Law enforcement officers seized iron ore of russian oligarch worth UAH 1.8 billion in Ukrainian ports

166 thousand tons of iron ore, worth about 1.8 billion hryvnias, belonging to the company of russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, were arrested by law enforcement officers in several Ukrainian ports.

This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General's Office, and the Bureau of Economic Security.

According to the investigation, in order not to pay taxes and other mandatory payments for the import of goods to the territory of Ukraine, the company's employees used the so-called "interrupted transit" mechanism.

Thus, during 2021-2022, the company declared iron ore transit through the territory of Ukraine to Asian countries for a total amount of over UAH 1.3 billion.

But in fact, they shipped goods to business entities — residents of Ukraine, without paying customs fees. In this way, more than UAH 118 million in damages were caused to the state, law enforcement officers note.

They note that all raw materials are the property of a foreign company. Namely, it belongs to a non-resident legal entity registered in an EU country, along with other russian companies affiliated with a russian oligarch.

The SSU indicates that, according to operational information, representatives of the russian federation tried to illegally transport these raw materials by sea vessels to the territory of russia.

After that, the minerals were planned to be transferred to the needs of the metallurgical industry and the military-industrial complex of the russian federation to meet the needs of the occupying forces.

However, law enforcement officers found russia's underground warehouses in the territory of several seaports of Ukraine, where more than 160 thousand tons of iron ore were stored. At this moment, the property is seized, and a decision is made to hand it over to ARMA.

About Usmanov

russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov is among the inner circle of the kremlin's top military and political leadership.

Usmanov

After February 24, sanctions were imposed on him by the National Security Council of Ukraine, the United States, and the European Union. Usmanov is banned from entering the EU countries, and all assets are frozen.

The US and EU states have imposed sanctions on yachts, private planes, a villa, and 6 companies worth 66 million euros that belong to him.