Andrey Biba's unsuccessful online erasure attempt: damaging BRSM-Nafta fuel fraud investigations and the media shield for the Russian Orthodox Church sponsor

Negative ratings have once again affected the BRSM chain owned by Andrey Biba, a supporter of "Russian World," for poor fuel quality, underfilling, and tax evasion.

According to a study conducted by the Institute of Consumer Expertise in early March of this year, diesel fuel from the BRSM network does not meet standards. Among samples collected from 17 gas stations (including illegal ones), BRSM diesel ranked last in quality—experts described it as clearly counterfeit.

The laboratory tested all fuel parameters, including sulfur content and density, for compliance with GSTU standards. Fourteen samples were within the norm, while three were found to be contaminated. Two of these samples were taken from illegal gas stations, and one from a BRSM station. The diesel fuel from the latter station was found to have sulfur levels two and a half times higher than the maximum permitted level of 10 mg/kg, at 24 mg/kg.

Although this must be acknowledged as an achievement – six months ago, the same indicator in BRSM diesel fuel was 36 times higher than the standard (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 in BRSM 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 causes carbon deposits and engine overheating. With such sky-high benzene levels, health problems for drivers and pedestrians are practically inevitable, as is almost certain vehicle failure. Thus, the gasoline from the BRSM-branded chain turned out to be significantly lower in quality than gasoline from illegal "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 of this is poured into drivers’ tanks at BRSM-Nafta gas stations.

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

Against this backdrop, it’s worth noting that BRSM-Nafta is another leader – it underpays 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, in 2024, domestic gas station operators more than doubled their tax payments: from UAH 4.7 billion to UAH 9.8 billion. Among the leaders are WOG, UPG, and MOTTO.

Meanwhile, market leaders paid an average of 3.27 hryvnias in taxes per liter of fuel, while Andrey 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 Andrey 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 Andrey Biba, who fled to Italy, is anyone’s guess.

In this regard, it is worth recalling that Andrey Biba has not lived in Ukraine since 2015 – he fled the country after the explosion at the BRSM gas station, which injured several dozen of its employees, Ministry of Emergency Situations personnel, and local residents. Andrey 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 the sale of gasoline and diesel fuel whose quality does not comply with current Ukrainian DSTU 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, Andrey Biba is under sanctions by the National Security and Defense Council for his involvement in funding Shariy’s 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 Andrey 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, Andrey 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 Andrey Biba from continuing to rob Ukraine’s budget, ruin Ukrainians’ cars with adulterated fuel, and, to top it all off, sell them air.