Yermak's Advisors: Who Is Andriy Hota, Who Worked in the Energy Sector and on Drones?
16 September 2026 16:25During the full-scale war, Ukraine found itself in two parallel realities. In one—the front lines, massive shelling, and an energy sector left half-destroyed by Russian attacks. In the other—a shadow network of control and embezzlement of state resources, primarily in the energy sector and defense, which, according to the NABU and the SAP, was coordinated directly from Bankova Street.
At the center of this multi-layered scheme is a man whom the media referred to as the vice president of Ukraine—Andriy Yermak. Over the course of five years as head of the Office of the President, he systematically concentrated power in his own hands and created his own army of “agents of influence.” This role was filled, in particular, by his numerous full-time and part-time advisors, who at various times numbered about 40 people. Each of them did more than just advise; they carried out specific tasks in designated management positions within government agencies. Around each of them, networks formed with “key people” in specific sectors, who were, in essence, part of a “massive scheme” or a corrupt empire. All of this is evidenced by facts made public in recent months by anti-corruption agencies.
It is impossible to cover the full details of this entire scheme involving advisers to the President’s Office in a single article. UA.News has already examined the cases of Yermak’s close associates and advisers, Oleksandr Bevz and Daria Zarivna. Another key figure in Bankova Street affairs is Andriy Hota, an experienced public administrator, former advisor, and chief of staff to Andriy Yermak. He has confidently moved from one influential position to another and, depending on the situation, has worked in sectors ranging from energy to drones. Let’s take a closer look at his career achievements, connections, and wealth.
The
Career Path to the Office of the President
The career of Andriy Gota, a native of Vinnytsia, got off to a rapid start: in 1995, he graduated from Vinnytsia State Technical University with a degree in “Design and Technology,” and by 1997, he had risen to the position of deputy chairman of the board at the closed joint-stock company “Law Firm ‘Magistri and Partners’” in Kyiv.
He subsequently held management positions at the Vinnytsia regional branch of the State Innovation Fund of Ukraine, the Vinnytsia Regional Municipal Enterprise “Resource Company,” and other state institutions of a similar nature until 2009, when he was appointed first deputy chairman of the State Committee for Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship, which was then headed by Mykhailo Brodsky. Then, in 2013–2014, Andriy Gota held a position at the capital’s municipal level—he served as first deputy and acting head of the Desnianskyi District State Administration under the Kyiv City State Administration.
From 2014 to 2015, Gota served as chief of staff of the Kyiv City Council Secretariat, effectively acting as deputy to the then-deputy mayor and secretary of the Kyiv City Council, Oleksiy Reznikov.
From 2015 to 2020, Andriy Gota tried his hand at diplomacy, serving as chief specialist and first secretary for economic affairs at the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States. This was during the tenure of Valerii Chaly as Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., whom Hota had known since his time in Vinnytsia and through their shared social circle.
Then, in 2020, with the support of Oleksiy Reznikov, Andriy Gota joined the Presidential Administration. Reznikov introduced him to his business partner, Andriy Bohdan, who by that time was already heading the Office of the President. For some time, Andriy Gota served as the head of the Cabinet of the Head of the Office of the President; he was then transferred to the position of staff advisor and later to other leadership roles.
A
“Lucrative Position” at Centrenergo
In September 2021, under the State Property Fund’s quota, Andriy Gota—as an experienced manager—was appointed by the state to the supervisory board of PJSC “Centrenergo,” and in 2022, under the quota of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, to PJSC “Ukrnafta.”
As of August 2023, Andriy Gota became chairman of the supervisory board of “Centenergo.” Having gained full control over the company’s supervisory board, he replaced the management that had been acting in the interests of Davyd Arakhamia and Maksym Yefimov. The latter—who owns assets in the energy, heavy machinery, and agribusiness sectors, ranks among Ukraine’s ten richest people, and owns the “Parkovy” convention and exhibition center—
Through the then-Deputy Minister of Energy, Oleksandr Heylo, Andriy Gota brought individuals loyal to him into Centrenergo’s management, and partially transferred management to Andriy Vengryn and Ihor Nasalik, who are considered “coal overseers.” Andriy Gota took the main “financial processes” under his personal control.
