The Bureau of Economic Security (BEB), in cooperation with the Cyberpolice and the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, has exposed a large-scale scheme involving the fraudulent documentation of agricultural products across a network of more than 60 enterprises. According to investigators, the perpetrators purchased grain using unrecorded cash, laundered it through shell entities, and siphoned the proceeds into cash and crypto assets. Meanwhile, court records suggest potential links between these operations and structures historically associated with the PAEK group of companies and LLC Ekotrans.
According to investigation materials, the perpetrators bought sunflower seeds and rapeseed from local farmers using off-the-books cash. To legitimize the raw materials, they utilized a network of dozens of affiliated entities to create paper trails for the goods. The products were subsequently funneled through high-risk exporters to transfer foreign currency proceeds abroad or convert them into digital assets.
«The investigation established that a pool of risk-flagged companies was used to create fake origins for agricultural products, after which the funds were siphoned off through cash transactions and digital wallets,» law enforcement officials noted.
While the BEB has not officially released the names of the entities involved in the latest operation, existing court orders—specifically under criminal proceeding No. 72024001110000002—describe an identical operational pattern. In those case materials, the central apparatus of the BEB investigated LLC Ekotrans and a series of enterprises within the PAEK group, historically tied to businessman Yuriy Kormyshkin.
Entities named in prior proceedings regarding fictitious tax credits and illicit exports include:
LLC PAEK-Pivden, PAEK-Agro, PAEK-Invest, and JV PAEK;
Farms such as FG Kormyshkin, Buzkyi Elevator, and Zherebkove;
Exporting firms and terminals, including Agyros, Eridon, and the Odesa grain terminal Olimpex Coupe International.
LLC Ekotrans previously held direct corporate ties to the PAEK group, where Yuriy Kormyshkin was listed as the ultimate beneficial owner. At the end of 2025, PAEK-Agro and PAEK-Pivden were listed among the company’s founders. However, the ownership structure shifted significantly in January 2026: a 50.1% stake was transferred to MPP Firm Eridon, while 49.9% went to the Montale venture fund, resulting in Kormyshkin’s removal from the register of beneficiaries.
Investigators from the BEB Territorial Office in the Kyiv Region are continuing their investigative actions. Because the latest official release omits specific case numbers and vehicle registration details, the connection to earlier PAEK proceedings currently remains a key working hypothesis.