Former MP of the Ukrainian People’s Party of Ukraine is suspected of collaborating with Russian business

Law enforcement officers have detained the director of a cardboard packaging company, who is suspected of collaborating with Russian businesses during the war.

This was reported by the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Security Service of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, after the start of the full-scale invasion, the suspect continued to work with the Russian company, despite the ban on importing goods from the Russian Federation.

Law enforcement officials have not officially named the suspect. However, journalists are reporting that the suspect is businessman and former MP from the People’s Party of Ukraine Gennady Minin.

He was detained in an office near Kyiv.

Minin is a former deputy of the district council in Luhansk region from the banned party “Opposition Platform – For Life”. He is associated with the “Trypilly Packaging Plant” and the “Rubizhany Cardboard and Packaging Plant”.

The investigation believes that the company signed a contract with a Russian equipment manufacturer for over 1.1 million euros back in 2021. Part of the funds – 810 thousand euros – were transferred as a prepayment.

After the outbreak of the Great War, the cooperation, according to law enforcement officials, did not stop. To circumvent the restrictions, a Belarusian intermediary company was used. Through it, the equipment was delivered to Ukraine in transit through one of the EU countries.

In total, more than 382 thousand euros were transferred to the Russian side. In addition, the suspect allegedly promised the company representative another 92 thousand euros for a quick shipment.

The SBU also stated that the suspect re-registered one of his enterprises in the occupied part of eastern Ukraine under Russian law.

During the searches, investigators seized documents, phones, and computer equipment. The court remanded the suspect in custody.