On November 22, the media reported that employees of the Security Service of Ukraine were conducting a search in the energy company “VS Energy”, whose shareholders were Russian entrepreneurs.
The company occupies 10% of the Ukrainian energy market and owns blocks of shares in “Khersonoblenergo”, “Kirovogradoblenergo”, “Zhytomiroblenergo”, “Rivnooblenergo” and “Chernivtsyoblenergo”.
Until 2022, Russian entrepreneurs Yevgeny Giner and Mikhail Voevodin, as well as Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the aggressor Alexander Babakov, have repeatedly been recorded as shareholders of “VS Energy” until 2022. In May 2022, the company stated that they were not related to Ukrainian firms, but the media claimed otherwise.
In the investigation of our Association in June 2022, it was indicated that the “Sevastopolenergo” energy company also “belonged to one of the most powerful electric power groups in Ukraine, owned by State Duma deputy Oleksandr Babakov and president of the CSKA football club Evgeny Giner.”
Moreover, these beneficiaries controlled both “Sevastopolenergo”, which was “registered” in the occupiers’ “lists”, and a legal Ukrainian company also.
In 2015, “Radio Svoboda” reported that the Ukrainian company PJSC “Energy Company Sevastopolenergo” changed its legal address and registered in Kherson instead of the Crimea, and the meeting of shareholders allegedly decided to create its “branch” in Sevastopol.
It was added that at that time “Sevastopolenergo” was controlled by “VS Energy International N.V.”, which owned a number of regional energy companies in Ukraine; “Radio Svoboda” also attributed “Sevastopolenergo” to Alexander Babakov’s control.
According to official registers, at present, the “Sevastopolenergo” Energy Company is registered in the city of Vishneve, Kyiv Region, an analysis of the company’s published documents indicates that from 2011 to 2019, the general meeting of its shareholders was held by the same persons, for example, Yuri Solovyov.
