Former prosecutor from Kherson offered to head Odesa Port Plant

The State Property Fund of Ukraine is planning to change the management of the Odesa Port Plant, proposing a former Kherson prosecutor to head it. The decision on the appointment and dismissal of the current director is to be made at a remote shareholders' meeting.

The State Property Fund of Ukraine initiated the appointment of Konstantin Shabunyaev as acting chairman of the board, director of Odesa Port Plant JSC, starting May 19.

Currently, he is a member of the company's board and is responsible for human resources and social policy, and previously worked for a long time at the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office.

This issue has been submitted to an extraordinary meeting of the company's shareholders, which will be held remotely from April 24 to May 5. At the same time, it is proposed to terminate the powers of the current CEO, Yuriy Kovalsky, on May 18 and to terminate the contract concluded with him in August 2024.

Shabunyaev has a law degree and a master's degree in law from the National Academy of Prosecutors of Ukraine. Over the years, he has held senior positions in the Kherson regional prosecutor's office, including deputy regional prosecutor.

The company's financial condition remains challenging: in 2025, the plant's revenue dropped significantly, and the company continued to operate at a loss. A previous attempt to privatize the plant at a starting price of more than UAH 4.4 billion failed as no investors submitted bids.

In August 2025, the Government approved the terms of the sale of shares in the Odesa Port Plant at an electronic auction. The starting price of the stake is more than UAH 4 billion, and the new owner is obliged to invest more than UAH 500 million in the plant and resume production.

In December last year, Austrian and French law enforcement officers found and seized assets of individuals suspected of participating in a criminal organization led by former head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine Dmytro Sennychenko. The case is linked to the embezzlement of funds from the Odesa Port Plant.

Recently, the HACC approved a plea agreement between the investigation and the defendants in the Odesa Port Plant case, including former MP Oleksandr Hranovskyi.

Анна Бальчінос