning of the year, in a case led by the Bureau of Economic Security and previously concerning a completely different business, tobacco, Zlochevsky’s companies suddenly appeared. Detectives suspected his Gazdobycha of non-payment of taxes on an especially large scale, and the above-mentioned Bonum Group of involvement in the legalization of “dirty funds.”
In the spring of 2023, Gazdobycha's accounts were seized. What is striking is that this happened on March 29th. And the next day, judging by the secret verdict against Zlochevsky, he made his first donation to the Defense Forces.
Only the three purchases mentioned in this text amount to at least about 680 million hryvnia. This amount does not take into account the costs of renovation of buildings. But it is already greater than the donations of the Zlochevsky family, which saved them from a harsh sentence.
