The rapid growth of new tea brands on the Ukrainian market has drawn scrutiny over their potential hidden ties to Russian capital and controversial politicians. The «Trypilske Sontse» company, which appeared on Ukrainian store shelves in April 2022, quickly captured a significant market share, yet journalistic and legal investigations reveal its direct succession from the scandalous «May Ukraina» manufacturer.
«Trypilske Sontse» promptly flooded the Ukrainian market with popular products under its own brands: «Trypilske Sontse,» Sherlock Secrets, and Tea Moments. Although the enterprise formally positions itself as an independent player, it relies critically on the infrastructure of structures with a Russian past.
Previously, «Trypilske Sontse» actively used the bank accounts of «May Ukraina.» After parts of these accounts were seized due to well-founded suspicions of financing structures associated with the Russian Federation, the company’s financial operations were restricted. Only critically necessary transactions remained permitted: salary disbursements, tax payments, utility coverage, and targeted transfers to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to analytical platforms, the enterprise’s ownership history is quite convoluted. The initial founder of «Trypilske Sontse» through the Armenian company «Kochari International» was Karlen Stepanyan. Subsequently, the corporate structure shifted, and control over the business passed to Ukrainian citizens Denys Honzur and Yevhen Volvych.
Currently, the ultimate beneficiaries are two residents of Dnipro: former civil servant Oleksandr Stepansky, who is officially listed in the state registry of corrupt officials, and current Dnipro City Council deputy Kamil Primakov.
Both owners previously worked at the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration. This situation has sparked acute social resonance because representatives of a region that suffers daily from massive Russian shelling and destruction are effectively controlling a business with a clearly traceable Russian trace.
«The company uses the same production facilities and personnel as ‘May Ukraina,'» official court proceeding materials emphasize.
Behind the parent Russian «May» group of companies stands notorious Ukrainian businessman Igor Lisinenko. He built his career in Moscow, achieving significant political influence and even serving as a deputy in the State Duma of the Russian Federation from the ruling «United Russia» party. Back in 1991, he founded the «May» corporation, which spent years earning billions producing tea and coffee under well-known brands such as Richard, Curtis, Maysky, Lisma, and Coffesso.
The branding of the new Ukrainian tea product lines raises numerous questions among both buyers and specialized experts. The external packaging design and product styling suspiciously resemble the assortment of the sanctioned or toxic «May Ukraina» group.
The marketing transformation is quite telling:
The British tea Richard turned into Sherlock Secrets on the new shelves.
The popular brand Curtis transformed into Tea Moments.
The flagship product «Trypilskyi» outwardly fully copies the classic «Mayskyi.»
The product composition listed on the labels is practically identical. This gives experts grounds to assert that consumers might be sold the exact same product under the guise of new Ukrainian brands, merely repackaged in different wrappers to avoid a boycott.
The company’s financial indicators look no less controversial. By the end of 2024, the enterprise’s trade turnover exceeded 323 million hryvnias, yet simultaneously it declared a massive 24 million hryvnias in losses. Such a disparity between huge turnover and a negative balance can indicate risks of illegal capital withdrawal as well as manipulations with accounting reporting.
The situation has attracted the attention of regulatory authorities: back in 2025, the State Tax Service already brought the company’s director to administrative responsibility for serious violations of bookkeeping rules. In total, the company appears in open court registries in at least 16 proceedings.
Despite lawsuits, tax fines, and arrests of the parent structure’s accounts, the business continues to operate and scale. The chief accountant and the legal address of the production facilities in the town of Obukhiv have remained unchanged, once again confirming the close ties between «Trypilske Sontse» and Lisinenko’s business empire.