The director of a Kyiv-based company producing cardboard and paper packaging has been detained and notified of suspicion of aiding the aggressor state — under Article 111-2, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The investigation established that a total of more than €1.1 million had been transferred to accounts belonging to a Russian company.
The company, registered in Kyiv, has been operating since 1994, with production facilities in the Luhansk region and branches in Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv oblasts. 99.5% of the company’s shares are held by a Cypriot firm, whilst a Ukrainian national — the beneficial owner of that structure — has headed the enterprise since its very inception.
According to the investigation, in 2021 the company entered into a contract with a Russian manufacturer for the supply of equipment worth more than €1.1 million. In the course of fulfilling the agreement, €810,000 in advance payments was transferred to the Russian party’s accounts. Following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the director did not cease cooperation with Russian partners, despite a government ban on the import of goods from the aggressor state.
In order to circumvent the restrictions in place, the suspect enlisted a Belarusian intermediary company: the equipment delivery was formally arranged through that entity, with the goods entering Ukraine in transit via a European Union member state. Under this scheme, the remaining balance under the contract — more than €382,000 — was transferred to the Russian supplier, with an additional €92,400 promised to the aggressor’s representative to cover shipment and VAT.
In this way, the director knowingly facilitated the receipt of profit by an enterprise of the aggressor state, a portion of which, in the form of taxes, flows into Russia’s budget and is directed towards financing its armed forces. During searches at the company’s premises, shipping and transport documents, mobile phones, and computer equipment were seized.
The man was detained in Kyiv in accordance with Article 208 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine. At the prosecutor’s request, the court imposed the only available preventive measure — remand in custody. The Specialised Prosecutor’s Office emphasises that anyone who assists the enemy in circumventing sanctions and replenishing the Russian budget will be held accountable before the law.