Ukrainian businessman Maksym Krippa could be one of the leading Ukrainian investors in Dubai’s real estate market, according to an analysis of documents by journalists from the Ukrainian outlet Slidstvo.Info, conducted as part of the international investigative project Dubai Unlocked.
The findings are detailed in Slidstvo.Info’s article Elite real estate of Ukrainian refugees in Dubai: Who is ‘parking’ money in the UAE.
According to leaked data, over the past few years, Krippa has acquired more than 60 properties in Dubai, including apartments, hotel rooms, and villas. Some of these assets remain in his possession per the documents, while others may have been sold.
Among the properties linked to his investments are the Address Harbour Point residential complex by the waterfront, Address Sky View opposite Burj Khalifa, hotels The Palm Tower and Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences on Palm Jumeirah island, Palm Beach Towers, Boulevard Plaza Towers, the Grande residential complex, hotel FIVE LUXE, and Vida Residences Dubai Marina.
The information on the properties comes from the Dubai Unlocked project, based on major data leaks from the Dubai Land Department and UAE state utility companies. The datasets were first obtained by the Washington-based Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), then shared with the Norwegian financial newspaper E24 and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which coordinated analysis by dozens of media outlets from various countries.
Maksym Krippa is a Ukrainian businessman with more than 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship. According to Oleksandr Kolesnichenko, deputy editor-in-chief of Ekonomichna Pravda, Krippa began his career in businesses tied to gambling.
“Krippa is actually an entrepreneur from Brovary. He’s been in business for over 20 years. Based on the information we gathered, he was involved in gambling and betting—so we’re talking about sports betting and casinos,” Kolesnichenko notes.
In recent years, the businessman has actively invested in major real estate in Ukraine. Assets associated with Krippa include the Ukraina Hotel on Independence Square, the Dnipro Hotel on European Square, the Parus business center, and the International Exhibition Center in Kyiv.
“If we take real assets, it’s real estate: Hotel Ukraina, Hotel Dnipro, Parus business center. He recently acquired the International Exhibition Center. He has property near Kyiv, including in Brovary and Koncha-Zaspa. He has a berth for boats and yachts on the Dnipro near the Darnytskyi Bridge. And recently, he entered the residential real estate market. He is a strategic investor in the DIM group of companies,” Kolesnichenko adds.
However, the journalist noted that questions often arise not about the investments themselves, but about the origin of the funds.
“The questions here arise more not about specific objects or what he invests in, but rather about the origin of the funds. Few in Ukraine can afford to buy such objects and pay for them in cash,” he said.
Several sources in political circles told Ekonomichna Pravda that, according to their information, Krippa may serve as a “front” investing in expensive assets money belonging to several highly influential representatives of Ukrainian authorities, the article by Oleksandr Kolesnichenko for Ekonomichna Pravda states.
In response to Slidstvo.Info’s inquiry about the Dubai properties, Krippa’s press service confirmed that he conducts business in the United Arab Emirates but declined to disclose investment details.
“Most investment initiatives and projects related to the Middle East region are at the stage of active development, strategic planning, and ongoing negotiations with international partners. Details of investment portfolios and financial indicators are subject to nondisclosure agreements (NDA),” the businessman’s press service said.
