Artur Palatnyi — the shadow puppeteer of Kyiv politics, or who truly controls the capital?

Artur Palatnyi — the shadow puppeteer of Kyiv politics, or who truly controls the capital?

Though not part of the administration and absent from public view, this person is said by journalists to wield total power.

The head of the executive committee of the party "UDAR," Artur Palatnyi, who is a longtime friend and godfather of Kyiv’s mayor Vitaliy Klychko, appears as a central figure in a new journalistic investigation by Bihus.Info. The authors of the project, based on NABU recordings, interviews with sources, and analysis of available information, describe Palatnyi as an "informal arbiter" of capital’s political and communal processes, known in the corridors as "the city" or "G". He is avoided by name, but at the same time, decisions are coordinated with him, reports are made, and, as claimed in the video, cash is brought.

The Influential Shadow: From 90s Business to Party Leader

Artur Palatnyi’s journey began in the 1990s when he, as the son of a grocery store director in central Kyiv, entered into business and formed a circle of acquaintances in sports and among then "authorities". The investigation mentions his long-standing connections with Viktor Rybalka ("Rybka") — a criminal leader who supervised Kyiv boxing. The authors of the investigation emphasize that it was Palatnyi who might have introduced the Klychko brothers to this circle.

In 2010, Palatnyi became a co-founder of the "UDAR" party, actively participated in organizing election campaigns, and later was elected twice to the Verkhovna Rada. Since 2020, he has been the head of the party’s executive committee, formally responsible for organizational work, while holding no official position in the administration.

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According to Bihus.Info journalists, it was Palatnyi who made decisions about the candidate lineup for "UDAR" in the Kyiv City Council elections. It was he, not Klychko, according to sources, who decided who would get into the council and what position they would hold on the list depending on their "contribution". Publicly this was not acknowledged, but party deputies and functionaries in the corridors called Palatnyi the one who concentrated not only resources but also control over the mechanics of power.

The Cases of Komarnytskyi and the Role of "The City"

The key fragments of NABU recordings, which became the basis for the investigation, concern the activities of another figure — Denys Komarnytskyi. He is called the "overseer" of Kyiv, but in the recordings, a third person constantly appears — influential but anonymous, referred to as "the city" or simply "G". Bihus.Info, having analyzed the nature of mentions, interactions, and accompanying contexts, concluded that this refers to Artur Palatnyi.

According to the investigation, he allegedly:

received reports on key land allocation projects in the capital; received part of the profit (sometimes up to 50%) from individual schemes without financial participation; appears in recordings as the main person appealed to in case of difficulties or need to make a final decision; is mentioned as a figure that causes concern among process participants.

The investigation indicates that Palatnyi’s role is a supervisor and moderator of the system.

"Not a "player" like Komarnytskyi, but the owner of the room where the game takes place. He is not visible on camera, but he controls the people, the finances, and the narrative," notes Bihus.Info.

In 2021, Palatnyi found himself at the center of another high-profile episode — the searches of city enterprises and private residences in a case regarding the "protection" of illegal trade in metro underpasses.

During the searches, allegedly at his residence, $250,000 was seized. In the prosecutor’s press release, a former MP is mentioned, who lobbied for the preservation of kiosks (MAFs) and used "corrupt connections to remove obstacles in illegal activities". No name is given, but the description matches, according to Bihus.Info.

Such cases usually do not reach the court but instead accumulate formal signals of the presence of shadow influence, journalists indicate. In the same case, there is record-keeping, documenting payments to "partner G", shares of profit, names of managers, and distribution structures.

An Old Story with the Grocery Store

A separate plot line of the investigation is the building on Bohdan Khmelnytsky Street, 39. Once there was a grocery store where Palatnyi’s father worked. Later, the premises were privatized, and a casino, the strip club "Rio", and a night establishment, where in 2024 a group suspected of human trafficking was exposed, successively operated there.

Officially, Palatnyi has no relation to this property, but the history of the object is allegedly closely intertwined with his political and business past. In one of the companies registered at this address, Palatnyi’s partner was previously Veniamin Honikman — a person wanted by the FBI for human trafficking.

Formally Nowhere, Factually — Everywhere

Investigators emphasize a paradox: Palatnyi holds no position in the city administration, is not involved in any companies directly related to key tenders or land decisions, but is mentioned as the person on whom practically everything depends. In descriptions of journalists’ sources at Bihus.Info, he emerges as a shadow curator: resolves big issues, coordinates communications, oversees financial flows, but officially not involved in decision-making.

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The authors of the investigation compare the capital’s power system to a chessboard:

"Klychko — the king. Komarnytskyi — the player. Deputies, officials, heads of commissions — figures. And Palatnyi — the owner of the room where the board is set. He does not publicly lead the game, but it is up to him who will play, who will be put up, and who will be removed from the game."

Palatnyi himself, as noted in the story, did not speak with the journalists. The "UDAR" party did not comment on the situation. Meanwhile, there were public requests in the Kyiv City Council to clarify his role in the city’s corruption schemes, but Klychko then stated: "this should be dealt with by law enforcement agencies".