At a time when Ukraine is fighting for survival on the front lines, when its energy infrastructure is targeted by Russian missiles, and ordinary gas transmission system workers risk their lives to keep the country supplied with gas, the leaders of trade unions at one of the key state-owned enterprises decided that war was the perfect cover for personal enrichment. Law enforcement authorities have uncovered a brazen scheme involving the embezzlement of over 14.5 million UAH in trade union funds at LLC “Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine” (GTSOU) — the company responsible for managing the country’s main gas pipelines and critical to national energy security.

This is not merely accounting irregularities. It is the outright plundering of funds intended to support those who work daily under martial law conditions: for recreation, medical treatment, and social programs for workers and their families. Instead, the money was spent on elite vacations for the children of union bosses in Bukovel, expensive alcohol, lavish christenings, private banquets, and trips that had nothing to do with union activities.

The scheme operated systematically from 2023 to 2025 — precisely during Ukraine’s most grueling trials of the full-scale invasion. Over this period, GTSOU transferred more than 233 million UAH to trade union organizations under the collective agreement. These funds were earmarked exclusively for social, health, and cultural programs for employees: sanatorium treatments, family support, educational and cultural events. Yet a significant portion — at least 14.5 million UAH — ended up in the pockets of union leadership.

How did it work? Union leaders fictitiously “organized” seminars, trainings, conferences, and consultations that existed only on paper. Funds were written off for non-existent events, but in reality went toward paying for private banquets, luxury hotel stays, trips, and services for unrelated individuals — relatives, friends, or simply “connected” people with no ties to the union or the company.

A particularly cynical element of the scheme was the deliberate bypassing of public procurement procedures. This allowed complete disregard for any oversight: actual expenditure volumes were concealed, documentation falsified, and money siphoned off without checks. As stated by the Office of the Prosecutor General, such “maneuvering” effectively removed all supervision over the use of union funds.

The investigation was conducted jointly by investigators from the Main Investigation Department of the National Police, operatives from the Department of Strategic Investigations, under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General, and in close cooperation with GTSOU management and its corporate security service. During 48 sanctioned searches across various regions of Ukraine — from Kyiv to western oblasts — financial documents, evidence of fictitious contracts, and other materials confirming the scheme were seized.

Currently, notices of suspicion have been served on three heads of primary trade union organizations — in Lviv, Zakarpattia, and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts. They are charged with misappropriation and embezzlement of property on an especially large scale, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy using their official position (Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). This carries a penalty of up to 12 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property.

But will the case stop at just three suspects? The investigation continues, with law enforcement promising to identify all involved and determine the final amount of damages. The scheme appears too organized to be the work of only a few individuals in three regions.

This scandal strikes at the heart of the trade union movement, which is supposed to protect workers’ rights, not serve as a feeding trough for the elite. During wartime, when GTSOU workers operate under shelling, repair damaged pipelines, and ensure transit and domestic supply, their union leaders were hosting banquets and sending their children to elite resorts. This is not just embezzlement — it is a betrayal of the trust of thousands of workers who pay union dues expecting support in difficult times.

Society has the right to demand full transparency: publication of the suspects’ names, detailed expenditure reports, and harsh punishment. Because while people are dying on the front for independence, there should be no place in the rear for those who steal from their own. Ukraine’s energy security is not just about pipelines — it’s about the integrity of those who manage them. This case must serve as a lesson: war tolerates no corruption, and the time for cleansing has come.