A Mykolaiv businessman avoided prison for a scheme to supply parts to Russia

The court approved a plea agreement with the director of Mykolaiv-based LLC "DM Sport," who organized a scheme to supply bearings to Russia worth tens of millions of hryvnias. The businessman from Mykolaiv received a five-year suspended sentence.

This is stated in the verdict of the Svyatoshinsky District Court of Kyiv.

According to the court, the defendant was born in Mykolaiv and served as the director of “DM Sport” LLC (5 Lazurna St.), which was officially engaged in online retail. At the same time, the man was registered as a sole proprietor engaged in wholesale trade.

The investigation established that as early as June 2022, the Mykolaiv resident, together with his accomplices, had organized the supply of bearings—components used in the defense, machine-building, and energy sectors of the Russian Federation.

Throughout 2024, the suspect organized the delivery of bearings to the Russian company “TK Azimut” totaling more than 744,000 Russian rubles. According to the court, this company participated in 34 Russian government procurement contracts, including contracts for the Federal Penitentiary Service.

In addition, the Mykolaiv resident purchased bearings manufactured by the sanctioned plant “EPK Samara” and other Russian enterprises, which were shipped to Ukraine and EU countries via Belarus and a network of postal operators.

In total, from June 2022 to April 2025, he delivered 32 shipments of bearings to Ukraine and paid Russian manufacturers via cryptocurrency in an amount equivalent to approximately 80,000 dollars.

According to the investigation, the Mykolaiv resident offered shipments of bearings to several acquaintances in various Ukrainian cities—Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Kyiv, and Boyarka—for resale.

The goods were shipped via “Nova Poshta” branches, and to conceal the country of origin, the defendants prepared forged documents claiming the bearings were of Ukrainian origin.

The court found the man guilty under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 111-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (aiding an aggressor state through prior conspiracy by a group of individuals).

Thanks to a plea agreement with the prosecution and his admission of guilt, the court imposed a lenient sentence—five years of imprisonment with a 10-year ban on holding positions at state-owned enterprises— but exempted him from actually serving the sentence, placing him on probation for three years.

Among the mitigating circumstances, the court took into account his sincere remorse, his testimony implicating other participants in the scheme, and his voluntary contribution of 200,000 hryvnias to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The court ordered the return of the 242,240 hryvnias inbail previously posted by the guarantor.

Ірина Глухова