Kherson entrepreneurs Vladlen and Hennadiy Hirin were, until recently, those people best characterized by the old saying “widely known in narrow circles.”

International fame, albeit of a dubious kind, was brought to them by the arrest of Vladlen Hirin at the request of Interpol in 2024. After this, the Hirin brothers became the subject of close attention and the heroes of numerous journalistic investigations, which included the entire classic set: money laundering, real estate machinations, political connections, drug trafficking, banal “scams,” and international financial schemes. Which, for natives of provincial Kherson, you must agree, was a considerable achievement, albeit of a dubious kind.

Starting their careers in Kherson as entrepreneurs and not very successful local politicians, Vladlen and Hennadiy Hirin built a structure over two decades that, according to journalistic investigations and law enforcement materials, could engage in development scams, money transfers abroad, and money laundering through European jurisdictions.

Today, this story has taken a new turn: European law enforcement agencies have launched an investigation that ended with high-profile arrests and asset confiscations. But to understand the scale of what is happening, it is necessary to return to the beginning.

Vladlen Hirin, the elder of the brothers, was born in Kherson and began his career in the late 1980s, working at a shipbuilding plant and gradually transitioning into the construction business. By the early 1990s, he had created his own commercial structures engaged in electrical installation and construction work.

In parallel with this, he was building a political career – logically realizing that without a deputy status, even at the local level, doing business in the new conditions would be difficult. Moreover, deputies would have to be bought one way or another, so why spend money on what you can have yourself? Therefore, in 1998, Vladlen Hirin received a mandate from the Kherson city council, also heading one of the most interesting commissions – on trade, consumer rights protection, and household services.

This gave the necessary impetus for development, and by the mid-2000s, the Hirin brothers had become noticeable players in the Kherson business. The main directions of their activities included: construction and development, production of building materials, real estate trading, and land projects.

The business gradually expanded, and along with it, the family’s political ambitions grew. Vladlen Hirin began participating in local politics, sponsoring various political forces, and regularly running for the position of mayor of Kherson, albeit without noticeable success.

In parallel with these unsuccessful attempts, the Hirin brothers actively developed their business, where successes were much more noticeable – as of today, the younger brother, Hennadiy, officially owns assets worth almost half a billion hryvnias and is a beneficiary of several successful companies.

Interestingly, against this background – the elder, Vladlen Hirin , being a co-owner in the same companies, is listed among the “poor” – his income amounts to 2,867 hryvnias. This is per year, in case someone didn’t understand. How Vladlen Hirin lives, moreover, being on the run, on this money – is a mystery. 

However, it is clear that these data are pure deception, and they appeared as a result of false reporting. Because even a superficial analysis of the Hirin brothers’ activities in the field of development indicates that both the first and the second Hirin have much higher incomes than they show in the documentation.

In the assets of both brothers is LLC “Stroy City,” associated with one of the biggest scandals in the Kherson region. The company began the construction of an elite cottage complex on the territory of an archaeological monument of national importance – the Oleshkivska Sich. As a result of the work, about 3.5 hectares of the cultural layer of the historical object were destroyed.

It is characteristic that one of the co-owners of LLC “Stroy City” was Oleksiy Zhuravko, a former people’s deputy from the Party of Regions. Although he was not listed in the documents as an owner, it was he who provided cover, and thanks to him, Vladlen and Hennadiy Hirin had no problems with the law after the destruction of part of the Oleshkivska Sich.

What is characteristic in connection with LLC “Stroy City” and other companies that have been involved in high-profile scandals and have had problems after them, is that the Hirin brothers withdrew from the number of their owners and promptly re-registered these firms to their entourage. In the case of LLC “Stroy City,” the nominal owners of the company are Nella Hirina and Vanessa Hirina, and the company is now drowning in lawsuits and claims.

As for political connections, the Hirin brothers, especially the elder, Vladlen, never neglected their importance. In addition to regular and unsuccessful attempts to head Kherson, he successfully corrupted part of the city’s deputy corps and other influential people. In addition to the already mentioned “regional” Zhuravko, among the highest patrons of Vladlen Hirin  should be noted the people’s deputy from “Servant of the People” Lyudmila Buimister. It was she who pushed Vladlen Hirin into the lists of candidates for deputies of the Kyiv city council in 2020 from “Servant of the People.” What is characteristic, Mrs. Buimister was not hindered by the fact that Hirin’s companion Zhuravko was an openly pro-Russian deputy.

