'Business' on state gas: police in Prykarpattia exposed a large-scale scheme

In Prykarpattia, law enforcement officers uncovered a large-scale scheme for the illegal withdrawal of natural gas from Ukraine’s state gas transmission system. According to the investigation, the state’s losses amount to over UAH 203 million.

This was reported by the Communications Department of the Ivano-Frankivsk Police and the Office of the Prosecutor General.

According to the investigation, the scheme was organized by the 50-year-old director of a private company engaged in natural gas production. He involved three subordinates — a foreman and gas production operators — in the illegal activity.

The company operated under a special permit for subsoil use and carried out gas production on the territory of the Sheptytskyi district of Lviv Oblast. Transportation and accounting of the resource were provided by LLC “Operator of the Gas Transmission System of Ukraine”.

According to law enforcement, from January 2022 to October 2025 the scheme participants systematically interfered with the operation of the gas metering unit at the company’s industrial site.

To do this, as the investigation established, they used a specially adapted key to change the position of the valve on one of the measuring lines. As a result, the electronic meter recorded distorted data on the volumes of natural gas.

As a result, the metering system unjustifiably registered over 8 million cubic meters of gas. In fact, according to the investigation, the fuel was illegally taken from the network and then sold on the market as the company’s own resource.

Separately, law enforcement is determining the circumstances of the legalization of property obtained by criminal means. In particular, the company director prepared acceptance-transfer certificates for natural gas in which he indicated the transfer of the resource to the GTS operator without its actual receipt. The company also paid royalty payments, giving the illegally obtained property the appearance of lawful origin.

May 19, 2026 investigators detained the company director and three of his employees in accordance with procedural rules.

The director was notified of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — fraud committed by prior conspiracy of a group of persons, under conditions of martial law and on an especially large scale, and under Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — legalization of property obtained by criminal means, on an especially large scale.

He faces up to 12 years of imprisonment with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years and with confiscation of property.

Three subordinates were notified of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The penalty under this article also provides for up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.

Prosecutors are preparing a motion for pretrial detention and will insist on bail in the amount of the damage caused to the state — UAH 203 million.

The pre-trial investigation continues. Procedural supervision is being carried out by the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

Reminder: earlier we wrote:

• Electricity was sold “honestly”, money was hidden quietly: abuses with electricity worth hundreds of millions uncovered in Ukraine
• Almost 70 searches across Ukraine: the investigation reached even the hospital in the Korabelnyi district of Mykolaiv
• Hospitals as “business”: more than UAH 100 million stolen on fictitious treatment, suspicions also in Mykolaiv
• More than 650 tonnes of fuel stolen for the Armed Forces of Ukraine: how they profited from the war in the Mykolaiv region
• In the Mykolaiv region they “stole everything they could”: from street lighting to a park project