Five members of a gang are to stand trial in the Kyiv region for producing counterfeit fuel
In the Kyiv region, a pre-trial investigation has been completed into five members of an organised group suspected of the illegal production and sale of counterfeit fuel. The indictment has already been forwarded to the Bila Tserkva City and District Court.
According to the investigation, the scheme was organised by the owner of a group of private companies. He enlisted the help of an oil depot accountant, a councillor from one of the local communities, and other accomplices in the illegal activities. The confirmed losses to the state exceed 19.5 million hryvnias.
During the investigation, operatives from the Strategic Investigations Department in the Kyiv region, in conjunction with detectives from the Economic Security Bureau, identified the location of the clandestine oil refinery, its owners, the fuel production technology and the product distribution channels.
The investigation established that the illegal operation was based at an oil depot in the Bila Tserkva district. The company registered as the owner of the oil depot did not hold licences for the production, storage or sale of fuel and officially paid only for electricity costs.
At the same time, another company under his control was operating at the same address, which held a licence for the wholesale trade in fuel. Its owner, a 52-year-old man from Kyiv, also owned several other companies in the same sector. According to the investigation, this is what allowed the use of the inactive oil refinery to produce and sell counterfeit excise goods without recording the activity in official documentation or tax returns.
The dealers produced petrol and diesel fuel by mixing components and adding various additives. The products were then sold to local businesses, private individuals and through a network of petrol stations under the guise of high-quality fuel.
Expert analyses showed that the seized samples of petroleum products did not meet state standards.
In 2025, law enforcement officers carried out 20 searches in the Kyiv region. During the investigations, cash in various currencies amounting to over 18 million UAH in equivalent value was seized, along with over 145,000 litres of petrol and diesel fuel, tanker lorries, premium-class cars, financial and business documentation, mobile phones, computer equipment and rough notes.
In February 2026, the organiser and four members of the group were served with notices of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 28 and Parts 1 and 2 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The court also seized the confiscated fuel and lubricants, the oil depot and the vehicles. The total value of the seized property exceeds 27 million hryvnias.
The pre-trial investigation has now been completed, and the case file has been forwarded to the court. The penalty under the charged offence provides for up to five years’ imprisonment, with the confiscation and destruction of illegally produced or acquired goods, as well as the equipment and raw materials used in their manufacture.
The Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office was in charge of the proceedings in the case.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of a crime until their guilt has been proven in accordance with the law and established by a court conviction.
