Real estate schemes used to finance sabotage operations were uncovered in Odessa

In Odesa, law enforcement officials are investigating a scheme involving the sale of real estate through offshore companies, which may have been used to finance subversive activities against Ukraine. The court ordered the seizure of documents and equipment confiscated during the searches.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

According to the investigation, a group of individuals allegedly arranged the transfer of real estate properties in the Odesa region through companies under their control. Law enforcement officials believe that funds from these transactions may have been used to finance activities aimed at destabilizing the situation in Ukraine.

One of the key properties in the case is the building at 29 Deribasovskaya Street. It is currently owned by Business Equipment Ukraine LLC, registered in Kyiv.According to the YouConyrolanalytical system, the company is headedby Bohdan Kyrychenko.The founders are the British company Business Equipments Limited, registered in London,and Vladislav Yakimov.

Investigators determined that until early 2024, the company operated under the name OKS Capital LLC. Over the course of the year, the rights under the loan agreement, corporate rights, and the company’s ownership changed repeatedly. Subsequently, the company was renamed, and nearly its entire stake was transferred to the British company. The case file also indicates that the registration process may have been conducted in violation of the law.

During a search of the residence of a law firm employee who may have facilitated real estate transactions, authorities seized a laptop, two tablets, a phone, flash drives, documents, and handwritten notes.

Despite objections from the defense, the court concluded that the seized devices may contain information relevant to the investigation and therefore ordered the seizure of the documents and storage devices. The seizure order for the laptop, tablets, and phone remains in effect until August 24, 2026.

Also in July, the SBU exposed former Odesa MP Ivan Izbash for runningan agribusiness in the occupied Kherson region. According to the investigation, he, along with other participants, organized the continued operation of an agricultural enterprise in the temporarily occupied city of Kakhovka by re-registering it in accordance with the legislation of the aggressor state.

Анна Бальчінос