In a decisive move, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has enacted the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to impose personal sanctions on 86 legal entities and seven individuals, including citizens of foreign states.
The corresponding decree has been published on the official website of the head of state, marking a significant step in Ukraine's efforts to uphold its national security interests.
According to the annexes to the NSDC decision, 73 out of the 86 legal entities targeted by the sanctions are registered within the government-controlled territory of Ukraine. Additionally, two are located in the temporarily occupied city of Mariupol in the Donetsk region, while three operate in the occupied city of Sevastopol. The remaining legal entities are based in the Russian Federation and China.
These restrictive measures against the mentioned legal entities vary in duration, with sanctions ranging from three to ten years.
Sanctions lasting three years have been imposed on six individuals: Vadim Alperin, Alexander Yerimitsu, Yuri Kushnir, Orest Adamcho, Victor Sherman, and Andrey Popov.
Vadim Alperin, specifically, has had his assets frozen for three years, alongside a prohibition on engaging in any trade operations, transferring capital outside the country's territory, participating in privatization, and...
Araik Amirkhanyan, on the other hand, faces sanctions lasting ten years. According to "Myrotvorets" data, he is implicated in raiding activities, organizing illegal crossings of the state border, money laundering with subsequent transfer to Russia, and the temporarily occupied Crimea.
For more details, read: "The Contraband Kings": Who Falls Under NSDC Sanctions and What Do We Know About Them?
Recalling recent events:
The Bureau of Economic Security conducted searches in warehouses, offices, and production premises of legal entities linked to an Odessa businessman.
Although the bureau did not disclose the businessman's name, it noted that personal sanctions had been imposed on him for smuggling, and on April 14, 2021, his citizenship was revoked by presidential decree. Law enforcement descriptions match those of Odessa businessman Vadim Alperin.
The High Anti-Corruption Court closed the criminal proceedings against Odessa businessman Vadim Alperin on October 12, 2023, whom President Volodymyr Zelensky referred to as "one of the godfathers of smuggling in Ukraine" and promised a reward for his capture.
Businessman Vadim Alperin and his accomplices were accused of establishing a criminal organization that unlawfully imported goods into Ukraine. According to the investigation, the losses amounted to over 63.8 million hryvnias. Alperin remains under NSDC sanctions.
Entrepreneur Yuri Kushnir, the founder of the "Chernovitsky Plant of Building Materials" and the security agency "Sokol," was elected as a deputy from the "Party of Regions" to the Chernovitsky Regional Council in 2010.
In 2020, he was implicated in a bribery case involving the former head of the regional council, to the tune of $200,000. The resolution of the High Anti-Corruption Court stated that the then-chairman of the Chernovitsky Regional Council from the Batkivshchyna party, Ivan Muntyan, was to facilitate the transfer of the "Brusnyk" sanatorium into a 49-year lease for Kushnir's benefit.
Odessa businessman Victor Sherman, whose companies are engaged in maritime freight transportation, specialized primarily in importing clothing, mostly from China. Local media outlets refer to Sherman as one of Vadim Alperin's partners.
