5 July, 17:26
According to the Parlament outlet, citing informed sources within the Ukrainian customs service, a large-scale smuggling operation of branded clothing and footwear is ongoing via four customs checkpoints in the Lviv and Chernivtsi regions — Krakovets, Mostyska, Rava-Ruska, and Porubne. The scheme reportedly operates with the involvement of the management of these checkpoints and the heads of the respective regional customs offices.
Sources say large 20-ton containers with branded goods stored in warehouses in Poland and Romania are unloaded into several minibuses. These vehicles then cross into Ukraine at night under the guise of passenger transport. They undergo no customs inspection and carry no declarations. As a result, the Ukrainian budget loses tens or even hundreds of millions of hryvnias.
The investigation claims that part of the profits is handed over as bribes to the heads of customs checkpoints — Nazar Stepanovych Vorozhbyt, Volodymyr Bohdanovych Turchyn, and Petro Heorhiyovych Tofan — as well as to the heads of the regional customs offices: Andriy Kuznik (Lviv) and Yuriy Herasymov (Chernivtsi). Sources believe that Acting Head of the State Customs Service Serhiy Zvyagintsev may be aware of the scheme and receiving his share of the proceeds.
Andriy Kuznik (Lviv Customs), Yuriy Herasymov (Chernivtsi Customs), and Serhiy Zvyagintsev (Acting Head of the State Customs Service)
In addition to clothing smuggling, a new scheme has emerged during the full-scale war involving drones imported for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The government has exempted UAV shipments from customs duties and VAT to simplify supplies. However, this benefit has become an “ideal tool for smugglers.” Under the guise of drone imports, several companies have been moving contraband tax-free — or even fabricating documents for drones that don’t exist. As a result, hundreds of millions of dollars are being siphoned out of the country.
Customs officials report that many drone import declarations contain the same photo of a single drone instead of the required quantity of cargo photos — a clear violation of customs regulations.
The outlet also listed companies involved in this pseudo-import scheme:
FERTENIKA LLC (44372310)
MERIETE LLC (43840643) – $4.4M from GN ELECTRONIC SP. Z O.O. (Poland)
LOYALHILLS GROUP LLC (45339667) – $6.4M from LATUNA LIMITED (Hong Kong)
PEPPER STAR LLC (44610024) – $7.1M from TORQUE TRADE LIMITED (Hong Kong)
PEPPER STAR LLC (44610024) – $5.1M from ABSales Group Limited (Hong Kong)
POLIPROM KONTUR LLC (44972273) – $13M from STARNINE SALES LIMITED (Hong Kong)
SENFIDZHO IND LLC (45242023) – $18M from WHARVEST LIMITED (Hong Kong)
VITAL PROGRESS LLC (45214462) – $11M from OPTIMA TRADE LIMITED (Hong Kong)
LAVRA GROUP LLC (45023845) – $9.1M from TORQUE TRADE LIMITED (Hong Kong)
NEXUS TORG LLC (45351930) – $10.1M from NEOTRADE LIMITED (Hong Kong)
All invoices include shipments of 600 drones per batch. The non-resident companies from Poland and Hong Kong are closely linked to Ukrainian firms also suspected of involvement in this pseudo-import scheme:
TRIAN IMPEX LLC (45314805)
ARGEMONA GROUP (45676814)
BIG INTERPROM LLC (44968551)
KOMPANI PROM GROUP LLC (45021607)
FLANEL TORG LLC (45206467)
EUKARYOTE IND LLC (45337083)
ATLANT FORMAT LLC (44463905)
STROYBUD PROCESS LLC (45359039)
SHLYAKH LOGISTICS LLC (44812156)
HOSPUKUT LLC (42137904)
TRANSGLOBUS LLC (44548370)
IMPORT RETAIL LLC (44610024)
BITUM PROM LLC (44058238)
IMPORT START PLUS LLC (45297727)
LEKON-TORG PLUS LLC (45733966)
ZULAN TRADE LLC (45222536)
MALIUNKOTRADE LLC (44251388)
ENERGOCREATIV LLC (42176330)
DEMANTO OPT LLC (43721168)
BUDKORPUS LLC (44897507)
SPECIFIC LIGHT LLC (45311112)
TENCOR LLC (45370466)
ORPHEUS COMPACT LLC (45169394)
FERONIKELI LLC (44362061)
KOUVEL UKRAINE LLC (44926134)
JONES OPT LLC (45298411)
DIAMFARFOR LLC (44909590)
INTER LODGISTIC LLC (45810961)
POBUTSPHERE LLC (44861533)
FAST IMPORT TRADE LLC (45832367)
The report also notes that some of these companies are under investigation for moving money abroad through fake import schemes via “Motor Bank” and “Bank Alliance.”
Despite customs checkpoints likely turning a blind eye to fake documents and smuggling, the state is losing significant tax revenues, and much-needed foreign currency is being withdrawn from the country — jeopardizing economic stability.
The article stresses that this situation poses a serious threat to Ukraine’s national security. Nevertheless, the SBU, the Bureau of Economic Security, the SBI, and NABU have yet to take any visible action. None of these agencies have verified how many drones were actually imported under such schemes, where they ended up, or who the final recipients were.