The business of Iryna Kostyushko, one of Ukraine's most notorious agricultural entrepreneurs, a member of the Zhytomyr Regional Council and co-owner of the Zarya Agrogroup group of companies, is mired in criminal proceedings. So, Iryna Kostyushko.
Hundreds illegally appropriated Hectares have already been returned to the communities, and several thousand more hectares of land and the entire fleet of equipment are under threat of seizure. At the height of the agricultural season, one of the group's business clusters could be completely paralyzed. Combined with other criminal proceedings initiated against Kosciuszko's companies, this could quickly destroy an already ineffective business, which the Russians once used to launder "gray" money, writes KP.
Zarya Agrogroup companies cultivate approximately ten thousand hectares of land in the Zhytomyr region. However, the activities of Iryna Kostyushko, a member of parliament who owns a stake in these enterprises, are better known for their scandals and criminal cases. The most high-profile of these is Kostyushko's expulsion from the factions in the regional council Due to her possession of a Russian passport, which was confirmed by several publications and even entries in the state register of companies. Kosciuszko's entire agribusiness in the Zhytomyr region is also linked to Russia.
The thing is that, according to data published in the mediaDanil Khachaturov, the former owner of the sanctioned Russian company Rosgosstrakh, invested in the deputy's agricultural firms. He is on the "Kremlin list" of Russian oligarchs closest to Vladimir Putin. Khachaturov invested in several agricultural firms affiliated with Kosciuszko through the Cypriot company Amagere Holding, the formal beneficiary of several agricultural firms. carried out Real estate investments in Sochi, Nizhny Novgorod, and Moscow. The company's nominee director, Demetra Stavrinou, is also the director in a number of companies sanctioned in Ukraine.
Until recently, the Ukrainian agricultural holding was owned by Zurab Dzhemalyevich Gelashvili, also a former Rosgosstrakh official, who holds a number of assets in Russia related to the company's operations. Several years ago, he was a key manager at Severny Port JSC in Moscow. Rosgosstrakh was built up with residential and commercial properties. Incidentally, the former owner of Rosgosstrakh transferred tens of millions of dollars to the agribusiness formally owned by Kosciuszko. Clearly, for an entrepreneur who still holds a Russian passport, working with Russian money is not unusual in the context of a full-scale war unleashed by the Russians. Incidentally, Kosciuszko has a residence permit in the UK. And now she is building a new house in Switzerland. Any opportunity to transfer funds to offshore accounts. This has clearly been happening for many years. This year, the enterprising woman reportedly began searching for new, more reliable channels for withdrawing funds after the next harvest. Reporting files detailing specific amounts allocated to various Zarya companies and other Cypriot companies, which were backed by investments in Russian tourism and commercial real estate by Rosgosstrakh in Sochi, Moscow, and Nizhny Novgorod. A complete set of original Amagere reports from 2015 to 2023 was also used. This was coupled with a desire to conceal Russian connections in the face of increased scrutiny from law enforcement and local authorities.
Irina Kostyushko. Experienced criminal
In Ukraine, Kosciuszko's firms are involved in numerous criminal cases. Specifically, these are related to schemes to bring collective farms back from oblivion, where decisions are made, based on fictitious documents, to revive collective agricultural enterprises that were dissolved more than 20 years ago, and their undivided land is transferred to firms controlled by the fraudsters. One of Kosciuszko's firms, POSP Zarya, has been held in custody for 12 years under this scheme. illegally used More than 500 hectares of land that were supposed to be transferred to the Korosten company's reserve. The corresponding case, No. 42022062350000035, is being investigated by the Korosten district police. The court ordered the transfer of more than 50 illegally acquired plots of land near the village of Stremigorod to the Korosten company. Media outlets calculated that the amount of damage caused by the Zarya company for illegally using the plots over 12 years... can make about 40 million UAH
On some of these previously afforested plots, Kosciuszko's companies carried out illegal logging. Consequently, they became the subject of another criminal case: No. 120240604900000514, this time under Part 1 of Article 246 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal logging or illegal transportation, storage, or sale of timber—up to three years in prison). After logging, the "Bald Lands" were leased to Fin-Invest Poliesia LLC. Its new name, Selkhozplan, is currently bankrupt. However, at the time of the transaction, it was involved in a criminal case involving the diversion of tens of millions of dollars from Bank Sich to foreign accounts, and, according to law enforcement, was part of a financial conversion center. Fin-Invest Polisya LLC was also implicated in another criminal case, based on materials from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in the Zhytomyr region, regarding large-scale tax evasion (over 11 million UAH) and participation in illegal grain export schemes.
