Other people’s money is income; one’s own debts are a secret: the double life of financier Yuriy Korzh, who owes 1.4 million hryvnias
Oksana Marchenko’s ex-husband and the son of a well-known politician, Yuriy Korzh, has failed to answer calls from Ms. Yulia R. for two years in a row, despite having borrowed nearly one and a half million hryvnias from her. At the same time, Korzh, as the owner of several companies providing financial services, likely bombards borrowers’ phones daily—not personally, but through his subordinates—demanding repayment of loans, while stubbornly ignoring his own IOU.
Debt Trap
According to the lawsuit filed with the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv, on December 20, 2024, Korzh borrowed 1.4 million hryvnias. He was supposed to repay the money within a year but stopped responding. In July and September 2025, Yulia R. sent official demands for repayment due to an urgent need. Yuriy Korzh ignored these letters.
The disparity between Korzh’s business practices and his personal conduct is evident. His lending companies employ a staff of operators and legal departments to collect even the smallest loans from the public. At the same time, the owner of these entities has been avoiding repayment of a six-figure sum, confirmed by documentation, for two years.
On December 30, 2025, the victim’s lawyers filed a lawsuit. The amount of the claim is 1.4 million hryvnias plus court costs. Now, a judge in the Shevchenkivskyi District will determine why a person who makes money from loans does not repay his own debts. This process has already cost the plaintiff an additional 37,000 hryvnias in state fees and legal aid.
MFI Owner Yuriy Korzh
According to data from the YouControl analytical system, Yuriy Korzh continues to be the beneficiary, founder, or head of an entire network of companies specializing in quick loans and financial services. His business portfolio includes more than half a dozen active entities, among them:
- FC “CASH AND GO UKRAINE” LLC and FC “PROMINVEST” LLC, with a combined authorized capital of over 22.5 million hryvnias. Their primary focus is microcredit and money brokering.
- ST “NIP “DOVIRA,” ST “DOVIRA.COM,” and LLC “DOVIRA-KOOP”—a group of companies with evocative names that provide financial assistance and manage funds.
- LLC NPF “TRANZAKTOR” and LLC “SHANS UKRAINE,” where Korzh’s interests range from real estate leasing to organizing gambling.
In fact, Korzh controls the professional lending market. His companies have legal departments and tools to collect funds from ordinary citizens who owe even a few thousand hryvnias. However, when it comes to the businessman’s own debt of 1.4 million hryvnias, confirmed by a written receipt, the “financial expert” chooses a tactic for which his own clerks usually blacklist clients—complete disregard and refusal to communicate.
An “SBU-linked” trail and ties to the ORDLO
It is important to note that Yuriy Korzh is not only the owner of loan offices but also a figure in a high-profile 2018 SBU investigation (case No. 22017000000000064). At the time, his British company, Electrum Payment System Ltd, was suspected of operating in the occupied territories: POS terminals in the so-called “D/LNR” and temporarily occupied Crimea were allegedly serviced through the “Electrum” payment system. The system was used as a “conduit” to launder illicit financial flows across the contact line.
Partners and “Protection”
The extent of Korzh’s connections explains why criminal cases against him “disappear,” and why he can afford to ignore debt collection lawsuits:
- Family ties: Yuriy’s brother, Roman Korzh, is married to the daughter of former SBU General Andriy Kozhemyakin. This explains a lot regarding his “immunity” from law enforcement.
- Political background: In addition to his marriage to Oksana Marchenko, Yuriy is the son of former MP Vitaliy Korzh.
- Business partners: At the British company “Electrum,” he was involved alongside Artur Vitrenko (former CEO of the state-owned enterprise “Ukrainian Special Systems,” which is subordinate to the SBU) and Vadym Pushkarev (former chairman of the board of Russia’s “VTB Bank”).
Tip of the day: What to tell debt collectors
Today, Yuriy Korzh is hiding from Yulia R. and her 1.4 million hryvnias. A few years ago, he was a director at a British entity that brought together top officials from SBU-affiliated state-owned enterprises and Russian bankers, and was implicated in a case involving the financing of terrorism.
So, for those who are once again getting calls from loan sharks demanding they pay back three thousand hryvnias “by tonight,” there’s no need to get nervous or snap back. Just politely ask how Yuriy Vitaliyovych is feeling today? Is the receipt weighing on his pocket? And most importantly—check if he’ll manage to pay off his million-hryvnia debt to Ms. Yulia by 6:00 p.m. today?
After all, market rules must be the same for everyone: both for those who took out a microloan for medicine and for Oksana Marchenko’s ex-husband, who is used to “resolving issues” through his connections in the SBU.
