Shadow economy in Ukraine: the state loses up to 900 billion hryvnias annually – Hetmantsev

The shadow economy in Ukraine remains one of the most painful problems that hinders the country’s stable development. Today, from 30% to 50% of the total market of Ukraine is in the “shadows”. Compared to Europe, where, according to Getmantsev, this figure does not exceed 7%. This was stated on his YouTube channel by People’s Deputy of Ukraine, Chairman of the Financial Committee of the Verkhovna Rada Danylo Getmantsev, UNN writes.

DetailsAnnually, due to the “shadow market”, the Ukrainian budget receives 800-900 billion UAH less. Among the most profitable and at the same time most opaque areas:

• tobacco products;
• alcoholic beverages;
• gadgets and household appliances;
• agricultural sector;
• gambling business.

And these are the funds that should have gone to the army, to pensions, to medicine and education, etc. And the shadow hits the consumer, who receives a substandard product. It hits the business, which loses competitiveness due to “shadow dealers”. Ultimately, it weakens the country 

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Every day, more than 5,000 Apple gadgets are smuggled into Ukraine. Due to non-payment of VAT, the state lost UAH 1.8 billion in the first quarter of 2025 alone. 

The People’s Deputy also emphasized that when de-shadowing takes place in Ukraine, the country will be able to:

• triple the salary of teachers;
• triple the salary of doctors;
• increase the pension by 50%.

Let us remind youPlayers in the “gray market” are even among well-known and large chain stores of electronics and household appliances. Thus, the State Tax Service discovered schemes of evasion of VAT on Apple equipment for more than UAH 286 million. According to the head of the tax office, Ruslan Kravchenko, the networks used the “business fragmentation” scheme. 

The head of the State Tax Service did not name specific networks, but according to data from investigative journalist Yevhen Plinskyi, we are talking about “Yabko” and Yabluka, UNN reported earlier. “The first network is Lviv’s YABKO, which is part of Petro Dyminskyi’s pool of businesses. The second is Yabluka, which belongs to Zaporizhzhia businessman and local deputy Artur Hatunko, who has close ties to the prosecutor’s office,” he wrote on Facebook. 

At the same time, gadget users should remember that buying “gray” equipment can lead to loss of personal data and even threats to the country’s national security. Thus, by saving a few hundred hryvnias when buying equipment from “shadow market players”, users risk getting malicious software or a vulnerability that opens access to users’ personal data for fraudsters.