Tetiana Hlyniana, the owner of the companies that procured food for the Ukrainian army at inflated prices in 2023, owns hotels in the resort town of Split in Croatia, according to an investigation published by Ukrainian media outlet NV on Jan. 6.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said in January 2023 that it had begun to investigate possible corruption in the Defense Ministry's food procurement before ZN.ua, a news site, published an investigation on the issue.
According to the report, the ministry sought to buy food at prices two to three times higher than it costs at Kyiv grocery stores. That contract was with a supplier called Active Company, which is owned by Hlyniana.
NV reported that Hlyniana owns companies that operate at least four hotels worth over $10 million in Split.
According to the Croatian business registry, Hlyniana became the beneficiary of three hotel companies in the fall of 2023. Moreover, she founded another hotel company in 2016.
NV also reported, citing its sources, that one of the hotels, Mirari, underwent renovations, with construction work also underway nearby.
The investigation into inflated food prices at the Defense Ministry has triggered a major scandal in Ukraine and attracted attention worldwide.
The ministry first denied but eventually admitted that some prices in contracts it signed were above average. Following the scandal, in January 2023, the ministry revoked its food supply contracts and signed new ones with the same companies.
Amid the corruption scandal, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov resigned in September.
Martin Fornusek
