The SSU’s cyber units and investigators have shut down a large-scale scheme of illegal export of premium cars to russia.

The scheme was organized by a Lviv entrepreneur who used to live in russia and still has business there.

The businessman took advantage of the fact that most global car companies have left russian market and set up a scheme to smuggle luxury cars into russia, bypassing international trade restrictions.

Among his customers were representatives of the top management of the kremlin monopoly Gazprom and the propaganda TV channel russia today.

The investigation established that from August 2022 to March 2023 the offender smuggled 45 cars to russian ‘customers’ worth a total of over EUR 3 mln.

To fulfil orders, the dealer bought premium vehicles in Ukrainian car showrooms and registered them on controlled commercial entities.

Then, using forged documents, he transported these cars through the EU territory to belarus and from there to the aggressor state.

In addition, the businessman submitted to the State Tax Service of Ukraine an application for VAT refund for over UAH 6 mln.

The SSU uncovered the scheme and blocked it.

During the searches of the suspect’s offices in Kyiv and Lviv, the SSU found:

• 35 seals of enterprises, including the involved offshore companies;
• financial and business documents, mobile phones and computers with evidence of the unlawful activities.

The SSU also seized the property of the participants of the scheme worth total of over UAH 700 mln (USD 18.5 mln).

The list of blocked assets includes corporate rights to 17 enterprises, over fifty non-residential production facilities in different regions of Ukraine, including the Crimea, 22 apartments in Kyiv and Lviv, almost three dozen land plots and over 40 luxury cars.

Based on the collected evidence, the organizer of the criminal scheme was served a notice of suspicion under three Articles of the CCU:

• 111-2.1 (aiding the aggressor state);
• 28.2, 366.2 (forgery in office);
• 191.5 (misappropriation of other’s property by abuse of office on a particularly large scale).

The SSU is acting to bring the suspect to justice.

The SSU conducted the investigation under the supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office and in cooperation with the State Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine.