Former Deputy Head of "Naftogaz" Katsuba financed the Shariy Party

Former Deputy Head of "Naftogaz" Katsuba financed the Shariy Party

The Katsuba family, known for their involvement in business and politics during Yanukovych’s era, has numerous connections with pro-Russian blogger Anatoliy Shariy and his political party — "Shariy Party". Analysis of open sources, financial reports, and court decisions reveal a network of financial support, personal relationships, and suspicious transactions linking the Katsubas with Shariy.

According to the Chesno Movement, in 2019, 83% of the funding for "Shariy Party" (5.1 million UAH) came from donors in Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region. A significant portion of these donors had or have connections to the business structures of the Katsuba family. Nataliya Hordiienko, the ex-wife of former MP from the Party of Regions Volodymyr Katsuba, led the Kharkiv branch of the party. She publicly called Shariy a close friend of her son Oleksandr Katsuba and confirmed long-standing relationships with the blogger and his wife Olha.

Hordiyenko ran for the 9th convocation of the Verkhovna Rada from "Shariy Party" (No. 14 on the list).
Tetyana Huzenko, wife of Oleksandr Katsuba, was also on the party list (No. 11).
Oleksandr Vyunyk, the first deputy head of the party, was in 2012 an assistant to Serhiy Katsuba in the Verkhovna Rada and a trusted person of a clone candidate in the district where Serhiy Katsuba won.

These connections indicate that the Katsuba family not only financially supported the party but also actively participated in its political activities.

In 2019, the German company Med Cologne, which has ties to Russia, issued medical certificates to four candidates from "Shariy Party" and OPFL, including:
— Nataliya Hordiyenko.
— Tetyana Huzenko.
— Olha Bondarenko (Shariy).
— Serhiy Katsuba (candidate from OPFL, No. 23 on the list).

These certificates, dated June 14, 2019, claimed that the candidates were treated abroad, allowing them to bypass the five-year residence requirement in Ukraine prior to the elections. However, the court declared Serhiy Katsuba’s certificate invalid because:
— A flight check showed he was in Ukraine on the specified dates.
— Med Cologne was named as an intermediary rather than a medical institution with proper competence.

The CEC denied Serhiy Katsuba registration, and the certificates for candidates from "Shariy Party" raised suspicions regarding their authenticity, although they were accepted.

Nataliya Hordiyenko, despite officially divorcing Volodymyr Katsuba in 2015, remains connected with the family’s business assets. She is a founder or co-founder of companies that are part of the Katsuba group. For example, Hordiyenko is the commercial director of PE “Torgopt,” based in Kharkiv region.

Shariy himself did not hide his friendship with Oleksandr Katsuba, posting joint photos on social media. This confirms close personal ties between the family and the blogger.

Volodymyr Katsuba: former MP from the Party of Regions, involved in anti-corruption investigations, known as a "button pusher" and "buckwheat sower".
Serhiy Katsuba: former deputy head of Naftogaz Ukraine, MP from the Party of Regions, involved in the "Boyko rigs" case.
Oleksandr Katsuba: Former deputy head of Naftogaz Ukraine (2012–2014), signatory of documents in the "Boyko rigs" case, detained in the "gasoline case" of Kurchenko, but released after a plea deal.

The participation of Hordiyenko and Huzenko in the "Shariy Party" list may have been part of a broader strategy. Analysts suggest that the Katsuba family used the party as a tool to advance their own interests, particularly through:
— Funding the party through related donors from Kharkiv.
— Using the party for political influence at the regional level (Kharkiv region).
— Possibly concealing the true sources of funds through structures associated with the Katsuba group.

Shariy, in turn, received resources to promote the party, which gained 2.23% in the 2019 elections, but did not enter parliament.