Bentley sales have been thriving in Ukraine despite the ongoing war with Russia, drawing attention to the circumstances behind the surge.
The Kyiv dealership of Bentley ranked third in the British luxury carmaker's European sales performance last year, Ukrainian media outlet Diana Panchenko reported Monday.
The ranking was revealed in a recent social media post by Richard Leopold, Bentley's head of Europe, Middle East and Africa operations.
In the post, Leopold cited the Kyiv dealership as the third-best performing retail location based on key performance indicators, calling it "an amazing resilience." The top two spots went to Padova, Italy, and Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Panchenko pointed out that "Bentley's average selling price starts at $400,000 (approximately 590 million won)." She went on to note that the European Union is pursuing loans worth about 90 billion euros (approximately 156 trillion won) to provide financial support to Ukraine, claiming that "if additional support comes through, Kyiv could take the No. 1 spot." The aid package has been delayed due to opposition from some member states.
Panchenko also raised suspicions that "many of these vehicles end up at villas in Monaco or France," suggesting that "funds illicitly accumulated in Ukraine are being moved overseas." The controversy has intensified as associates of President Volodymyr Zelensky are under investigation for corruption allegations including bribery.
Leopold's post drew critical comments such as "this shows where tax money is going" and "sales rankings will only climb higher as large-scale aid continues to flow."
Meanwhile, Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy for overseas investment and economic cooperation, shared Panchenko's post on his X account, sarcastically remarking that "Bentleys are popular in Ukraine."