Serhiy Kurchenko

Serhiy Kurchenko
Serhiy Kurchenko
Born	September 21, 1985 (age 41); Saltivka, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Known for	Founder of Gas Ukraine 2009; former owner and chairman of FC Metalist Kharkiv and Ukrainian Media Holding

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Serhiy Kurchenko, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Serhiy Vitaliiovych Kurchenko (, Russian: Sergey Vitaliovich Kurchenko; born 21 September 1985) is a former entrepreneur with Ukrainian and Russian ties, known as the founder and proprietor of "Gas Ukraine 2009," a company engaged in the trade of liquefied natural gas. He was also the previous owner and chairman of FC Metalist Kharkiv and the Ukrainian Media Holding. In February 2014, Kurchenko relocated from Ukraine to Russia. Since March 2014, he has been listed internationally as wanted, with Ukrainian authorities confiscating his assets. His name gained widespread attention during the disputed transfer of FC Metalist Kharkiv. In October 2017, a Ukrainian court ordered the club's confiscation from him, placing it under state administration.

Currently residing in Moscow, Kurchenko oversees business ventures in the Russian-occupied territories of Donbas and Crimea, operating under the supervision of the FSB.

Early life and education

Kurchenko was born on 21 September 1985 in Saltivka, a district of Kharkiv, to a family with modest means. He completed his secondary education at school No. 122 between 1992 and 2002. He pursued higher education at the National Technical University Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute from 2002 to 2006, earning a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and Auditing within the Economics and Entrepreneurship faculty, followed by a Master's degree specializing in Intellectual Property from 2006 to 2008. Later, between 2009 and 2011, he obtained a law degree at National University Yaroslav the Wise Law Academy of Ukraine. Colleagues described him as reserved yet communicative during his early professional years.

Career

At age sixteen, Kurchenko started his career as a courier for Ukraine's national oil and gas company, Naftogaz. Rapidly advancing through ranks, he became deputy commercial director by restructuring wholesale liquefied gas operations, which significantly increased profits for Ekspogaz. In 2005, at nineteen years old, he departed from Ekspogaz to establish his own enterprise.

According to his "Metalist" biography, between 2005 and 2008 he successfully invested in real estate and land markets within the Kharkiv region during a period marked by swift price appreciation; however, specific projects or company names are not detailed.

Gaz Ukraine 2009

Kurchenko launched "Gas Ukraine 2009" in 2009, comprising a network of 55 companies registered across Kharkiv and Crimea. The conglomerate specialized in marketing petroleum products, distributing liquefied gas, and engaging in public procurement activities. Critics accused Gaz Ukraine 2009 of dominating Ukraine’s liquefied gas sector and participating in smuggling operations.

FC Metalist

In December 2012, amid disputes with local authorities, Oleksandr Yaroslavsky sold FC Metalist Kharkiv to Kurchenko. Shortly after acquisition, Kurchenko met with club officials to assume control.

Ivan Savvidis, owner of Greek club FC PAOK, suggested that Kurchenko might not have been the actual proprietor of Metalist. In October 2017, Ukrainian courts revoked Kurchenko’s ownership rights over the club and transferred it to government control.

VETEK group of companies

On 22 February 2013, "Gas Ukraine 2009" announced the creation of "East European Energy Company" (VETEK), appointing Kurchenko as head of its strategic development.

By 26 February 2013, VETEK acquired a controlling stake (99.6%) in the Odesa refinery from Lukoil. Despite an official opening ceremony held in March, the refinery has remained out of operation since then.

On 21 June 2013, VETEK took ownership of Ukrainian Media Holding (UMH group), which managed over fifty media brands including Forbes, Vogue, along with various digital outlets. UMH reported revenues of $138 million in 2011 and employed approximately 4,000 personnel across Russia and Ukraine. While UMH’s founder described the transaction as purely business-driven, some analysts speculated that the acquisition aimed to sway media narratives ahead of Ukraine’s presidential election scheduled for 2015.

