According to the investigation, among the key Russian clients could be some of the largest companies in the agro-industrial complex of the aggressor country – "Shchelkovo Agrokhim" and "Alterit".
To covertly transport Ukrainian goods, the suspects allegedly utilized an affiliated company in the Middle East, from where they could have re-exported to the Russian Federation.
Authorities suspect that in this manner, Russian companies may have received over 216 tons of Ukrainian chemical products worth $1.8 million between 2022 and 2024.
"To discuss illegal deliveries and continue their underground business, the organizers used anonymous chats in messengers and email," the statement said.
The press service of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine added that before the full-scale invasion, the Cherkasy chemical plant traded with the Russian Federation without intermediaries.
"This means that involving a foreign firm was merely a way to circumvent the ban on trade with the aggressor state," prosecutors explained.
During the searches, documentation, mobile phones, and computer equipment with evidence of the transaction were found with the suspects, the agency reported.
The head of the Cherkasy company has been notified of suspicion of aiding the aggressor state (part 1 of Article 111-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
Currently, law enforcement is conducting an investigation into other possible individuals involved in the scheme. They could face up to 12 years in prison with property confiscation.