Kherson residents helped occupants steal shipyard property

In Kherson, three local residents helped the Russian occupiers steal the property of a shipyard. They face up to 12 years in prison for this.

This was reported by the Center for Investigative Journalism.

In 2022, three citizens of Ukraine - 50-year-old Oleh Balabantsev, his 43-year-old brother Serhiy, and 47-year-old Yulia Istomina from Kherson - agreed to take up senior positions at the Pallada enterprise, which was created by the Russian occupiers in Kherson. In fact, they helped the invaders to appropriate the property of the local Pallada Shipyard LLC, including vehicles.

The investigation established that in August 2022, Serhiy Balabantsev voluntarily headed this company. His older brother Oleh was appointed deputy director, and Yulia Istomina from Kherson became chief accountant. They worked as part of the so-called inventory commission of the occupiers and participated in the nationalization of the shipyard's property.

In particular, in the fall of the same year, the three collaborators helped the occupation authorities take two GAZ trucks belonging to the company to the Pribiy boarding house in the village of Henicheska Hirka. For these actions, all of them were notified in absence of suspicion under Article 111-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - aiding the aggressor state. The sanction provides for up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.

As noted in the media, Oleg Balabantsev was the head of PJSC Kherson Plant Sudmash in 2016-2024. Prior to that, he owned a car dealership in Pryluky, and during the 2014 presidential election he headed the election commission in Chernihiv region, where corruption cases were opened against him.

In 2009-2011, Serhiy Balabantsev practiced law and notary in Pryluky and had debts. He was the director of the occupying Pallada from August 2022 to December 2023. Now, together with his brother, he is among the founders of the DOSAAF organization, established on May 31, 2024, in the village of Nova Zburyivka, Skadovsk district.

Another defendant, Yulia Istomina, was responsible for accounting at the occupation enterprise. Before the outbreak of full-scale war, Pallada Shipyard LLC was known as the Kherson State Plant "Pallada". The company specializes in the construction of composite reinforced concrete floating docks and is part of the Ukroboronprom concern.

Last year, the Kherson City Court found Gennadiy Kompaniyets guilty of collaborating with the aggressor state. He illegally headed the company seized by the occupiers, formerly known as the state-owned Kherson plant Pallada, and stole four ships from the company, transferring them to the left bank of the Kherson region.

Анна Бальчінос