Fictitious grain sale worth UAH 63 million: ex-minister among suspects
Law enforcement officers have uncovered a scheme involving the fictitious sale of grain worth UAH 63 million. Among the suspects is a former Ukrainian minister of agrarian policy.
This was reported by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, Censor.NET informs.
Details
According to the investigation, at the beginning of 2026, officials of an agricultural enterprise in Kyiv Oblast organized a scheme involving the fictitious sale of corn.
"The organizer of the scheme is a former MP and former minister of the Ministry of Agrarian Development of Ukraine. The co-organizers and executors were the director of the agricultural enterprise and its technical manager," the statement says.
What did the scheme involve?
Thus, the suspects signed a contract for the supply of 7,000 tonnes of grain from the 2025 harvest.
"To create the illusion of a lawful deal, the buyer was provided with forged warehouse receipts and acceptance certificates. According to the documents, the grain was allegedly being stored at the seller’s elevator in Kyiv Oblast. However, checks through state registers and the involvement of specialists showed that at the time the documents were signed, the grain was not present at the storage facility," Kravchenko said.
The selling company also issued warehouse documents for more than 130,000 tonnes of produce, which is twice the actual technical capacity of its elevator, which stands at 60,000 tonnes.
An expert examination found that the injured party had suffered losses amounting to UAH 63.7 million.
A total of 26 searches were carried out in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast at the suspects’ places of residence and business addresses. Financial records, digital storage devices, and vehicles were seized.
During the inspection of the elevator, the absence of the declared grain was confirmed.
At present, three participants in the scheme have been notified of suspicion of committing fraud on an especially large scale under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The issue of selecting preventive measures for the suspects is being decided.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
According to Censor.NET, one of the figures in the case is Mykola Solskyi, former Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food.
