“Badiaga”, checks and salaries in envelopes: Hetmantsev reveals the main “schemes” of the fuel business
1 October 2025 21:25
Danylo Hetmantsev appealed to law enforcement officers because of the mass production of surrogate fuel, 428 illegal gas stations, and salaries in envelopes at gas station chains. The chairman of the Verkhovna Rada’s Finance Committee said this on his YouTube channel, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to him, the problems in the fuel market in Ukraine have worsened again.
The comparison with European countries is telling: abroad, high-quality roads are directly linked to the “white” economy and transparent fuel trade. In Ukraine, this sector has remained in the shadows for many years, and the state has been losing billions of hryvnias in taxes,” Hetmantsev said.
“Back in 2021, the situation looked critical: every year the budget lost about UAH 20 billion due to shadow schemes. Among the most widespread was the practice of producing so-called “badiaga” – fuel from gas condensate mixed with chemical additives. It was sold to illegal gas stations without any documents, and thus without paying taxes.
Another scheme is the sale of “white” fuel “in the black”, when documents were drawn up only to cover fictitious transactions, which allowed companies to avoid paying VAT,” explained the chairman of the relevant parliamentary committee.
Mr. Hetmantsev clarified that minor abuses also occurred in legal networks: at gas stations, customers were asked if they needed a receipt. Employees sold unused receipts to companies that “inflated” expenses and reduced tax liabilities.
In 2023-2024, the government declared a real war on the shadow market. Hundreds of licenses were revoked, and more than UAH 5 billion of fraudulent VAT was blocked. This worked: tax revenues increased, and the average salary in the industry rose from UAH 16 thousand to UAH 24 thousand. In 2024, the budget received an additional UAH 5.7 billion. A new provision of the law also came into effect: every gas station with a license has to pay an advance payment of UAH 60 thousand in income tax every month. As a result, the state has received more than UAH 1.3 billion in additional payments,” he reported.
However, the chairman of the Finance Committee of the Ukrainian parliament admitted that it was not possible to completely overcome shadow practices. Many operators still pay salaries in envelopes.
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This is evident from official statistics: large international networks such as OKKO or Shell declare an average salary of UAH 50 thousand, while the average salary of BRSM or Avantazh-7 networks is three times lower. This suggests that cash continues to circulate through the sale of illegal fuel.
A separate problem is the black market of gas stations. According to the Ukrainian Oil and Gas Association, there are 428 illegal gas stations in Ukraine without licenses or even official registration. They sell “badiaga,” do not issue receipts, do not pay any taxes, and have been out of sight of law enforcement for years.
At the same time, there are plenty of abuses among legal operators.
For example, the Klo network sells more fuel through cash registers than Sakar, but pays 24% less taxes to the budget. Avantazh-7’s situation is even worse: with twice the sales volume, tax deductions are 20% lower. In terms of UAH 1.42 per liter, it is only UAH 1.42, while in transparent networks the figure reaches UAH 3,” said Getmantsev.
“Despite the success in fighting the shadow economy, the fuel market remains problematic. The state receives more taxes than in 2021, but a significant part of the business still operates in the gray or black. Experts emphasize that without systematic counteraction to illegal gas stations and without strengthening control over large networks, the risk of budget losses will continue to persist.
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The Ukrainian government claims that it has no right to stop the positive changes that began in 2023-2024. Therefore, new steps are expected in the near future: from strengthening the role of the tax service to more active law enforcement against the black market.
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