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Feb. 17, 2026, 2:43 p.m.
Hotel owner from Kherson region suspended for attempting to transfer business to Russians
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Viktor Lobanov. PHOTO: CJR
The court sentenced 69-year-old Viktor Lobanov, an entrepreneur and employee of the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant, who tried to transfer his real estate to the control of the invaders. Holding a Russian passport, the man traveled to Moscow in June 2025 and later to the temporarily occupied village of Zaliznyi Port in Kherson region. There, he engaged Russian lawyers and reached an agreement with representatives of the occupation administration on the free transfer of the Orange Hotel and land to their use.
This was reported by the Center for Investigative Journalism with reference to the verdict of the South Ukrainian City Court of Mykolaiv region on February 12.
Lobanov did not have time to complete the legalization of the contract, as he was detained by law enforcement officers in Mykolaiv region. The court found the man guilty under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, but sentenced him to a suspended sentence. This decision was made in view of the fact that the accused fully admitted his guilt and undertook to transfer UAH 2 million to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
When, after the start of the full-scale invasion, Russian troops unauthorizedly seized the hotel, Lobanov decided not to lose his ownership, but to voluntarily transfer the property to the aggressor. To do this, in June 2025, he developed a complicated route: he flew to Moscow via Moldova and Turkey. In the Russian capital, he turned to the Ex-Legislative Bar Association to support the process of transferring the land and buildings to the illegally created Kherson Oblast Emergency Situations Ministry.
Subsequently, the entrepreneur personally traveled to the occupied Iron Port through Crimea. On June 9, 2025, he met with representatives of the occupying paramilitary forces and offered them to use his hotel for free for 11 months. Upon returning to Pivdennoukrainsk, Lobanov received draft applications and agreements from Moscow lawyers that had already been prepared under Russian law.
The SBU prevented him from finalizing the documents: On August 27, 2025, the official was detained at his home. He was charged with an unfinished attempt to transfer material resources to the enemy and violation of the procedure for entering the occupied territories.
Despite the seriousness of the charges, Viktor Lobanov cooperated with the investigation, unconditionally admitted his guilt and entered into a plea deal. This allowed him to receive a lenient sentence: 3 years in prison with a probationary period of 1.5 years. The court also decided not to confiscate his property, which had previously been seized, but banned him from holding public office.
The key point of the agreement was a financial obligation: the convict must pay UAH 2 million to the Armed Forces of Ukraine within 30 days after the verdict. The court decision has not yet entered into force and may be appealed within a month.
