The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in the Dnipropetrovsk region has blocked the scheme for the illegal supply of products to the territory of occupied Donbas.
The scheme existed for almost two years, and the monthly turnover of goods reached about $1 million, the press service of SBU said on Friday.
“The illegal mechanism was organized by two residents of Donetsk. The scheme existed under the guise of exporting Ukrainian-made food products and medicines of well-known foreign brands to one of the countries of the South Caucasus in transit through Russia. However, after crossing the Russian border, the route of departure was drastically changed and illegally transported to the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region,” the message reads.
It clarifies that taxes and fees from the sale of goods went to the maintenance of gangs and occupation administrations.
According to the investigation, the goods were shipped to the addresses of front companies. And in order to “cover-up” the deal with documents, the organizers attracted a controlled legal entity from the real sector of the Ukrainian economy as a “partner”.
“Thus, the semblance of legitimate foreign economic activity was created,” the secret service emphasizes.
They clarify that the co-organizer of the criminal scheme was caught when she arrived from Donetsk to negotiate with “partners” on further illegal supplies of products to occupied Donbas.
During searches carried out in office premises in Mariupol and at the place of temporary residence of the lawbreaker in Kyiv, computer equipment and mobile phones with evidence of illegal activity, accounting documentation of the financial and economic activities of enterprises involved in the illegal scheme were seized.
“Now the criminal has been informed of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 258-3 (assistance to the activities of a terrorist organization) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The issue of choosing a preventive measure for her is being resolved,” the SBU said.
