Ukrainian traitor Vitalii Buluk is the “First Deputy Head” of Russian occupation “government” of the occupied territory of Kherson oblast. Together with his wife and sons, he has expanded his family business empire. Older son Viktor Buluk, de jure owner of the majority of family businesses, is the head of oblast association “People’s Farmer”. It is part of Putin’s movement “All-Russian People’s Front”. Igor Buluk-junior has been employed in the occupation “government”. The family is going to launch new businesses.
Vitalii Viktorovych Buluk is renowned Ukrainian corrupt public official in Kherson oblast. He used bribery and other corrupt practices to build his agricultural business empire and to enrich his family. He has been a head of customs office in Kherson oblast (Igor Kaletnik, ex-head of State Customs Service of Ukraine, has been godfather of Buluk’s children). Using his personal connections with the Ukrainian political elite, Buluk became a member of Kherson Oblast Council from the Communist Party of Ukraine.
After the Revolution of Dignity, Buluk has been expelled from the public service but then returned as the member of political party “Nash krai’”. It has been created by the Office of President Poroshenko and involved former members of pro-Russian Party of Regions and ex-communists. Buluk was appointed as Deputy Head of Kherson Oblast Council.
Skadovsk and its port became the basis of Buluk’s business empire. Vitalii Buluk controlled any decisions in the city. As an outcome of his corrupted practices (extortion of huge bribes by customs office), Turkish investors cancelled the development of ferry between Zonguldak and Skadovsk. Buluk blocked the transfer of property of former children’s camp “White wings” to the 140th intelligence battalion of marines of the Ukrainian Navy.
Buluk has been friend of senior corrupted officials of the Security Service of Ukraine. For example, as our Center revealed in the investigation “Moles of the Russian Federal Security Service in the Ukrainian Security Service. What case Kulinich-Sivkovych lacks?”, Oleg Kulinich, ex-head of the Crimean Department of the Security Service of Ukraine, accused of state treason and cooperation with Russian intelligence, and Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Volodymyr Gorbenko often visited Buluk’s hunting grounds in the southern part of Kherson oblast.
Oleg Kulinich, the Head of Main Department of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (2019-22). Photo: Ґрати; Volodymyr Gorbenko, Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (2019-2022). Photo: RFE/RL
Agricultural empire of Buluk
Buluk’s family is the owner of large land resources. They often used “shadow schemes”. They illegally bought land certificates under moratorium on land sales or leased land plots and did not pay leasing payments.
One court decision revealed that “Agrofirma-Buluk” leased almost two hectares for yearly payment of 500 UAH. When the owner died, the company did not conclude leasing agreement with heirs and used land plot free of charge.
Buluk illegally sub-leased state lands of state owned enterprise “Institute of rice” (its main office is located in Antonivka village of Skadovsk raion). As criminal investigation found out, “Agrofirma-Buluk” used irrigation systems, owned by local communities, but did not reimburse respective expenses of communities. Buluk’s company consumed a lot of water resources as it cultivated the rice.
Viktor Buluk (right) with workers of LLC “Agrofirma-Buluk” at the harvest of rice, 2019. Photo: Сільські вісті
When Russia occupied part of Kherson oblast, Vitalii Buluk has not been de jure owner of any business assets. According to his 2021 public asset declaration, he did not have even cash savings. His wife Olga Valeriivna Buluk (maiden name – Zavgorodnya, born in 1974) has owned 5 houses (total area – 1,9 thousand square meters) and housing complexes (total area – 600 square meters) in Skadovsk and Zabaryne village of Holoprystansky raion, the shop and land plots.
Wife of Buluk has been the owner of shares in two factories – “Tavriisky factory of mixed fodder” (45%) and “Factory of mixed fodder “Bekhtery” (50%). Olena Buluk has been also the owner of one quarter of the statutory capital of LLC “Adelaida Hunter” (hunting grounds in Zhytomyr oblast) and one third of the statutory capital of LLC “Nikneft” (hunting grounds).
Vitalii and Olena Buluk. Photo: most.ks.ua
Sons of Vitalii Buluk – Viktor, born in 1995, and younger Igor, born in 1998, – have been owners of remaining assets of Buluk’s business empire. Since December 2022, Buluk’s Ukrainian companies have been registered in the Russian State Register of Legal Entities.
The structure of Buluk’s ownership is almost the same as before the Russian occupation, with the following exceptions. Shares of Igor Buluk in three companies have been transferred to his brother Viktor or fake persons-owners.
This article focuses on collaborator activity of relatives of Vitalii Buluk and their assistants on the territory of Kherson oblast, occupied by the Russian Federation. We will also cover the history of Buluk’s business empire. Thanks to political corruption and party “Nash krai”, it quickly developed when Vitalii Buluk became member and Deputy Head of Kherson Oblast Council.
It should be noted that sons of Buluk try to hide any traces of their activity. Their accounts in social media are closed. Media reports are deleted.
However, we found sufficient evidence for the application of article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (collaborator activity).
Viktor Vitaliyovych Buluk (date of birth – February 11, 1995) is the main public manager of the family business. He has been introduced into the management in 2016. 21 years old Viktor Buluk became the only owner of private pharmaceutical company “Adonis” (network of drugstores with the same name) and co-owner of hunting LLC “Kinburnska kosa”. Participants of the latter company made contributions of 625 thousand UAH.
Co-owners are influential persons and business partners of Buluk: Valerii Khodus, the owner of leading Ukrainian manufacturer of hunting and sports ammunition “TAXO”; Yuri Yemchenko, ex-head of oblast department of the Ukrainian State Tax Service; members of Kherson Oblast Council and grandfather of Viktor Buluk – Valerii Volodymyrovych Zavgorodnii. This person is co-owner of another acting hunting grounds “Yagorlyk” in Holoprystansky raion and liquidated hunting grounds “sapsan-Hunter”. Total area of hunting grounds once controlled by Vitalii Buluk is over 30 thousand hectares.
Collaborator Viktor Buluk. Photo: Голос України, 2020
In August 2016, Viktor Buluk became the co-owner of legal company called “Avellum legas”. Final beneficiary of the company is Iryna Barakh, the wife of Anatolii Matios (through intermediary company “Poliexpo”). Anatolii Matios has been the Military Prosecutor of Ukraine whereas his wife managed large agricultural business in Kherson oblast.
In two years, Viktor Buluk became co-owner of the main company of family business called agricultural LLC “Agrofirma-Buluk”. At that time, his grandmother Stefania Petrivna Zavgorodnia has been his main partner in the company. She owned the largest share of former enterprise “Bilshovyk” and LLC “Servic-mjaso”, registered for brothers Viktor and Igor Buluk.
Viktor Buluk headed two organizations of party “Nash krai” in Kherson whereas his father has been the head of regional office of this party.
In 2019, Viktor Buluk participated in the parliamentary elections as member of pro-Russian political party “Opposition Block – for Life” but failed (he had # 117 in the party list).
In 2017, non-profit “Development of Skadovsky krai” has been set up by Viktor Buluk, Kugut Maksym Vasylyovych and Motrynets Mykhailo Volodymyrovych. Two latter persons can be called trustful assistants of the family of Buluk.
Before the Russian invasion, “Agrofirma-Buluk” had almost 3 thousand hectares of land in Skadovsky raion. It has been shaped by 833 land plots.
We do not know the area of the Russian clone of “Agrofirma-Buluk”. We do not doubt that “Vice Prime Minister” of Russian occupation “government” Buluk-father used his powers and helplessness of civilian population to steal as many land resources as he could.
By the time of the Russian invasion, Viktor Buluk possessed 84,24% of shares of “Agrofirm-Buluk” whereas remaining shares were owned by his younger brother Igor.
From left to right: collaborators Igor Buluk and Viktor Buluk, 2021. Photo: khersonci.com.ua
In December 2022, LLC “Agrofirma-Buluk” has been registered in the Russian jurisdiction. Viktor Buluk is its founder and General Director. He is the founder of other five Russian clones of Ukrainian companies: LLC “Servis mjaso”, “Avellum legas”, “B-Agro”, “SP Basmaty”.
In December 2023, Viktor Buluk founded LLC “Tavricheskii mjasnoi dvor”.
Buluk’s companies do not disclose their financial reports or information about their participation in public bids in Russia or on occupied territory of Ukraine.
Last year Viktor Buluk made first steps into the sphere of politics on occupied territories. As member of Russian political party “United Russia”, he participated in primaries before illegal elections of “Duma of Kherson oblast”. He failed to receive sufficient number of votes. His father has been far more successful.
Viktor Buluk (extreme right) at the meeting of the association of agricultural producers “People’s Farmer”, April 2024. Photo: social media.
