Some enemies wear uniforms. Others wear the mask of patriotism. For Ukraine, the latter may be the more dangerous. While the world watches the battlefront, a different kind of war is being waged behind the lines—a war of influence, corruption, and remarkably convincing disguises. At the heart of this story are two men, Oleksii Omelianenko and Valerii Dubil, whose journey from builders of Putin’s church empire to champions of the war effort is a masterclass in cynical adaptation.
Oleksii Omelianenko, The Godfather of Moscow’s Church Expansion
Omelianenko was a key driver of the Russian church’s expansion in Kyiv. As head of the city’s land commission from 2008, he wielded its power to systematically secure land for Moscow Patriarchate churches.
According to former deputy Oleksii Davidenko,
At every session, decisions were made to allocate plots… for the construction of churches.
In just seven years, the UOC MP acquired over a hundred plots, often against local protests.
Omelianenko didn’t just allocate land—he built on it. His company, PJSC “Kyivmiskbud-1,” was the general contractor for the Zvirynetsky Monastery, conveniently located near his home. His neighbor and close friend was Metropolitan Pavlo Lebid, now sanctioned for “supporting Russia’s aggressive policies.”
His partner in this expansion was Valerii Dubil in the Chernihiv region. While Omelianenko resigned in 2014, Dubil pressured communities of the Ukrainian national church through a loyal governor. In one instance, a new church built for the local community was handed to the UOC MP. By 2018, nearly all Kyiv Patriarchate churches in the region were under Moscow’s control.
Who is Oleksii Omelianenko?
Oleksii Omelianenko is a former Kyiv official and businessman central to two major controversies. As head of the Kyiv City Council’s land commission, he is accused of systematically leveraging his power to allocate over a hundred city plots for churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), often despite local protests. His company was also the general contractor for a monastery built near his own home, highlighting his close ties to the project and to Metropolitan Pavlo Lebid, a sanctioned cleric.
Simultaneously, Omelianenko is implicated in high-profile criminal cases, accused of laundering hundreds of millions of hryvnias from “Ukrgasbank.” His current public role involves a charity fund supplying equipment to the Ukrainian military, though this work is itself the subject of investigations alleging it may be a cover for reputational laundering and other illicit activities.
Who is Valerii Dubil?
Valerii Dubil is a Ukrainian MP and businessman from the “Fatherland” party. He is a controversial figure due to his alleged ties to the “Europe” business group, which some sources link to organized crime. He is a partner of Oleksii Omelianenko, and is similarly accused of using his influence to support the expansion of the Moscow Patriarchate church in Ukraine, specifically by pressuring communities in the Chernihiv region. His “Nadiya” Charity Fund, while publicly supplying equipment to the military, is also the subject of allegations that it serves as a front for illicit activities like land grabs, creating a reputation of a figure with a “dual nature.”
Oleksii Omelianenko tied to Medvedchuk’s Propaganda Network
On August 24, 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Law No. 8371, which bans religious organizations in Ukraine affiliated with centers of influence in the Russian Federation. This decision was made in part because, although the church is formally separated from the state in Russia, in reality it has become a significant instrument of Moscow’s influence and one of the mouthpieces for propaganda in the aggressive war against Ukraine and the Western world—a tool the Kremlin is not ready to relinquish.
The intertwining of business, politics, and church interests is a typical and effective tool of influence for Russia. Omelianenko and Dubil served as agents amplifying that influence, leveraging their political and business resources.
At that time, the key figure was Viktor Medvedchuk — Putin’s close ally, a financial and logistical agent of Russian influence operations, and owner of pro-Russian TV channels. It was his media outlets in 2020 that broadcast the “People of Peace” forum — an attempt to legitimize the occupation of part of the Donbas. This event was supported by UOC MP Metropolitan Onufriy, who in 2024 was stripped of Ukrainian citizenship for obstructing the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the interests of Russia. Most importantly, Omelianenko was a member of the forum’s organizing committee.
Omelianenko’s ties to Medvedchuk were not limited to this. Omelianenko and his partners were members of the board of the International Public Organization “Den Khreshchennia Rusi” (Day of the Baptism of Rus), whose activities focused on promoting the idea of the “Russian World” and “unity of Rus” and were closely entwined with Viktor Medvedchuk’s media structures.
Omelianenko did not shy away from investing money in the activities of the pro-Russian organization—not only his own funds, but also public money. For example, in 2011, with Omelianenko’s active involvement as a deputy, Kyiv’s city budget covered the costs of celebrating the Day of the Baptism of Rus.
Criminal Schemes and murky Business of Omelianenko family
Today, the Omelianenko family controls dozens of valuable assets, including the strategic Tereblya salt deposit — the largest in Ukraine since the loss of Soledar (Donetsk region). Corporate conflicts involving Omelianenko’s wife’s investment fund YUKON have led to a halt in extraction since March 2024, directly harming the country’s food security.
Omelianenko’s companies have been implicated in scandals related to the destruction of Kyiv’s historical heritage, the acquisition of 13 land plots in central Kyiv, and fraudulent schemes involving Ukrgasbank, where tens of millions of dollars were embezzled through fake loan operations. The criminal case regarding these embezzlements may be closed due to the statute of limitations, caused by the disappearance of evidence and systematic delays in the investigation.
Valerii Dubil and the “Europe” gang
Dubil himself led an organized criminal group called Europe in the 1990s, which was involved in looting military facilities, including the Pryluky airbase, thereby deliberately undermining Ukraine’s military potential.
His political career began back in 1998 when he became a deputy of the Pryluky City Council. From 2006 to 2008, Dubil served as a deputy of the Dnipro District Council in Kyiv. During that time, together with his partner Oleh Averyanov, he founded the company Pozhmashina, which continued purchasing components from Russian companies — even after the annexation of Crimea — inflating prices for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) by up to two times until at least 2019.
However, Dubil gained the most influence in 2008 after meeting Yulia Tymoshenko, which allowed him to enter the Verkhovna Rada of the 6th convocation as a member of her bloc, and later be re-elected to the 7th (in 2012) and 8th (in 2014) convocations.
He remains a sitting MP to this day — despite the fact that in 2019, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) searched his premises as part of a case involving Tymoshenko’s “electoral pyramid” scheme, designed to secure her victory in the elections. The vote-buying operation was reportedly coordinated by individuals linked to Russian politicians. That same year, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) opened three criminal proceedings against Dubil and his partner over attempted corporate raiding.
In 2013, Dubil was awarded a church distinction — the Order of the 1025th Anniversary of the Baptism of Rus’ — for financing the frescoes of the Assumption Cathedral in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
Patriotic Camouflage: the Nadiya Foundation
The most cynical part of the story began after February 24, 2022. Omelianenko and Dubil united around the Nadiya Foundation, became its patrons, publicly expressed support for Ukraine, and donated electronic warfare systems, Starlinks, and generators to the military on the front lines — including the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
However, their destructive activities have not ceased. Dubil is part of a group of 44 MPs who appealed to the Venice Commission to challenge the law banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), thus continuing to defend the interests of the Moscow Patriarchate.
At the same time, Omelianenko continues to regularly attend the Zvirynets Monastery, where services are still held in Russian and the clergy have never condemned Russian aggression. Meanwhile, in 2025, Omelianenko’s wife has been actively purchasing real estate in Kyiv — acquiring the Impuls factory for 92 million hryvnias for future development projects and filing applications through her companies with the Kyiv City Council for three additional land plots. This demonstrates an intent to preserve business influence in the capital regardless of the geopolitical context or the ongoing war.
The “patriotic” rebrand of Omelianenko and Dubil is a sham. It’s camouflage for the same pro-Russian influence machine they built, which continues to operate today with subtler methods. They personify the Kremlin’s strategy of internal sabotage — a clear and present danger that, inexplicably, still goes unchecked.