When Oleksandr Heylo attempted to “take back” PJSC “Centrenergo” with his protégés, he immediately found himself embroiled in a high-profile corruption scandal. He was detained by NABU agents for accepting a bribe. People familiar with the situation claim that it was Andriy Gota who introduced Vengrin to NABU officials, and that Vengrin then orchestrated the bribery scheme to eliminate competitors.
Photo: The arrest of former Deputy Minister of Energy Oleksandr Heylo on August 10,
2024 Andriy Gota headed the supervisory board of PJSC “Centrenergo” for 2.5 years until December 2025. His tenure was marked by a series of scandals involving the embezzlement of company funds, particularly in coal procurement, repair work, and the construction of physical security structures for facilities.
Andriy Hota is implicated in a Bihus.Info investigation into Centrenergo’s procurement model involving intermediaries, which siphoned 130 million hryvnias from the energy company’s budget through a single coal procurement contract alone.
In September 2024, “Centrenergo” signed an agreement with Teplosfera UA LLC to supply 33,500 metric tons of coal to the Trypilska and Zmiivska thermal power plants. The agreement was concluded under a simplified procedure without an open tender, as it involved supplying coal to the thermal power plants for the heating season. The company was given a 132 million hryvnia advance payment, but it failed to meet the schedule, delivered only 1,500 metric tons, and did not return the remaining unused advance payment. “Centrenergo” filed a lawsuit. But the court found that the contract, worth tens of millions of hryvnias, was “without any real guarantee of receiving the coal or insurance in case of failure,” investigators claim.
The exposé highlights the key role of the supervisory board, which failed to notice the large-scale embezzlement.
“The supervisory board approved transactions worth tens of times less than Teplosfera’s coal contract, so that purchase most likely would have passed right under their noses,” the article “Not Just Mindich. +1 Brazen Scheme in the Energy Sector.”
Journalists drew attention to how, after signing the agreement with “Teplosfera” in September 2024, Andriy Hota, chairman of the supervisory board of PJSC “Centrenergo,” publicly reported on preparations for the fall-winter period.
“We are once again facing a serious challenge and have a crucial task ahead of us. We are expected to make prompt and effective decisions and take action. It is important to ensure the transparency of the process—of course, taking security issues into account—and to foster an open dialogue among all parties involved. I have no doubt that we will live up to the trust placed in us by the Ukrainian people and the country’s leadership,” a quote from Andriy Gota’s speech on the energy company’s website.
In December 2025, Gota announced his intention to leave “Centrenergo.”
“I’ve been working for about a year at a company that manufactures various types of drones. So, I think I’ll focus on that. Although, if I could be of use somewhere in the energy sector, I would be happy to work in that field,” he said about his plans in an interview.
A New Area of Interest: Drone
Manufacturing
Equally telling was the next line of work for the former head of Centrenergo’s supervisory board—drone manufacturing. This is one of the most vulnerable and, at the same time, “lucrative” budget sectors, where massive government contracts are awarded, procedures are expedited, and there is limited public oversight under the pretext of “everything for the front.”
The fact that such a strategic area would be handled by a person with a questionable background and without the necessary professional qualifications caused an uproar among the professional community and the public.
“Andriy Gota, an advisor to Yermak who served as the head of his office (the head of the President’s Office has his own office) and most recently served as chairman of the supervisory board of “Centrenergo,” will now be in charge of… what do you think?.. ta-da! — drones. He’s been working with drones for a year now, according to him)) After the “Mindichgate” scandal, the president ordered all members of supervisory boards to be cut off from the gravy train—and they were )) And after Yermak’s dismissal, he ordered his advisors to be gotten rid of—and they were)) “Why are they all—‘physicists,’ location managers, architects of concrete furniture, advisors, and supervisory board chairmen—jumping into the drone business?..” — This is how Yuriy Kasyanov, a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer and aviation engineer, commented on Andriy Gota’s move into a new professional field.
