SSU detains officials of Ukrainian holding who helped russia circumvent sanctions using ‘shadow fleet’
The SSU uncovered the management of a Ukrainian holding company and their accomplices who helped russia to circumvent energy exports sanctions.
In 2023-2024, the persons in question were involved in the construction of a portside liquefied gas plant in Rostov region of russia.
The products manufactured at this enterprise were loaded onto tankers of russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ and covertly sold in different parts of the world.
According to available information, most of the profits from the shadow trade were used by moscow to finance the war in Ukraine.
As a result of an operation in Kyiv region, the SSU detained an equipment developer and a design engineer of a Ukrainian holding company who were involved in the construction of the russian plant.
The investigation documented that both suspects had developed all the project documentation for the facility and its technological capacities.
They transferred the finished designs to russian customers through a co-owner of the Ukrainian holding located in the temporarily occupied part of Donetsk region.
This individual owns five companies in the city of Shakhty, Rostov region, russia, which supply equipment to petrol stations of the sanctioned Gazprom and Lukoil corporations.
Additionally, the co-owner’s accomplice has been apprehended in Poltava region. He has his own network of petrol stations in the temporarily occupied part of eastern Ukraine and fuels the occupiers’ military equipment.
SSU investigators served the three detained individuals notices of suspicion under Article 111-2.1 of the CCU (aiding the aggressor state). The suspects are in custody and face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
The crimes of the co-owner of the holding company and the director of a petrol station chain, who are outside Ukraine-controlled territory, were also qualified under this Article.
The pre-trial investigation is underway.
The operation was carried out by the SSU Office in Kyiv and Kyiv region under the procedural supervision of Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office.
