Counterfeit goods from well-known brands worth 98 million hryvnias: eight members of organised group have been notified of suspicion. PHOTOS
Law enforcement officers in the Lviv region have uncovered an organised group of eight people who had set up a full production and distribution chain for counterfeit clothing and electronics under the guise of global brands.
The losses to the trademark owners are estimated at nearly 98 million hryvnias, reports Censor.NET,citing the Office of the Prosecutor General.
Details
The underground operation was active from August to December 2025.
The ringleader had complete control over the process: from purchasing fabric to financial transactions and marketing.
Counterfeit suits, jackets, hoodies and hats were sewn in two underground workshops. A separate printing works produced tags, labels and price tags bearing the logos of global brands.
At the same time, the organiser sold counterfeit smartwatches and headphones online.
The goods were sold in two shops – in Busk and in the centre of Lviv – as well as via Instagram, Telegram, a marketplace and the organisation’s own website. Orders were dispatched throughout Ukraine.
Financial transactions were carried out through a network of sole traders to conceal the true volume of trade and avoid exceeding tax thresholds.
Law enforcement officers shut down the group’s operations at the end of December 2025. During searches, they seized over 4,000 items of counterfeit clothing, nearly 26,000 labels bearing the name of an Italian brand, sewing equipment, fabric, electronic equipment, cash (over 1 million hryvnias and $700) and draft documentation.
