Ukrainian prosecutors have referred an indictment to court against executive officers of the Berdyansk Sausage Plant and the Berdyansk Meat Packing Plant, subsidiaries of SMK Group—one of Ukraine’s largest meat processing conglomerates. The executives are charged with collaborationist activity and cooperating with Russian occupying authorities.
According to court filings from the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, following the capture of Berdyansk, the enterprises were re-registered under Russian law. They subsequently continued production and distribution across occupied territories, including supplies directed to Russian military forces.
Russian corporate registers indicate that just one of the re-registered companies—Berdyansk Sausage Plant LLC—paid approximately 135 million rubles in taxes to the Russian state budget.
Law enforcement authorities state that operational control over the business was maintained by SMK Group founder Denys Paramonov through designated proxies, Yegor Tolok and Gennady Babayan. Babayan is listed in Russian registries as a director and co-founder of several entities re-registered in Berdyansk, alongside sports organizations linked directly to Paramonov.
«Law enforcement agencies are investigating the conduct of business operations in coordination with the aggressor state. Despite the re-registration of corporate entities under local proxies, ultimate control over assets and revenues remained with the Ukrainian beneficiary,» law enforcement sources reported.
The criminal investigation into collaborationist activity (Part 4, Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) was formally initiated in late 2022. During 2023, Denys Paramonov was briefly listed as wanted for evading pre-trial investigative authorities.
Proceedings against Paramonov personally were subsequently closed due to the «absence of a criminal offense.» However, the investigation into the executive management of the Berdyansk branch operations concluded with an indictment submitted to court on charges of group conspiracy.
SMK Group is a prominent leader in Ukraine’s meat processing sector, originally established in Kharkiv. Its corporate portfolio includes the Saltivsky, Bohodukhiv, and Kyiv meat packing plants, the Svitanok agribusiness, an extensive retail network, and production facilities in Poland.
The company’s products are distributed nationally, including through public procurement contracts supplying educational institutions and military units.
Official representatives of SMK Group and Denys Paramonov have so far declined to provide extended public comments regarding the ongoing judicial proceedings against the Berdyansk facility managers.