Law enforcement officers uncovered a scheme to seize funds intended for payments under the "green" tariff, which operated in favor of a number of commercial power generating enterprises located in the temporarily occupied territory of the Zaporizhzhia region. Currently, 9 people have been notified of suspicion, including former deputy head of the President's Office Rostyslav Shurma. This is reported by UNN with reference to the press service of the SAP.
Details
"Under the procedural guidance of SAP prosecutors, NABU detectives exposed an organized group in the seizure of funds intended for payments under the "green" tariff, which operated in favor of a number of commercial power generating enterprises located in the temporarily occupied territory of the Zaporizhzhia region," the statement said.
As reported by the SAP, as of today, 9 people have been notified of suspicion, including, according to UNN sources, former deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and former member of the supervisory board of NJSC "Naftogaz of Ukraine" Rostyslav Shurma, as well as:
- owner of a network of Ukrainian and foreign companies (a close relative of the former Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine);
- a confidant of the former high-ranking official;
- heads and employees of controlled enterprises;
- former commercial director of JSC "Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo".
The actions of the suspects are qualified under Part 5 of Article 191, Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
"In 2019-2020, the former deputy of the Donetsk Regional Council (even before his appointment to the Office of the President of Ukraine), his brother and a confidant established control over a group of enterprises that produced electricity from alternative sources. We are talking about solar power plants with a total capacity of about 60 MW, which were located in the Vasylivka district of the Zaporizhzhia region. These companies concluded agreements with the State Enterprise "Guaranteed Buyer", according to which the state undertakes to buy all released electricity produced by the producer at the "green" tariff," the SAP noted.
However, as the prosecutor's office found out, with the beginning of Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, part of the Zaporizhzhia region, where the solar power plants were located, was occupied. And from July to September 2022, the solar power plants completely lost connection with the unified energy system of Ukraine due to damage to distribution and transmission lines.
Moreover, it was established that 90% of the energy produced by two of the three enterprises controlled by the former deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine was actually consumed by the Zaporizhzhia Iron Ore Plant, which was also seized by the occupation authorities in May 2022.
"Within the framework of the pre-trial investigation, it was established that the deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, to satisfy his financial needs, decided to create an organized group, the purpose of which was the illegal receipt of funds for electricity allegedly released by producers from alternative energy sources, without its actual entry into the unified energy system of Ukraine. In order to illegally seize funds, the individuals indicated knowingly unreliable data in the reports regarding the volume of generation and technical readiness of the stations, particularly during periods of complete power outage," the SAP added.
The investigation established that the State Enterprise "Guaranteed Buyer" paid 141,312,064.30 UAH under the "green" tariff, despite the fact that the actually paid electricity did not enter the energy system of Ukraine at all. Subsequently, the illegally obtained funds were legalized through related companies in favor of the ultimate beneficiaries - the organizer of the criminal group, his brother, and their family members.
As of today, the pre-trial investigation in the case continues, and the involvement of other persons in the commission of this crime is being established.
Recall
In September 2024, the President of Ukraine signed a decree dismissing Rostyslav Shurma from the post of Deputy Head of the President's Office.
In December 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine prematurely terminated the powers of Rostyslav Shurma, a member of the supervisory board of NJSC "Naftogaz of Ukraine".