Mykolaiv court closes case on theft at southern Ukrainian oil refinery

The court closed the case of theft at the South Ukrainian NPP due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. Law enforcement officers have not identified the suspects since 2021.

According to the decision of the South Ukrainian Court of Mykolaiv Region, the criminal proceedings regarding the theft on the territory of the South Ukrainian NPP industrial zone committed in 2021 were closed. The reason was the expiration of the statute of limitations, and the perpetrators were never identified.

The incident occurred on July 5, 2021, when 22 galvanized flooring sheets with an area of more than 46 square meters were stolen from the territory of the nuclear power plant's industrial zone. The amount of damage, according to an independent expert, amounted to more than UAH 10 thousand.

During the pre-trial investigation, law enforcement officers inspected the scene, questioned witnesses and a representative of the injured party, and issued instructions to the operational unit. However, the person who committed the theft was not identified.

On April 15, 2025, a representative of the injured party, Energoatom, filed a motion with the court to replace the victim in the case with its successor, a joint-stock company represented by the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant branch. The prosecutor supported the motion, and the company's representative did not object to the closure of the proceedings.

The court concluded that, in accordance with the CPC of Ukraine, the proceedings should be closed due to the expiration of the statute of limitations - in the case of minor crimes, this period is three years. No one has been notified of suspicion in the case, and the crime does not fall within the exceptions provided by law.

Recently, by contrast, the court granted investigators permission to seize documents from a company suspected of misappropriating budget funds allocated for the South Ukrainian NPP project.

According to the investigation, the company entered into an agreement to reconstruct the water supply system for the first three power units at the Tashlyk Reservoir. Law enforcement officers found out that the raw materials were purchased for UAH 20 per cubic meter, but were sold to the customer at UAH 420, a twentyfold markup. The case is being investigated within the framework of criminal proceedings under articles on fictitious entrepreneurship, money laundering, tax evasion and embezzlement of budget funds.

Анна Бальчінос