“Gulliver is partially returning: what is known about the opening of the mall
2 December 21:21
Kyiv’s Gulliver shopping and entertainment center, one of the largest in the capital, will partially reopen on December 12. This will be the first step towards a full restart of the complex, which has remained closed for more than a month due to security threats and a conflict between state-owned banks and the previous owner. This was reported by the press service of Oschadbank, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
What exactly will be opened
According to Oshchadbank, access will be reopened to the first and minus the first floor of the mall. Which stores will open will be announced closer to the launch date.
Other levels and the office part will remain closed until experts eliminate all risks associated with engineering systems. This is the result of the actions of Tri O, the previous owner of Gulliver, which the bank accuses of deliberately damaging technical facilities and blocking the work of specialists.
Why the mall was closed
on October 31, the complex was suddenly closed “until the situation stabilizes.”
Oschadbank, which, together with Ukreximbank, became the new owner of the mall, claimed
- blocking access to technical premises,
- failure to provide documentation,
- deliberate overloading of the power system,
- danger to visitors and tenants.
These actions, according to the state banks, not only created risks of an emergency, but also caused losses.
How Gulliver became the center of the conflict
The story around the mall has been unfolding since the beginning of the full-scale war, when businessman Viktor Polishchuk’s companies stopped servicing loans from state-owned banks. The debt had not been paid since the crisis of 2014-2016, but it was in 2022-2025 that it became a matter of separate investigations and court decisions.
In 2023, the mall’s management was suspected of entering into fictitious contracts that allegedly allowed it to evade VAT payments of more than UAH 145 million. In 2024, the court seized Tri O’s property and subsequently transferred the assets to the ARMA, which the company called raiding.
After lengthy litigation, a state-owned consortium of Oschadbank and Ukreximbank obtained ownership of the mall. In October 2025, ARMA announced the termination of the competition for the manager.
The full restart of Gulliver will depend on the pace of restoration of engineering systems and the completion of a safety audit. The bank assures that it will open the floors in stages as soon as it becomes possible.
