The director of an agricultural company owned by Kherson Mayor Kolykhaev was convicted of aiding the Russian Federation

Hundreds of land plots, vehicles, agricultural equipment, and corporate rights are being confiscated from Petro Lyashko, who ran several agricultural enterprises in the occupied Kherson region.

The Novovorontsov District Court found him guilty of aiding the Russian occupiers and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

According to the Center for Investigative Journalism, Lyashko is the head of the “Yukos & K” farming enterprise, which is linked to the business interests of Kherson Mayor Igor Kolykhaev.

The court found that in July 2022, Lyashko transferred the property rights and assets of “Yukos and K” to the Russian LLC “Agrarian,” registered in Voronezh. The company gained the authority to dispose of the farm’s property, funds, and other assets, as well as to hire and fire employees.

After that, “Yukos and K” continued to operate in the occupied part of the Kherson region and pay taxes to the Russian budget.

In addition, Lyashko became a co-founder of the companies “Prodexim Trading House,” “Gornostaivskyi Raioagrochem,” and SBK “Svitanok,” which were illegally registered by the occupying authorities. He headed the latter two.

In March 2023, Lyashko entered into commodity loan agreements totaling 83.4 million rubles with SBK “Svitanok” and nearly 4 million rubles with “Gornostaivskyi Raioagrochem.”

He also accepted property worth nearly 46 million rubles from “Agrarian” for safekeeping. Subsequently, according to the case file, Lyashko used approximately 35 million rubles in funds and property to cover the company’s expenses.

The court found him guilty under Part 4 of Article 111-1 and Part 1 of Article 111-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Lyashko was sentenced to 12 years in prison with the confiscation of all his property.

Separately, the court fined “Prodexim Trading House,” “Gornostaivskyi Raioagrochem,” and SBK “Svitanok” 340,000 hryvnias each.

Corporate rights in “Prodeksim,” "Gornostaivskyi Raiahrochem," SBK "Svitanok," and FG "Yukos and K," as well as hundreds of land plots, vehicles, agricultural machinery, and other property.

According to the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau, in the same case, three other heads of agricultural enterprises who operated in the occupied territory under Russian law were previously notified of their status as suspects.

These include Yuriy Vasilyev, director of the “Gornostaivskyi Rayagrokhim” Trading House; Serhiy Plachkov, chairman of the “Svitanok” Agricultural Cooperative; and Petro Lyashko, director of the “Yukos and K” Farming Enterprise.

Vasilyev denies the charges. He claimed that Russian troops seized the enterprise and that he himself was abducted and tortured. According to him, it was Lyashko who was involved in collaborating with the occupiers.

The aforementioned enterprises are linked to the business of Igor Kolykhaev, who has been held captive by Russia since 2022. In particular, the “Gornostaivskyi Raioagrokhim” Trading House was linked to his business, and the co-founder of the “Svitanok” Agricultural Cooperative is the mayor’s father, Viktor Kolykhaev.

Ірина Глухова