He also noted that Gota explicitly stated he had already been working for about a year at a company that manufactures drones, meaning the transition was planned in advance and was not a spontaneous decision.
Following Andriy Yermak’s resignation, according to informed officials, Gota lost control of “Centrenergo” and therefore took a fictitious position at Mriya Drone Technology LLC. It cannot be ruled out that this was done to secure a position, and that Gota continued to receive income from this company as late as 2025—even after his dismissal from PJSC “Centrenergo.”
This LLC is also quite interesting. Its formal owner is Oleksandr Olegovych Redka, who positions himself as a successful entrepreneur in the construction and drone manufacturing industries. However, there is a high probability that this individual is merely a “front” for certain politically influential figures.
Upon closer inspection, it turns out that Oleksandr Redka is the founder of numerous businesses in completely different fields, ranging from spas and spiritual renewal to real estate construction and drone manufacturing:
JSC “Kolarad” Closed-End Undiversified Venture Corporate Investment Fund; NGO “FENIX” Animal Shelter; “INFOSYSTECH” Scientific and Technical Center; “Resort-Service” Private Enterprise; “Bavovna Solutions” LLC; “Ararta” LLC; “Aura SPA & Lounge” LLC; “Dzherelo Pererodzhennia” LLC; “DSK LTD Center” LLC; “Yebeton” LLC; “Karpaty-Spetsservice” LLC; “Kompozitplast” LLC; “Mriya Drone Technlogi” LLC; “NVP ‘ECO ERA’” LLC; “Ramikh” LLC; “Skob Systems” LLC; “Kompositplast Trading House” LLC; “Phoenix – Valley of Innovations” LLC; “Phoenix Gastropub” LLC; Phoenix Invest DP LLC; Phoenix Medical Resort LLC; Phoenix Relax Park LLC; Phoenix Restobar LLC; Phoenix Restopub LLC; Phoenix SPA-Center LLC; Phoenix Shopping and Entertainment Center LLC; Phoenix Tubing LLC; Phoenix Femeli Residence LLC; Hardkiss Robotics LLC.
Interestingly, these companies hold title to over 400 land plots in resort areas of the Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv regions, as well as a large resort complex in Koncha-Zaspa (Koncha Zaspa Park by Phoenix).
In addition, Oleksandr Redka owns 26 real estate properties, 57 land plots in the Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv regions, and 8 vehicles, including a Porsche 911 Carrera and a Lamborghini Urus SUV.
The
question remains: how did a businessman who once owned only a small, unprofitable café become an overnight success in 2021, with annual profits exceeding $30 million, and who is the actual beneficiary of this business?
Let’s take a
closer look at the successful LLC “Mriya Drone Technolodzhi,” where Oleksandr Redka serves as director. The company was registered on December 29, 2022, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. As of 2024, it employed over 120 people. Over the past two years, compared to 2024, the company has been rapidly improving its performance.
The Businesswoman’s
Wealth and Wife
Despite his impressive track record, Andriy Hota officially owns not only no valuable assets but not even his own home. As a civil servant, in the financial disclosure forms he has filed from 2017 to the present, he has listed a dormitory as his place of residence. Of course, he did not actually live there but instead used expensive housing registered in other people’s names. Specifically, this refers to a residential house with an area of over 163 square meters in Vyshhorod on a 0.05-hectare plot of land, which is registered in the name of Andriy Hota’s mother-in-law—Tetyana Yevhenivna Holenko, who lives in Vinnytsia.
Even in February 2026, when Andriy Gota filed a declaration of resignation from his position as chairman of the supervisory board of PJSC “Centrenergo,” he again failed to indicate his place of residence.
In contrast, the public official’s wife—Natalia Petrivna Gota—turned out to be quite wealthy. However, Andriy Gota divorced her in September 2024, just as the scandal involving coal contracts at “Centrenergo” was at its height.
