Businessman Yevhen Chernyak rejects the SBUʼs accusation of financing Russian aggression

Businessman and owner of the Global Spirits alcohol holding (brands "Khortytsia", "Morosha", "Pervak") Yevhen Chernyak rejected accusations of the Security Service of Ukraine of financing Russian armed aggression.

He wrote on his Facebook that he learned about the suspicion against him and six other top managers of his companies from the Telegram channel.

According to Chernyak, no one came to him personally, suspicions were not handed over, no questions were asked about the case. The businessman says that there have been sanctions against Global Spirits in Russia since 2014 and the company could not have any assets there. The license was revoked on February 24, 2022. He called all the accusations absurd.

Chernyak also reminded that he is wanted in Russia and arrested in absentia, so he could not pay taxes in the Russian Federation for legal and ethical reasons.

"The case documents do not concern the payment of taxes in the Russian Federation, but some companies in Central Asia, Sakartvello [Georgia] and Azerbaijan. I was not and am not now the owner or official of these enterprises, I have never rented them, none of the companyʼs management is an official or beneficiary of the companies and factories that are mentioned in the case, and accordingly could not buy or sell anything," he added.

• On December 29 , the SBU announced suspicion against Yevhen Chernyak and six top managers of his Global Spirits company. They are accused of financing Russiaʼs armed aggression. According to the investigation, despite the war, he continued to do business with the Russian Federation and pay taxes there. Only in 2022, his business could pay approximately 6 billion hryvnias to the treasury of the Russian Federation. Now they face up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.