Sanctions and criminal liability. Lawyer tells what threatens Ukrainian companies cooperating with Russia

Ukrainian companies should be held accountable for cooperation with Russia. Sanctions may be imposed on them or the management may be held criminally liable. This opinion was expressed in an exclusive commentary UNN by the lawyer of the law firm "Kasyanenko and Partners" Dmytro Kasyanenko.

"In the context of the current geopolitical realities, cooperation of Ukrainian companies with the Russian Federation, which is recognized as an aggressor country, is an extremely sensitive issue. Should such companies be held responsible? Absolutely," Kasyanenko noted.

According to him, Ukrainian legislation envisages a number of economic sanctions for companies cooperating with Russia. These may include financial restrictions, bans on exports and imports of goods and services, blocking of assets, as well as a ban on participation in public procurement.

Furthermore, Kasyanenko added that depending on the nature of cooperation, Ukrainian companies may be subject to criminal liability. In particular, for terrorism financing, treason, espionage and other crimes threatening national security.

According to him, activities that contribute to undermining Ukraine's economic, military or information security may also fall under other articles of the Criminal Code, such as sabotage, sabotage and other crimes.

"After the full-scale invasion, tens of thousands of companies in Ukraine and around the world refused to cooperate with the aggressor. However, even now there are still thousands of Ukrainian companies with direct or hidden ties to Russia and Belarus. In addition, many companies located on the territory of Ukraine have a share of the aggressor country in their capital, and some of them have been transferred to the management of ARMA. However, due to their inefficient management, such enterprises have ceased to operate. Cooperation with the aggressor contradicts the moral principles and obligations of every citizen and entrepreneur of Ukraine. This is a matter of honor and dignity that cannot be ignored," Kasyanenko stressed.

Recall

Earlier, UNN reported that the Swiss company Omega Terminal S.A. of Russian citizen Mikhail Ipatov serves as the main cover for its headallowing him to work quietly in Ukraine. According to public data, Ipatov's Swiss company is the founder of the Ukrainian company of the same name, Omega Terminal-Ukraine. It is noteworthy that this company of the Russian works with the company "Attollo Granum" through which Odessa businessmen Sergey Groza and Vladimir Naumenko tried to maintain control over the grain terminal "Olympex". "Attollo Granum" also appears in several criminal proceedings for  tax evasion, and is also very likely to be actively cooperating with the under-sanctioned smuggler Vadim Alperin. Ipatov also runs another Swiss company of Groza and Naumenko, GNT Europe SA. This company is not just part of Groza and Naumenko's GNT Group agro-holding, it owns stakes in a number of companies in Ukraine that continue to operate even after the large-scale invasion of Russia. Moreover, some are even suspected of gray export of grain.