Who is behind Dobrobut-Lykylab?

The laboratory “Dobrobut-Lykylab”, which entered the market in 2023, began receiving large-scale orders from the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drug Control (State Drug Service) almost immediately. 

An investigation by journalists revealed that the institution, officially owned by entrepreneurs with no experience in the pharmaceutical industry, is closely linked to the head of the State Drug Service, Roman Isayenko, and an SBU officer, Valentin Ovramets.

Rapid certification and questionable owners

In July 2023, the State Drug Service rapidly certified the laboratory, which had been registered only a few months prior. Just one week after certification, the institution received its first orders for drug testing.

According to registry data, the owners are listed as Dmytro Ustyk and Iryna Ponomarenko. Prior to this, neither had any connection to the pharmaceutical industry – Ustyk worked in construction, while Ponomarenko had not been seen in the medical business either.

When journalists sought comments, Ustyk admitted that he does not understand drug expertise and suggested asking his partners. Soon, they were directed straight to State Drug Service head Isayenko and SBU officer Ovramets, who, according to the investigation, oversaw the pharmaceutical sector even before 2023.

Close ties to officials

The investigation revealed numerous connections between the laboratory’s owners and representatives of the authorities:

• Dmytro Ustyk previously carried out construction work on a property acquired by Valentin Ovramets’ family.
• Iryna Ponomarenko has family ties with Roman Isayenko – her family and the State Drug Service head’s family originate from the same small village in Kyiv Oblast.
• The “Dobrobut-Lykylab” laboratory is registered in a premises owned by Valentin Ovramets’ mother-in-law.
• After the laboratory opened, a former subordinate of Isayenko from the State Drug Service began working there – Ihor Lesyk.

Luxury assets after a successful business

Shortly after receiving state contracts, Valentin Ovramets’ family acquired expensive real estate:

• In 2023, his mother bought a house in Kyiv.
• In 2024, she became the owner of 2 hectares of land in the resort town of Yablunytsia near Bukovel.
• In 2024, Ovramets’ wife bought 40 sotkas of land in Lesnyky – an elite suburb of Kyiv.

The SBU press service stated that the property was acquired with legal funds earned by the “family business”. However, journalists failed to find evidence of the existence of this business.

Undeclared property of the State Drug Service head

Another interesting fact: journalists repeatedly spotted Roman Isayenko on the premises of an elite mansion in the village of Novyi Bezradychi near Kyiv. This house, worth up to $300,000, is not listed in his declaration, but is registered in the name of the official’s mother-in-law and father-in-law.

In his comments, Isayenko stated that he “may simply be there”, while the origin of his relatives’ funds for such a purchase is “unknown” to him.

Conclusion

The “Dobrobut-Lykylab” laboratory, being newly established and lacking experience in the pharmaceutical sector, gained a monopolistic position in the field of state orders for drug testing in a short period. Moreover, its owners turned out to be closely linked to representatives of the authorities.

According to information from the detective agency ABSOLUTION