However, with the Kyiv city council, Vladlen Hirin also did not succeed – even the promptly raised “green” flag did not help. But it worked out with business: what Hirin and Buimister agreed on is unknown, but the Hirin brothers acquired objects in the Kyiv region.

After Vladlen Hirin  got into the orbit of “Servant of the People,” through LLC “Gistion,” which belongs to him and a certain Oleh Lebedenko, a large logistics complex Amtel near Kyiv with an area of over 100 thousand m² was acquired. The deal was estimated at approximately 40 million dollars. In this connection, the financial indicators of LLC “Gistion” look very interesting – it is not exactly bankrupt, but not far from it.

In connection with finances – remember Vladlen Hirin’s income – another deal raises questions. In 2021, Vladlen Hirin acquired 100 apartments in a new residential complex in Sofiivska Borshchahivka, which is in the Bucha district of the Kyiv region. Essentially, he acquired an entire sector of the residential complex “Happy” for about 1.5 million dollars.

These are just the most noticeable acquisitions of Hirin. The question is on what money he acquired them. And the answer became clear after the Hirin  brothers suddenly fled Ukraine. In 2022, they settled in Cyprus.

In this connection, there are several interesting coincidences. “Breaking through” Cyprus as a possible place of residence for Hirin  began in 2019. Just at the moment when their patron Oleksiy Zhuravko had problems due to financing the “independent republics” of Donbas.

At the same time, Vladlen Hirin found approaches to the “servants,” but the attempt to enter the Kyiv city council on their shoulders was unsuccessful. Moreover, his new patroness Lyudmila Buimister soon also had big problems – in 2021, she left the “Servant of the People” faction, and soon it became clear that Buimister was serving the interests of Rinat Akhmetov. This is a separate story, but the essence is that Vladlen Hirin suddenly lost the roof he had invested in after the triumphant entry of the “servants” into power.

And a few months later, the Hirin  brothers fled Ukraine. All these events are interconnected – after the family lost political cover, the Hirin business began to be “torn apart” by stronger players. And this business was by no means limited to development. Since further events around the Hirins gave an answer both to the question of the origin of the capitals and to the question of why they had to flee urgently.

Because one of the key elements of Vladlen and Hennadiy Hirin’s business was an international financial network, in which money of the most diverse origin was laundered – from banal budget “cuts” to drug trafficking.

According to journalists, operations were conducted through Cyprus, EU countries, and cryptocurrency platforms. Law enforcement officers believe that through this network, funds obtained from criminal structures, including drug cartels, could pass. In the course of the investigation, European authorities found that over 75 million euros were laundered through structures associated with the brothers.

However, the escape to Cyprus was clearly a failed idea, as evidenced by the Europol operation in 2024. During the international investigation, key participants in the financial network were detained. Among those arrested was Vladlen Hirin, as well as members of his family. However, the younger brother, Hennadiy Hirin, managed to avoid arrest and is now on the run. According to sources in Europol, he is currently on the territory of one of the EU countries.

However, according to unverified rumors, the younger Hirin moved to the Russian Federation – not for nothing among the accusations against him is participation in the financing of the “LPR/DPR” in the company of the already deceased Zhuravko. However, the sources of information about Hennadiy Hirin’s presence on Russian territory are very unreliable. And he himself should understand that former merits in financing “Novorossiya” are now of no interest to anyone there – as long as he can be “milked,” he will be left alone. And then – to the front, for the “Russian Kherson.”

But these are versions. While the actual whereabouts of the younger Hirin are unknown, it is unknown whether he is alive at all – the drug mafia he served is also not at all interested in Hennadiy Hirin giving testimony to the police. Just like other players in the shadow market, whose money went through the Hirin channels.

Because you don’t have to be extremely smart to understand – the arrest of Vladlen Hirin and the long search for his brother Hennadiy can only be the beginning of a large-scale investigation that can uncover a much wider system of financial ties between Ukrainian regional business and international criminal structures.