Ukrainian born Leon Kamenev, a co-founder of takeaway app Menulog, pledges support for war refugees

The media-shy multi-millionaire has pledged to contribute financial support for the millions of refugees fleeing his former homeland, Ukraine.

A Ukrainian evacuee waits to board a train en route to Warsaw at the rail station in Przemysl, near the Polish-Ukrainian border. Picture: Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP

Ukrainian-born multi-millionaire Leon Kamenev, a co-founder of the highly successful takeaway app Menulog, has pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the millions of refugees fleeing his former homeland.

One month into the Ukraine invasion, the Sydney-based Mr Kamenev, who is worth $542m and listed as Australia’s 235th wealthiest person on The List – Australia’s Richest 250, said he was very passionate and concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“What is happening in Ukraine is horrible. The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine will probably be the size of Sydney’s population,” the media-shy Mr Kamenev told The Australian.

“No one in a bad dream would think Russia would fight Ukraine,” he added.

“I am definitely going to support them.

“I am still working on this project, but I will definitely support Ukrainian refugees in Poland and Slovakia.’’

Leon Kamenev.

However, Mr Kamenev said he would be selective in bestowing his $200,000-plus donation, because some charities were not very efficient.

“I am trying to understand where money is most needed,” he said.

“I am committed but still working on it. Our family are committed to helping.”

Mr Kamenev is using staff in his offices in Poland and Hungary to find the most efficient charity for the donation, saying he particularly favours education programs for Ukrainian refugee children.

Mr Kamenev pocketed $470m when he sold his stake in Menulog, the app-based food delivery system, he co-founded in 2015. He has since invested in a new tech start-up, Matific, a digital primary school maths resource, which has offices in 10 countries including Poland, Hungary, Israel and The Netherlands.

“I need two to three weeks when I go over there to Slovakia. I will donate,” he said, adding that he and his Slovakian-born wife had given clothing and kitchenware to the Ukrainian refugees that have already arrived in ­Australia.

Mr Kamenev was born in 1958 near Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, in the city of Vinnytsia in the country’s central west when the area was controlled by the Soviet Union, which began to unravel in 1990-91.

His father was from the Ukraine and his mother hailed from Russia.

None of his family remained in Ukraine, Mr Kamenev said.  Apart from his co-founding of Menulog, Mr Kamenev hit the headlines as the owner of Australia’s most expensive amalgamation of residential properties, paying about $80m for four waterfront houses in Sydney’s wealthy Vaucluse several years ago. He has since demolished the houses and swimming pools to pave the way for the construction of a $150m mega mansion – including the $80m spent acquiring the land parcel. The house was designed by South African architects and has been under construction for several years.