The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine has granted a company that has ties with former Interior Minister Arsen Avakov to establish control over important energy infrastructure. It is about the banner battery storage system (BESE), located in Vinnytsia region, which is one of the strategic objects of the electricity accumulation.
According to the AMCU's decision of April 24, 2025, the control of the object will go to LLC "Grand-Tre". The formally new director of the enterprise was Valentina Paramonova-a person who also manages several other companies directly related to Arsen and Inna Avakov's business orbit. Among them are LLC "Grand-Tre", "Safety time" and PE "Ministers Plus".
The Znamensk Bess is one of the systems that won auxiliary energy services in 2024 (Battery - Battery Energy Storage System). It plays a critical role in stabilizing the work of the national power system, maintaining excess electricity and maintaining balance during peak load periods.
Control of such an object enables its owners not only to make a profit from state contracts, but also to influence the operational stability of the energy market - a sector that is of particular weight in war and constant attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
The history of Arsen Avakov's economic activity has long been known. In the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from 2014 to 2021, he became the longest time in the Minister in the history of modern Ukraine. After the loss of part of the business assets under the Yanukovych regime, Avakov was able to restore his positions, focusing first on the security sphere, and now-more and more actively-in the energy sector.
Experts emphasize that the transition of such weight to control groups that are close to the former high -ranking officials, creates the risks of concentration of power and influence in one hand in the area of critical importance for the survival of the country in war.
