The SSU has exposed another criminal scheme of supplying subsoil assets from the temporarily occupied part of eastern Ukraine to russia.

As a result of operational and investigative activities, the organizer of the scheme was detained in Kyiv.

The man used to live in Luhansk oblast and had been engaged in coal business in the area until 2014.

After part of the oblast was occupied, he organized an enterprise there and ‘registered’ it with the pseudo-institutions of the terrorist organization ‘LNR’.

This commercial entity carried out wholesale supplies of coal illegally mined in the seized mines of the region.

The businessman regularly paid money to the terrorists’ budget in the form of ‘taxes’ and ‘fees’.

The leadership of the local occupation administration spent the money on logistics for the militants.

Later, the offender moved to Kyiv and continued to manage the illegal business remotely. He involved another three accomplices in the unlawful activity.

During the searches of the suspects’ offices, apartments in Kyiv and cars, the SSU found:

• documents, computers and mobile phones with evidence of the offence;
• almost UAH 10 mln in cash (USD 269,000).

SSU investigators served the organizer of the scheme a notice of suspicion under Article 258-5.2 of the CCU (terrorism financing).

His three accomplices, hiding in the temporarily occupied territory, were notified of suspicion in absentia.

The investigation is ongoing.

The operation was carried out under the supervision of Kyiv Region Prosecutor’s Office.