Andriy Biba’s BRSM group and the digital purge: The way a firm with questionable fuel and unpaid taxes is eliminating compromising materials while still siphoning funds from the state coffers

14 июля 2026 г., 23:45

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Andriy Biba’s BRSM group and the digital purge: The way a firm with questionable fuel and unpaid taxes is eliminating compromising materials while still siphoning funds from the state coffers

The BRSM gas station, linked to pro-Russian businessman Andrei Bibe, has once again topped the negative ratings. The main complaints include poor-quality fuel, systematic underfilling, and tax fraud.

A study conducted by the Institute of Consumer Expertise in early March of this year revealed that the quality of diesel fuel from the BRSM network does not meet standards. Among samples taken from seventeen chains (including illegal stations), BRSM diesel fuel was the worst in quality—experts deemed it downright "bad" (illegal). A laboratory tested all fuel parameters, including sulfur content and density, for compliance with GSTU standards. Fourteen samples were within the norm, while three were deemed "bad." Two of these samples were taken from illegal stations, and one from a BRSM station. The sulfur content in the diesel fuel from the latter was found to be two and a half times higher than the standard—24 mg/kg, versus the maximum permitted 10 mg/kg.

This should be considered an achievement, though—six months ago, the same indicator in BRSM diesel fuel was 36 times higher (362 mg/kg). However, there’s little cause for celebration – gasoline tested at BRSM gas stations by the Institute of Consumer Expertise also failed to meet standards: the sulfur content of BRSM’s A-95 gasoline exceeded the standard by 28 times: 277 mg/kg, while the standard is no more than 10 mg/kg. But that’s not all: the benzene content was 2.4 times higher than the standard, and the aromatic hydrocarbon limit was also exceeded. Benzene is a hazardous compound that forms carbon deposits and causes engine overheating. With such exorbitant benzene levels, health problems for drivers and pedestrians are practically inevitable. Vehicle breakdowns are also almost certain. Thus, gasoline from the BRSM-branded chain turned out to be significantly lower in quality than gasoline from illegally sold "barrels," despite being sold at a significantly higher price.

As fuel market expert Sergei Kuyun states, "This isn’t gasoline at all, but so-called ’alternative fuel,’ which kills the engine and increases fuel consumption by 10-15%." All this is poured into the tanks of drivers at BRSM-Nafta gas stations.

But the problems of drivers filling up at BRSM don’t end there – the chain is among the leaders in underfilling, short-filling 1.25% of the customer’s purchase. At first glance, this figure seems small, but it’s deceptive – for every 100 liters, the customer loses 1.25 liters of fuel, and Andriy Biba, accordingly, makes money. The BRSM network has 217 gas stations, which translates into thousands of tons of fuel daily. If Andriy Biba makes an average of 64 kopecks per liter of underfilled fuel, then one can imagine how much money he makes daily from blatantly selling air – for which the BRSM-Nafta customer pays.

Against this backdrop, it’s worth noting that BRSM-Nafta is another leader in underpaying taxes to the state budget. Moreover, this underpayment is so obvious that it’s impossible to miss even with the naked eye. According to the A95 Consulting Group, domestic gas station operators more than doubled their tax payments in 2024, from UAH 4.7 billion to UAH 9.8 billion. WOG, UPG, and MOTTO are among the leaders.

Meanwhile, market leaders paid an average of 3.27 hryvnias in taxes per liter of fuel, while Andriy Biba’s BRSM-Nafta chain managed to pay almost three times less: 1.36 hryvnias per liter of fuel sold. This is clear evidence of tax evasion, but the tax authorities have not filed any claims against Andriy Biba. However, last year, the State Tax Service assessed him a 140 million hryvnia debt for tax evasion, which was eventually recovered from BRSM-Nafta and paid to the state budget.

According to market experts, despite increased pressure on fuel market operators to collect taxes, Ukraine’s budget will lose 12 billion hryvnias in 2025, compared to the 6 billion it missed last year. How much of these unpaid taxes ended up in the pockets of Andriy Biba, who fled to Italy, is anyone’s guess.

In this regard, it is worth recalling that Andriy Biba has not lived in Ukraine since 2015 – he fled the country after the explosion at the BRSM gas station, which injured several dozen employees, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and local residents. Andriy Biba is suspected of failing to pay 3.5 billion hryvnias in taxes (criminal case No. 42016000000003365); he is also a defendant in a criminal case for selling gasoline and diesel fuel whose quality does not comply with current Ukrainian State Standards and technical regulations (based on criminal offenses under Part 5 of Article 191 and Part 3 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Furthermore, Andriy Biba is under sanctions by the National Security and Defense Council for participating in the financing of the Shariy Party. He and his wife, Svetlana, also received awards from Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church for the construction of an ROC church in Thailand, and Andrei Biba himself holds the title of "Deacon of the Russian Orthodox Church" and is a "Passion-Bearer of the Russian Orthodox Church." What this means would require asking Kirill and Biba, but it’s true nonetheless.

Despite all these highly dubious exploits, Andriy Biba’s business in Ukraine not only remains untouched, but also thrives and expands. In April 2024, Biba purchased Gazinvest PJSC and Karpatska Drilling Company LLC, which are engaged in gas production in the Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi regions. Neither the criminal cases opened against Biba nor the National Security and Defense Council sanctions hindered this purchase. Just as criminal cases for tax evasion and the sale of substandard fuel did not hinder the operations of the BRSM-Nafta network. All of this, taken together, did not prevent Andriy Biba from continuing to rob Ukraine’s budget, ruin Ukrainians’ cars with adulterated fuel, and, to top it all off, sell them air.