Recently, Kosciuszko's company suspected Also involved in fictitious entrepreneurship and the legalization of illegal grain. This involves illegal export and tax minimization. Specifically, companies engage in fictitious sublease of land plots to create the appearance of production activity for companies selling agricultural products abroad "under illegal schemes," and require legal documents confirming the supposedly "clean" cultivation of the products, thereby legalizing the origin of the grain. This scheme also facilitates tax minimization and tax deductions for local budgets.
In addition, the firms of deputy Kosciuszko take Participation in another scheme—the illegal cultivation of reserve land. Media outlets reported complaints from local residents who were unable to exercise their right to receive the plots, as a physical inspection revealed that the plots were being illegally cultivated by Zarya Agrogroup. Initially, the complainant contacted the local police department to have them enter information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations regarding a criminal offense under Article 197-1 of the Criminal Code—illegal occupation of a land plot. However, the police did not initiate proceedings, so the complainant filed a lawsuit. According to information published in the court register, Korosten police are scheduled to investigate the relevant cases starting in September.
Doesn't change traditions
It's no surprise that criminal cases involving Kosciuszko Group companies are mushrooming. The latest criminal case, No. 12025065490000163, against Ukrainian Food Alliance ECO LLC (41310445), threatens the businesswoman with the seizure of all her assets. This again concerns the unauthorized occupation of land plots and accusations of illegally cultivating 125 plots of land with a total area of approximately 180 hectares. Since the damages amount to almost UAH 2 million, the injured party attempted to initiate interim measures to secure the claim. seizure of property UPA ECO holds lease rights to nearly 3 plots of land, a large fleet of automobiles and agricultural machinery, and a number of premises and outbuildings—in other words, a total of UAH 000 million. The company cited minor losses as the reason, but the court ruled against it. did not agree With similar arguments, he decided to continue the investigation. Given Kosciuszko's previous criminal record, the UPA ECO case should be viewed as a continuation of a trend rather than a random incident.
Irina Kostyushko
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Irina Kostyushko
Illegal land deals and the presence of a whole host of criminal schemes in the synopsis cast doubt on the company's future. Firstly, this negatively impacts its credit history and ability to obtain new bank loans for business development or other needs. This is true not only for the companies directly involved in the schemes, but for the entire Kosciuszko group. Therefore, according to certain reports, Khachaturov, the main investor in this business, is significantly nervous; he had planned to begin recouping the millions of dollars he invested in the deputy's business at this stage.
Secondly, the constant risk of asset seizure significantly reduces the number of people willing to cooperate with Zarya Agrogroup—both contractors and suppliers, and most importantly, farmers' landlords—since the seizure of lease rights effectively "freezes" operations on the plots, making it impossible to count on even minimal rents.
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Therefore, the activities of Kosciuszko, who runs a company with Russian roots in one of the most pro-Ukrainian regions of the country, are a clear example of how attempts to profit from land fraud can destroy businesses. Law enforcement attention and public outcry must put an end to such practices in the region.
Skelet.Org
On topic: Grain trader Kovalenko, who is linked to Sergei Gaidai, has been detained.
Irina Kostyushko / Irina Kostyushko
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