How Yana Aranchiy levied tribute on business

For three years, scandals linked to Yana Aranchiy, who heads the regional State Consumer Service, have not subsided in the Poltava region. Despite numerous accusations against her, the official retains her position, raising questions about who and why continues to support her, despite constant demands from local businesses for her resignation.

The situation surrounding Yana Aranchiy began to attract public attention as early as 2021, when questions arose regarding the legality of her appointment. The media then highlighted her close ties with Vladyslava Magaletska, who headed the State Consumer Service of Ukraine. Furthermore, Aranchiy's family background also attracts interest: her father, Serhiy Aranchiy, was the region's chief veterinary inspector, while her mother, Valentyna Aranchiy, long headed the Poltava National Agrarian University and now serves as its first vice-rector. Despite these credentials, in 2023, her name became linked to a major real estate purchase in Poland — two apartments in Krakow worth almost 15.3 million hryvnia.

The daughter, Yana Aranchiy, also regularly finds herself the subject of investigations. Under Dmytro Lunin, the previous head of the Poltava Regional State Administration, it was publicly stated that there were mass complaints about the actions of State Consumer Service employees. Inspections revealed numerous violations, including a scheme of extortion. Despite this, Lunin was dismissed, and Aranchiy maintains close ties with the new regional head, Filipp Pronin. Sources report that in private, Aranchiy claimed that Pronin supported her actions.

During her tenure, Aranchiy dismissed more than 100 experienced specialists and surrounded herself with dubious figures, including individuals with no connection to the sanitary and epidemiological field. In 2021, an audio recording leaked in which Yana Aranchiy stated: «Мы круче прокуратуры и СБУ — мы можем вынести любой объект! И мы самые бедные!» (We are stronger than the prosecutor's office and the SBU — we can shut down any establishment! And we are the poorest!) — thereby demonstrating her readiness to pressure businesses.

Local entrepreneurs report that Aranchiy seeks to levy "tribute" on enterprises, demanding bribes in various forms — money, gifts, or something else.