In the Odesa region, a scheme involving a fake force majeure was suspected following a fire at a winery

In the Odesa region, investigators are looking into whether a small fire at a winery was used as a pretext to claim force majeure and avoid fulfilling contracts to supply millions of kilograms of apple juice.

The Center for Public Investigations has uncovered the details of the case.

According to court records, on September 25, 2024, D’Oler Bukovyna LLC entered into a contract with Fratelli Vaineri to supply 1.2 million kilograms of clarified concentrated apple juice. On the same day, another company ordered an additional 500,000 kilograms of the product.

Investigators claim that the companies systematically failed to fulfill their obligations regarding product delivery even before October 2025. After October 23, they simultaneously cited force majeure due to a fire at Fratelli Vineri’s production facilities.

However, according to the State Emergency Service report, the area affected by the fire was approximately 5 square meters. Emergency responders were not called— company employees extinguished the fire on their own. The preliminary cause cited was a malfunction in an electrical extension cord. Violations of fire safety requirements were also documented.

These circumstances served as the basis for the investigation. According to investigators, the fire may have been an internal, man-made incident, and company officials may have used it to obtain a force majeure certificate and include false information in the documents.

Investigators requested permission to inspect the production facilities in Tairov, specifically the bottling plant and warehouses.

Also in the Odesa region, the State Bureau of Investigations is investigating the possible illegal receipt of budget subsidies for animals that likely did not actually exist. 

Law enforcement officials believe thatActing Head of the Tarutino District State Veterinary Hospital,Lyudmyla Belunina, from February to July 2025, prepared documents for allegedly existing animals and entered false data into the Unified State Register of Animals.

Анна Літман