On 23 August 2013, Kurchenko unveiled VETEK Media as part of his expansion strategy across Ukraine, Russia, and Europe, positioning UMH as its principal asset.

On 17 July 2013, he secured an eighty percent shareholding in Brokbusinessbank VETEK, which manages substantial payroll accounts including those servicing Ukraine’s Interior Ministry.

On 28 August 2013, through SK Metalist Stadium—a subsidiary linked to FC Metalist—Kurchenko purchased Metalist stadium for ₴674.5 million.

In August 2015, Forbes Media withdrew the license for Forbes Ukraine.

In December 2017, Kyiv’s Pechersky District Court seized UMH’s corporate and intellectual property assets connected to criminal investigations involving former president Viktor Yanukovych, including allegations of embezzlement and money laundering.

Allegations of Corruption

The media have often referred to Kurchenko as the "gas wizard," "Ukraine's gas magnate," and a "business phenomenon of 2012." He consistently avoids interviews and public speaking engagements, opting instead to release only carefully crafted statements.

Investigative reporters link Kurchenko's achievements in liquefied natural gas, petroleum products, and associated sectors to his alleged connections with senior Ukrainian officials. These reportedly include Artem Pshonka, son of former Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka, and Oleksandr Yanukovych, son of ex-president Viktor Yanukovych. Additional purported associations involve Serhiy Arbuzov and Alexander Klimenko from the Ministry of Finance. Kurchenko has denied any such affiliations. It is also claimed that Dmitry Firtash’s enterprises supplied him with discounted gas.

Life in Exile

Following Viktor Yanukovych’s impeachment on 22 February 2014, the European Union froze assets belonging to Kurchenko and 17 associates starting 6 March 2014. Kurchenko had already departed Ukraine for Russia the previous month; his spokesperson stated a willingness to cooperate with EU authorities to establish his innocence. On 20 March 2014, Ukrainian authorities issued an arrest warrant for him, and he has remained internationally wanted since that time. His properties were confiscated, and he was placed on sanction lists by both the United States and the EU.

Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating Kurchenko for allegedly evading $130 million in taxes and misappropriating $180 million from bank investors. He faces accusations of purchasing liquefied gas at reduced-price auctions meant for public consumption, then reselling it at full market value through his companies.

In December 2017, Ukrainian officials detained Mikheil Saakashvili, accusing him of being financed by a "criminal group" connected to Yanukovych and Kurchenko engaged in a Russia-backed attempt to seize control.

Kurchenko is said to own Vneshtorgservis, a coal company operating within separatist-held areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics; this firm reportedly carries substantial local debts. He lives in an upscale mansion valued at 2.1 billion rubles in Moscow’s Rublyovka district. By 2017, he maintained active business ventures based in Moscow with links to various entities within the presidential administration and Russian government bodies such as Rosneft, Lukoil, Gazprombank, VTB Bank, the First Czech-Russian Bank, and Roscosmos. His office is situated in Moscow City. Additionally, he is involved with the "Committee for the Rescue of Ukraine" and regularly meets former pro-Russian Ukrainian parliamentarians Elena Bondarenko and Vladimir Saldo, who subsequently assumed leadership roles in Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast.

In October 2023, The Insider identified Kurchenko as a key financial backer of FSB General Vladimir Petrovsky, First Deputy Head of the FSB’s Fifth Service Operational Information Department responsible for managing the Ninth ("Ukrainian") Directorate.

Utilizing his relationship with the FSB, Kurchenko secured exclusive rights to Ukrainian assets located in occupied regions. He conducts business ventures in Russian-occupied Crimea involving oil products and exports coal sourced from Donbas.

In 2023, Kurchenko married in Moscow; among the distinguished attendees was Ksenia Sobchak.

Sanctions

In 2022, the United Kingdom government imposed sanctions on him due to his involvement related to the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Japan followed suit by sanctioning Serhiy Kurchenko in January 2023.

External links