Natalia Gota holds a 50% stake in the Kyiv-based LLC “Ukrainian-American Bureau of Industrial Services,” where Volodymyr Vasylovych Yarmolenko serves as director. Incidentally, Natalia Gota became a founder of the aforementioned company on the same day (November 4, 2020) along with Herman Artemovich Nazarenko (son-in-law of former People’s Deputy Yuriy Bereza, who was placed on the National Police’s wanted list on July 12, 2022) and Yana Oleksandrivna Rusetska. The latter is considered in business circles to be a person under the control of Hennadiy Korban.
Andriy Gota’s ex-wife was also involved in a number of businesses: Obltechbud LLC (founder); Oborona-Service LLC (founder); Medikar LLC (founder); Podilsk Trade Company LLC.
She also owns two land plots, the rights to which she received as a result of the division of joint property.
Furthermore, according to insider information, Natalia Gota registered a private company in the United States. The company’s address is an apartment in a prestigious residential complex in a suburb of Washington, D.C. This was not reflected in her husband’s declaration, although the aforementioned apartment is likely also owned by her.
A review of U.S. registries revealed that Natalia Gota owns two legal entities that are registered and operate in accordance with U.S. law, namely:
- NG INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS LLC (date of registration: December 26, 2022). Jurisdiction: Maryland (US).
- ACCOUNTING & BILLING INC (date of registration: March 14, 2024). Jurisdiction: Maryland (US).
The companies were registered at the same address 15 months apart, which may indicate that the apartment in question is owned by Natalia Gota, especially since the couple has officially resided permanently in Ukraine since 2020. The apartment in question is located in the “Kenwood Place” condominium complex. It is a gated community with its own parking lot and an outdoor swimming pool.
A similar apartment in the same building and on the same floor costs starting at $520,000. The cost of living in an owned (not rented) apartment (utilities, parking, pool, insurance) starts at $4,352 per month. The cost of renting an apartment (excluding utilities) starts at $3,200 per month.
Even if we assume that Andriy Gota’s wife merely rented the apartment in question, she would have had to spend at least $113,280 over 15 months to maintain it. Andriy Gota’s income declaration does not indicate that his family had the legal means to purchase or rent the aforementioned residence.
Naturally, the companies and residence in Washington are not listed in the declarations, nor is any housing (place of residence) in Ukraine.
Connections in High Circles and a Local Network of Influence
Andriy Gota’s career advancement followed the typical model of a Ukrainian official in government structures, where he rose through the ranks or moved to more “lucrative” positions thanks to the right connections. At various times, Ukrainian media reported that Gota maintained very close ties with Mykhailo Brodsky, Oleksiy Reznikov, Hennadiy Korban, Andriy Vavrysh, and Andriy Bohdan. Journalists speculated that these ties were largely based on shared financial interests in various schemes for personal enrichment at the expense of state resources across different sectors.
This “social capital” also helped him emerge unscathed from corruption scandals. For example, through media outlets under his control—in particular, the “Obozrevatel” media holding—as well as through bloggers under his influence, such as Ihor Mosiychuk, Mykhailo Brodsky creates a positive image of Andriy Gota as a professional public administrator.
Andriy Gota also had joint business interests in the “Ukrainian-American Bureau of Industrial Services” LLC with Herman Artemovich Nazarenko (son-in-law of former People’s Deputy Yuriy Bereza) and Mykola Mykolayovych Petrenko (a former advisor to Mykola Azarov and a People’s Deputy from the Opposition Platform—For Life party). Andriy Gota introduced them to Oleksiy Reznikov and lobbied for them to become suppliers of military goods. As a result, over 1.7 billion hryvnias were transferred to companies controlled by Petrenko and Nazarenko in February–March 2022, yet the specified goods, which were supposed to be delivered within 10 days, were never actually delivered. Incidentally, Petrenko and Nazarenko are wanted internationally.
In addition, Andriy Gota was likely involved in confidential cooperation with U.S. intelligence agencies (Fin CEN). This is suggested by the fact that the anti-corruption agencies NABU and SAPO showed no interest in his questionable activities at PJSC “Centrenergo” or his likely illicit enrichment while holding that position.
