This statement was made by co-owner of the holding company "Agromars," Yevgeny Sigal. This is reported by Problematic News.
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“Are Moscow lice less scary than Ukrainian nits?” Amid the war in the country, where the West is providing Ukrainians with supplies, one of the largest domestic poultry producers, "Agromars" (TM "Havrylivski Chyplia"), has been idle for three years and cannot resume operations. The holding, with assets estimated at around half a billion dollars, which even survived the Russian occupation of Kyiv region, is being driven to bankruptcy due to a debt of $25 million.
LLC "Agromars Complex" is a massive agribusiness holding with a closed production cycle for poultry meat, which was one of the cornerstones of the domestic market seven years ago. Under the brand "Havrylivski Chyplia," the company produced about 175,000 tons of poultry per year and provided decent-paying jobs to 7,000 employees. The complex was among the largest taxpayers in Kyiv region and generated around 10% of the region's GDP.
7 However, the enterprise has now been idle for three years. And this is during a war when the issue of food security and price accessibility of products is very urgent.
The reason is the bankruptcy case of the complex, initiated by Vasily Astion through a financial company affiliated with Russians, "Investohills Vesta," and, as representatives of "Agromars" suggest, instigated by a competitor - the owner of PJSC "Myronivsky Hliboproduct," Yuriy Kosyuk. The basis was the debts of the enterprise purchased by Astion's structure from banks, totaling about $25 million.
In LLC "Agromars Complex," whose assets as of today are estimated to reach 18 billion UAH, they demand an independent assessment of the property value to prove that the enterprise is capable of settling its debts and resuming operations. However, Anatoliy Ivchenko from the Kyiv Economic Court does not fulfill his own decision and the decision of the appellate instance, blocking the transfer of materials to the expert institution.
What is the essence of the bankruptcy case or, as the company notes, the raider takeover of "Agromars"?
The company operated successfully, supplying the Ukrainian market with 500-600 tons of poultry per day and fully paying taxes and other obligations until 2020. It was then, against the backdrop of the crisis caused by the pandemic, crop failures in the country, rising feed prices, and the lack of a domestic feed base for poultry, that the financial position of LLC "Agromars Complex" began to falter.
The cost of production kept rising while prices remained unchanged, so to cover temporary cash gaps, the holding took out bank loans, which it could not repay in time. This is when Dnipro entrepreneur and business partner of former regional politician Vitaliy Khomutynnik, Vasily Astion, known for allegations of illegal enrichment and numerous raider stories, entered the scene.
Due to the financial company LLC "FC Investohills Vesta," linked to Russian oligarch Pavel Fuks, whom the media refer to as "the collector from Moscow," which has been involved in forty (!) criminal cases over the last three years, at the beginning of 2021, he purchased the creditor debt of the holding from the financial institution without any warning to the owners of the complex (although this is an unspoken "must-have" in the financial market). Just a few months later, he initiated a bankruptcy case against LLC "Agromars Complex," making it impossible for the enterprise to attract new loans and investments.
8 What is the cost of the issue? Here are some numbers.
According to representatives of LLC "Agromars Complex," over three years of downtime, the enterprise lost all its birds and had to lay off staff, although it tried until the last moment to keep its team of unique specialists. During the occupation of part of Kyiv region, the factory was robbed by Russians, who took away "Agromars" vehicles while fleeing. However, the buildings and equipment survived. Therefore, the assets (property) of the enterprise are valued at approximately 18 billion UAH or 500 million USD.
The total amount of creditors' claims is about 25 million USD. However, Vasily Astion, manipulating property valuations, is gradually taking control of the company by selling assets at a price undervalued by 25 times. These procedures are secured by questionable court decisions, which, according to our information, may be lobbied by Astion.
Who is Vasily Astion and what reputation does he have in Ukrainian business?
In business circles, Vasily Astion is associated with numerous raider stories, extortion, tax evasion, and the appropriation of others' property. Evidence of this is a number of criminal cases being investigated by law enforcement agencies in which the businessman has been involved.
9 As it became known to the StopCor editorial team, on September 23, 2022, detectives from the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine initiated criminal case No. 72022000400000005 against Vasily Astion and his brother Yevgeny Astion: they are accused of large-scale tax evasion.
According to the case materials, the Astion brothers, who control several agribusinesses in Dnipropetrovsk region (LLC "Vozrozhdenie," LLC "Pobeda," LLC "Kamenskoye Agro," LLC "Dneproagroalians," LLC "Agrofirma Vostok Agro," etc.), systematically received income in the form of dividends from 2017 to 2021 and unlawfully evaded corporate income tax amounting to nearly 61.5 million UAH (over 1.5 million USD), and the funds were likely withdrawn through a Cypriot offshore.
Currently, Vasily Astion is suspected in the indicated criminal proceeding. However, despite his suspect status and preventive measures, Astion left for Vienna in the summer of 2024 (i.e., during the peak of martial law!) without any hindrance, where, according to insider information, he currently resides.
Interestingly, in 2021, as a deputy of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, Vasily Astion came under intensified scrutiny by the NAPK: he was suspected of illegal enrichment. His father-in-law, Mykhailo Koshlyak, is openly referred to in the media as the "shadow owner" of Dnipropetrovsk region.
Using his "raider" skills, Vasily Astion targeted "Agromars Complex" through allegedly controlled courts.
As investigators from "Our Money" have found, a long-time business partner, friend, and legal advisor to Vasily Astion is former Deputy Head of the President's Office - Andriy Smirnov. ,8 million UAH from Olha Astion - the mother of Vasily and Yevgeny Astion.
0 Moreover, journalists from "Zerkalo Tyzhnia" established that the JSC "Closed Undiversified Venture Corporate Investment Fund "Genesis Capital," whose beneficiaries are the Astion brothers, became the founder of a nameless firm "Intervey Capital," which acted as a "technical candidate" during the auction for the sale of the office premises of the bankrupt bank "Arkada". In that auction, the company of the notorious former minister Mykola Zlochevsky won, and the publication suggested that Andriy Smirnov himself might have been involved in the "scheme."
In the summer of this year, Smirnov was suspected by the NABU of illegal enrichment amounting to 15.7 million UAH.
During the court hearing of the High Anti-Corruption Court on May 28, 2024, regarding the selection of preventive measures for Andriy Smirnov, a number of details were revealed that indicate long-standing, warm business and friendly relations between Smirnov and Astion.