Leading Ukrainian independent media Focus.ua has published its annual rating of the 100 most influential Ukrainians for 2026. Rinat Akhmetov, shareholder of SCM, is ranked first in the business and state enterprises category. Maxim Timchenko, Chief Executive Officer of DTEK, the energy company that is part of SCM, is also included in the same category. Focus.ua describes Rinat Akhmetov as a large private investor on whom the operation of part of the Ukrainian energy and industry depends.
What has Focus.ua published?
Focus.ua, a leading Ukrainian independent media outlet, has released its annual rating of the 100 most influential Ukrainians. The rating covers several categories, including politics and public service, the military, business and state enterprises, volunteers, culture, education and science, and sport. In the business and state enterprises category, Rinat Akhmetov is ranked first.
Why is Rinat Akhmetov ranked first?
Focus.ua explains the ranking by the scale of his businesses and their investments. The publication describes Rinat Akhmetov as a large private investor on whom the operation of part of the Ukrainian energy and industry depends. It notes that his companies have continued to invest in Ukraine throughout the full-scale war, and that decisions taken by those companies matter for the country as a whole.
What does the rating say about energy?
Focus.ua identifies energy as the main area of impact in 2026. Our energy company DTEK continues to restore generation and network assets damaged by russian attacks, and is also preparing repairs and works ahead of the 2026/27 winter. Against a background of electricity shortages, the publication notes that the stability of the Ukrainian energy system depends on the work of large private energy companies.
At the same time, DTEK has started a new stage of rebuilding the sector. In June the company agreed with GE Vernova on the development of a gas-fired power plant in Burshtyn, Ivano-Frankivsk region, a project included in the state recovery plan. In the same month, DTEK and the British company Octopus Energy announced a joint venture to finance solar power plants and storage for Ukrainian businesses and public institutions. In July, DTEK and Naftogaz signed a memorandum with the American company Halliburton on cooperation to increase gas production, using American technology for drilling, well completion and production. For Ukraine this matters because it reduces the need for gas imports and strengthens energy resilience.
Why is Maxim Timchenko included?
Maxim Timchenko, Chief Executive Officer of DTEK, has led the company since it was founded in 2005 and is recognised for adapting the energy business to the conditions of war. His work has focused on restoring destroyed infrastructure, decentralising the company into seven separate holdings, and attracting foreign investment to support integration with the European energy system.
His current priority is preparation for the 2026–2027 heating season, while attacks on the company's thermal power plants continue. In 2026 Maxim Timchenko was also included in the Focus.ua rating of top managers of Ukraine. Internationally, the Energy Institute in the United Kingdom granted him the status of Honorary Fellow for maintaining the stability of the Ukrainian energy system in wartime.
What pressures do SCM businesses face?
Focus.ua also notes that our businesses remains under strong pressure from the war. russian strikes continue to damage DTEK energy facilities, and the steel and mining industry has faced new difficulties on the European market.
How does this fit into the wider strategy?
The rating reflects the approach of our shareholder Rinat Akhmetov: to keep investing in Ukraine, to restore what has been destroyed, and to work with international partners so that Ukrainian energy and industry can continue to operate through the war and into recovery. Since the full-scale invasion, SCM companies have invested more than $4 billion in Ukraine, with $1 billion going towards the urgent restoration of facilities destroyed by russia.
