Colomoysky dressing: Who will get the largest gas station network

A few years ago, Igor Kolomoisky and partners controlled in Ukraine a vertical-integrated structure with his own intelligence, extraction, processing of oil and further sale of fuel in his own network of gas stations.

The latter was the largest in the country and numbered more than 1,600 stations. This allowed the Privat group to keep the championship in the oil market by selling one in three liters of fuel in Ukraine. Even in the first months after the beginning of the Great War, leadership remained behind the Kolomoisky network.

Everything has changed after the decision of the authorities nationalize Ukrnafta and Kremenchug Refinery, which, thanks to cheap raw materials and its processing, formed the basic profits of the businessman’s oil empire. After their loss, the gas station and the gas station and the gas station fell.

Of the more than one and a half thousand gas stations under the control of the Kolomoisky group, about 600 remained, but they later stopped due to the lack of fuel. The last few months of Oligarch’s Business Partner Mikhail Kiperman has been active with businessmen and has been studying the possibility of selling fuel businesses.

According to sources of the EP, the main interest is the owner of the UPG network Vladimir Petrenko, who is ready to buy about 400 gas stations « Anp/Avias ». The parties decided to start the process of the parties: the rent of three dozen gas stations in the capital region.

How was the Oil Empire of Kolomoisky

Prior to the Great War, Kolomoisky was one of the most influential and wealthy oligarchs who owned assets in various industries. He had particles in metallurgical, aviation, logistics, financial, trading and Media companies.

However, the largest was considered the oil empire of Kolomoisky, whose skeleton began to form in the early 2000s. In 2003, the informal group « Privat » received control over « Ukrnafta »-the largest extraction of « black gold » in the country. At that time, Kolomoisky controlled with partners about 42% of the company’s shares, and the controlling package, 50% + 1 action, was owned by the state.

As Kolomoisky himself confessed later, he has been managed to manage Ukrnafta since 2003 It gave $ 5 million a month. (total $ 110 million) bribe at the request of the then President Leonid Kuchma because of his son -in -law Oligarch Viktor Pinchuk.

In 2007 Kolomoisky with partners raider way seized control Above the Ukrtatnafta company, which owns the largest oil refinery in the country – the Kremenchug Refinery. The state controlled 43%, but, as in the case of Ukrnafta, there was no actual impact on decision -making in the company. All operational control and management of the enterprise was carried out by the managers of the Privat group.

The business model looked like this: the main earnings were formed thanks to the raw material of the semi-state « Ukrnafta », which was removed from the company at low prices and processed at the Kremenchug oil refinery.

The lion’s share of profit was derived from the gas station network, which in two decades grew to the largest in Ukraine and at the peak of capacity numbered more than 1 600 gas stations. Nothing has changed for two decades: for any president or premiere Kolomoisky with partners managed to maintain control of assets even Despite the loud scandals and Rotation in management.

Everything changed in the fall of 2022 when the state I decided to nationalize Ukrnafta and Ukrtatnafta, and Kolomoisky himself He was behind bars Due to suspicion in large -scale fraud, in particular in the above -mentioned enterprises.

After changing management, the new head of Ukrnafta Sergey Koretsky stated that due to the actions of Kolomoisky and his managers The state could lose up to UAH 100 billion. Subsequently, these accusations were transformed into criminal cases against the oligarch and his accomplices, and Kolomoisky himself remained in a pre -trial detention center.

What with the refueling of Kolomoisky

After the arrest of the businessman and the return under the control of the state of Ukrnafta and the Kremenchug Refinery, the oil empire of the oligarch began to crumble. The gas station network from 1 650 gas stations decreased to 660. What happened to them in the last three years?

In the process of nationalization of 537 gas stations returned to itself the state « Ukrnafta ». Another 245 gas stations were pledged in PrivatBank and were the subject of court disputes between the State Bank and Kolomoisky representatives.

In October 2024, complexes in the competition She bought little known Max Energo resource. However, the new player was unable to obtain permission to concentrate assets from the AMCU, so they are still in a suspended state.

Part of the gas stations is lost in the annexed Crimea and in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the rest is destroyed or captured after the Great War. There are now about 600 complexes that remain under the control of Kolomoisky’s business partners, stopped due to lack of fuel.

