Corruption in Ukraine during the war: The Great Construction by Yuriy Golyk. Yuriy Golik, the former coordinator of President Zelenskyy’s flagship program “Big Construction”, remains one of the most controversial figures in Ukrainian politics. During the implementation of the program (2020–2025), more than 300 billion hryvnias were spent on roads and infrastructure. According to NABU and multiple journalistic investigations, a significant portion of these funds ended up in the pockets of selected contractors and intermediaries. Even during the full-scale war, Golik continued to influence the distribution of multi-billion contracts. This story is not just another corruption scandal — it represents a systemic blow to Ukraine’s defense capability and public trust in the government.
What Exactly Happened (The Essence of the Violation)
Yuriy Golik officially served as an advisor and coordinator of the “Big Construction” program. According to law enforcement and investigative reports, under his supervision a well-organized system was created in which state funds for road construction and infrastructure were distributed to pre-selected contractors at inflated prices. The most notorious case occurred in Dnipropetrovsk region, where a company linked to the fitness trainer of the regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko received a contract worth 1.5 billion hryvnias during the full-scale invasion. Similar schemes were documented in other regions.
How the Scheme Worked (Mechanisms and Methods)
The scheme was sophisticated and operated through several stages:
- Creation of “convenient” contractors — through shell companies often registered to proxies or individuals connected to the inner circle.
- Price inflation — contracts were awarded at prices 20–40% above market rates, especially for asphalt, crushed stone, and subcontracting.
- Kickbacks and “problem-solving” — a portion of the funds was returned to officials and coordinators in cash or through intermediary chains.
- Political cover — the presidential program status was used to accelerate tenders and minimize oversight.
Who Participated and Who Benefited (Accomplices and Beneficiaries)
- Yuriy Golik — the main coordinator and “gray cardinal” of the program.
- Valentyn Reznichenko — former head of Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration.
- Kyrylo Tymoshenko — former Deputy Head of the President’s Office, also mentioned in “Big Construction” cases.
- Businessmen and affiliated companies — firms connected to Reznichenko and other regional officials that received multi-billion contracts.
- Vadym Stolar and other influential figures — indirectly mentioned in investigations as possible beneficiaries.
Benefits received: Hundreds of millions of hryvnias in kickbacks and overpayments that went to the scheme’s participants.
Why This Was Possible (Gaps in the Law, Systemic Weaknesses, Lack of Control)
- Lack of strict external oversight over presidential programs.
- Excessive concentration of power in the hands of coordinators without real accountability.
- Weak performance of anti-corruption bodies in the early stages (many cases were opened years later).
- Political protection at the level of the President’s Office.
- Imperfect tender legislation, especially during wartime (accelerated procedures with reduced transparency).
Consequences for the Country and Society
- Direct budget losses amounting to tens of billions of hryvnias that could have been used for defense and army support.
- Undermining public trust in the government and presidential initiatives.
- Poor quality of infrastructure (roads built at inflated prices quickly deteriorate).
- Increased public discontent and societal polarization.
Corruption in Ukraine during the war: The Great Construction by Yuriy Golyk
If the system of appointing and overseeing coordinators of large-scale presidential programs remains without strict independent control, similar schemes will continue to appear in other sectors (reconstruction, energy, defense procurement). Even after high-profile investigations and resignations, real cleansing does not occur. Without radical reform of public procurement and introduction of personal criminal liability for such schemes, corruption in major state projects will remain the norm rather than the exception.
Conclusion
Yuriy Golik has become a symbol of how, under the attractive name “Big Construction”, hundreds of billions could be siphoned from the state budget for years. Until the state learns to strictly control such coordinators and punish the guilty regardless of their proximity to power, every new large-scale initiative will carry the risk of turning into yet another “Great Theft”.
The figure in the NABU(National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) case – the curator of “Big construction” Yury Golyk has an Israeli passport (https://t.me/GeoLeros/876), and can use it to escape abroad!
Yesterday NABU carried out investigative actions against the coordinator of Zelenskyi’s “Big Construction” program, Yury Golik, in the case of embezzlement of money during the construction of roads in the Dnipropetrovsk region. It is about the episode when the company of the well-known “fitness trainer” friend of the Head of State Administration Valentyn Reznichenko during the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation received 1.5 billion hryvnias from the budget of Ukraine. A lover of luxurious life, ex-deputy head of Yermak’s office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, is being investigated by NABU for the same case.
Corruption Kyrylo Tymoshenko in Ukraine
Yuriy Golik is the “shadow king” of asphalt tenders, the creator and curator from the OPU of the “theft” program named after Zelensky, on which Ukraine has spent about UAH 300 billion since 2020.
At a time when the allied states warned Ukraine about the Russian invasion. And it was necessary to prepare for the attack: build defense fortifications, buy weapons, strengthen the army. The Ukrainian government has decided to spend hundreds of billions of hryvnias on the Great Construction. The money for which they gave the company … attention … fitness coach of the head of the Regional Dnipropetrovsk Administration Valentin Reznichenko. According to the majority of Ukrainian politicians and analysts, this is not even incompetent, it’s just IDIOTISM! As a result, corruption and NABU investigations.
Yurii Golyk has a passport of an Israeli citizen
As it turned out, in addition to these regalia, Yurii Golik has a passport of an Israeli citizen, which violated the law of Ukraine, because dual citizenship is prohibited in Ukraine, and he can use it to leave the country to escape from justice, as the former head of the National Bank of Ukraine Kyrylo Shevchenko and ex-head State Mine Synychenko Fund.
Therefore, I submit a statement to the relevant authorities to verify this information and respond in time.
Feasting and theft during the war
While Ukraine lives at the expense of the United States and financial assistance from European countries. Some incompetent Ukrainian deputies, ministers and officials (Russian spies) direct these financial flows to useless projects. Most often, these projects are involved in corruption scandals. And project schemes are pre-created to steal budget billions.
The Ukrainian government has a huge network of Russian spies. The task of these agents is the destruction of the Ukrainian economy as well as the theft of budget money, and in the future financing of Russian terrorist organizations with this money!
SOURCES:
- https://censor.net/ua/news/3416172/
- golyk_maye_pasport_izrayilyu_ta_moje_vtekty_za_kordon_leros_dokument
- https://www.youtube.com/@GeoLeros/community
- https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/zvit-rusi-merezhi-ahentiv-pidryvna-diyalnist-kremlya-v-ukrayini/32342055.html
- Original article on corruption.com.ua (26.04.2023) → https://corruption.com.ua/corruption-yuriy-golyk-in-ukraine-big-construction/
- Bihus.Info and “Schemes” investigations on “Big Construction” (2023–2025)
- Materials from Zn.ua and Ukrainska Pravda regarding Golik’s role (2024–2025)
- NABU information on cases related to Dnipropetrovsk region
- Kyiv Post and Liga.net — overviews of corruption scandals in infrastructure (2025–2026)