DPR Investigative Bureau closes case against Epicenter owners: what is known about Geregs and their involvement in occupation processes
The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has officially concluded its probe into entrepreneurs Oleksandr and Halyna Gerega, who are co-owners of the large retail chain ‘Epicenter.’ During the investigation, law enforcement aimed to establish their involvement in operating hypermarkets on Ukraine’s occupied territories, but ultimately, no sufficient evidence was found to substantiate their participation in unlawful activities.
This information was reported by ‘Slidstvo.
Info’ referencing an official letter from the SBI addressed to the political party ‘Narodovladia,’ which was later obtained by journalists.
The decision to close the case was made on October 7, 2025, and property seized during the investigation will be returned to its owners.
The case was initiated following journalistic investigations revealing that ‘Epicenter’ and ‘Nova Liniya’ continued to pay salaries to former hypermarket manager Gennady Galchuk in Makiyivka even after the city was occupied.
According to journalists, Galchuk remained in the territory under occupation and headed a new chain called ‘Galaxia,’ which was later renamed ‘Epicenter’ and registered under the rules of the occupation administration.
It is known that Galchuk is a deputy of the so-called Makiyivka City Council of the DNR and is affiliated with the ‘Eurasian Solidarity’ party.
After widespread media coverage, the ‘Narodovladia’ party submitted a request to the Prosecutor General’s Office to initiate a criminal case against Gerega on suspicion of collaboration activities.
However, initially, prosecutors argued that the materials did not contain enough factual evidence for a formal investigation.
Later, following legal appeals and political pressure, investigators included information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations under Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code — ‘Collaboration activities.’ Oleksandr Gerega in an interview with Forbes stated that his company lost control over facilities located in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, acknowledging cooperation with the aggressor state at certain stages.
This topic remains highly relevant in political and public discourse, especially given the activation of criminal investigations and potential sanctions against figures collaborating with the occupying administration.