One of the gas stations that once belonged to Igor Kolomoisky and which in October 2024 was purchased by Maxo Energo resource

Photo by Sergiy Kuyun

« Some of the complexes began to close in October-November 2024, and in December stopped the work of the rest of the stations. About 200 of them already without licenses, so as not to form tax debts. They have big problems. 80% of people in the regions did not receive salaries and began to take it, and there are equipment.

How did the perennial market leader be on the verge of bankruptcy? « For years, the group has been parasitized on state assets, with access to cheap oil and processing, and gas stations were a tool for it for cash. The gas stations for the group were something like ATMs, » – explains a representative of one of the traders.

« Accordingly, when the Ukrnafta and the Kremenchug plant were pulled out of them, everything was » sprinkled « . That is, they are not able to work in the market, are not able to compete with other networks. They never developed non-fuel sales, did not build the necessary infrastructure to attract consumers, » he adds.

According to a representative of one of the private companies in the fuel market, every month the situation is deteriorating. « To pay for current debts and stay afloat, » Privativka « sell several gas stations on a monthly basis. In March they sold six gas stations, in April – eight more, » says the EP interlocutor.

Of the more than 600 stations of Kolomoisky liquid, that is, those whose work can be restored in a few weeks remain about 10%. What will happen to the rest?

Who will get the fragments of the empire

The fuel market is actively rumored that the curator of the oil business of the Privat Group Michael Kiperman seems to be studying options for the sale of the remaining gas stations. During this time, several concepts have changed: from the sale of the entire network to the transfer of part of the complexes for rent or joint management.

According to the latest data, which the EP has confirmed by three market participants, the main contender for the asset is businessman Volodymyr Petrenko, Ukrpaletsystem, which owns a network of 85 gas stations under the UPG brand.

Reference. Prior to the Great War, Ukrpaletsystem was a large importer of Belarusian gasoline and diesel from Mozir and Novopolotsky Refinery. Because of this, evil tongues attributed to the companies with the Belarusian oligarch Nicholas Sparrow and the eldest son of dictator Alexander Lukashenko Victor.

Given the large volumes of imports and the special terms of contracts, the firm was also called « Super-exclusive importer of Belarusian fuel » and « premium-sponsor of Lukashenko regime ». Petrenko’s company is She denied.

« In the absence of Igor Valeryevich, the decision to refuel » Privat « makes Kiperman. They communicated several times with Petrenko and allegedly agreed on the agreement, » – says the EP representative of one of the domestic fuel traders.

Kiperman has been abroad for a long time. In Ukraine, it is a person involved in several criminal proceedings on theft of hundreds of millions of hryvnias « Ukrenergo » and « Ukrtatnafta ». In early 2024 NABU announced He is wanted.

According to the sources of the EP, Kiperman considers the possibility of selling from 400 to 420 gas stations, about 200 more plans to leave the Privat group.

« These 400-420 gas stations can take away Petrenko in the future, but he is not ready to buy them at once, but is considering the lease with the option for the right to buy. Start planning with 34 gas stations in Kiev and the region, because in the capital region there are the most liquid objects that give more than 20% of sales.

« Everything is planned to be rented in stages. The first 34 gas stations have submitted documents to the AMCU. They say that they received the refusal, so we make sure that it will come out of that, » he adds.

Source: NABU

How much money does it take to run a network? Experts surveyed experts emphasize that it is difficult to bring the average price because of a large difference between objects.

« It all depends on the location, size and condition of the complex. Speaking of rent, depending on the gas station it can cost from $ 2-3 thousand a month to $ 10 thousand. A very good station such as OKKO or WOG can reach $ 20-25 thousand, »-shares a representative of one of the big retailers.

The same factors-location, size and condition-relevant for the sale of gas stations: budget stations will cost $ 100-300 thousand, quality in the capital-$ 1-1.2 million. The same goes for rebranding: $ 100-200 thousand. It can cost budget reconstruction, $ 1-1.2 million. – Construction of gas stations almost from scratch.

Nobody is predicted to the real completion of the Agreement between « Privat » and the UPG, especially after the recent refusal of the AMCU.

« With one hundred percent confidence in our country, no one can guarantee anything, but this agreement is superactively discussed. Something can change. On the one hand, the UPG can » give the back « through the refusal of the AMCU, and on the other – Kiperman in such negotiations even a less predictable personality than his senior partner.