On the other hand, Viktor Buluk was appointed in quazi-non-profit organization of agricultural producers called “People’s Farmer”. It is part of All-Russian association with the same name. “People’s Farmer” is the project of Putin’s movement “All-Russian People’s Front”. The first meeting of Buluk’s “People’s Farmer” was attended by occupation “Vice Speaker of Duma of Kherson oblast” and “Minister of Agriculture”. The main task of the association is to register private farmers in Russian jurisdiction, in exchange for credit support.
Igor Vitaliyovych Buluk, born on May 27, 1998, joined simultaneously agricultural and political business of the family. As it has been reported above, he has been co-founder of two companies, together with his older brother. He has been founder of LLC “Energy of South” (he owned 65% of shares; remaining shares were owned by Mykhailo Motrynets) and director of the factory of mixed fodder “Bekhtery” (registered for his mother). He became member of Skadovsk City Council from party “Nash krai” (its regional office was headed by his father).
In 2021, Igor Buluk was appointed as the head of Kherson regional office of party “Nash krai” (his father left this position). It is remarkable that the regional office was financially supported by LLC “Tavriiski svyni” [Tavria pigs], founded by Stefania Zavgorodnia, mother-in-law of Vitalii Buluk. She controlled the largest share of the company.
Igor Buluk (extreme left) with other members of Skadovsk City Council from political party “Nash krai”. Photo: khersonci.com.ua, 2021
Public activity of member of city council Igor Buluk is mainly about offering St Michael gifts to children, assistance – to war veterans and families with many children etc.
Public asset declaration, submitted by Igor Buluk in 2020, disclosed that he has been the owner of an apartment in Kherson and property assets in Skadovsk. He also owned two land plots and had long term lease agreement for 15 land plots. According to the latest data of analytical YouControl system, Igor Buluk has been the owner of 20 land plots.
After the Russian occupation of Kherson region, Igor Buluk has disappeared. But he left many reviews on his account in reviews.yandex.ru. They demonstrated that after May 2022 he has stayed in Rostov-na-Donu for more than a year. He has visited restaurants, music clubs, shops, hotels and left his reviews. He wrote several times that he visited parks “with his family”. In October 2022, he wrote about “future acquisition” of an apartment in housing complex “Pushkin” in Rostov-na-Donu. In August 2023, he left
We do not know what Igor Buluk did in Rostov. We suggest that he had some training for further career in Russia.
It is remarkable that in 2023 Igor Buluk left family businesses registered in Russian jurisdiction. In April 2023, he liquidated his individual entrepreneurship. In June 2023, he left LLC “Agrofirma-Buluk” and “Servis mjaso” and transferred his shares to older brother.
In November 2023, he left company “Energy of South”. New co-founder of the company is Pavlo Vitaliyovych Belinski, collaborator, former head of legal department of State Employment Service in Kherson oblast. Now Belinski is member of occupation Skadovsk City Council from Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.
In May 2024, Belinski registered LLC “Touristicheski rai” [Tourist paradise] in Skadovsk at Schmidt street, 42. It is the address of housing complex, owned by Igor Buluk, and companies “B-Ground” and “Senator-B”, registered by Belinski. Their director is above mentioned Maksym Kogut.
In May 2024, we suddenly found traces of Igor Buluk at the website of РАДОР – Russian association of road management bodies. The site publishes birthday greetings of colleagues from Russian regions and newly occupied territories of Ukraine at the beginning of each month. We found greetings of Igor Vitaliyovych Buluk as the “Deputy Minister of Transport and Development of Transport Infrastructure of Kherson oblast”.
If Igor Buluk has been indeed appointed as the “Deputy Minister of Transport”, then, he was given very lucrative position. This “Ministry” controls the construction of roads around the Azov Sea. Russian authorities are trying to create alternative land corridor from Russia to Crimea.
Daria Buluk, daughter of Vitalii and Olena Buluk, born in 2007, has also made first steps into the Russian politics.
Daria Buluk (extreme left) and other awarded activists of “Young Guard of United Russia”. May 2024. Photo: social media
She studies in Simferopol school-lyceum # 3 named after Makarenko. She entered local branch of youth organization of Putin’s party “United Russia” – “Young Guard”. Her activity has been already awarded…
We highlighted the role of “Young Guard” of “United Russia” in militarizing Crimean children in our special investigation “Be Ready to Kill and Die for Russia – 2”.
Tags: Viktor Buluk, Vitalii Buluk, Igor Buluk, collaborators, People’s Farmer, occupation, farmers, Kherson oblast, South
