The Odessa Port Plant, one of the largest and most strategically important industrial facilities in the country, has found itself at the center of heated public debate amid a major privatization announced by the State Property Fund. According to activists and several publications online, the process of preparing and conducting the electronic auction raises suspicions of violations and the presence of a pre-agreed winner.
The privatization lot includes 99.5667% of the company's shares and a package of 45 real estate units with a total area of over 285 thousand sq. m - production complexes, logistics facilities, social and health facilities, as well as real estate in the Ivano-Frankivsk region (including a boarding house in Yaremche). Officially, the auction is to be held through the ProZorro system. Sales on November 25, 2025.
However, in a number of posts and statements by public activists, the idea of a "big privatization" is presented as a facade - and, supposedly, the real distribution of the asset has already taken place behind the scenes. In particular, the messages mention the name of the company "Kernel Holding SA", which is associated with businessman Andriy Verevsky: allegedly the company has already made a guarantee deposit of UAH 50 million, which is why the auction itself is considered by many as a formality with a predetermined winner. These statements are presented as the position of the authors of the publications and require confirmation from the parties.
In public statements by activists and experts, another critical claim is voiced: the lack of an up-to-date state environmental assessment of the state of the plant and the surrounding areas. They note that according to the requirements for the privatization of strategic objects and objects with a potential impact on the environment, an appropriate environmental examination or assessment must be carried out - and the use of outdated conclusions may call into question the legality of further decisions. If these assessments are absent or do not meet current requirements, this may become a basis for challenging the auction results in court, emphasize the lawyers interviewed in the publications.
Critics of privatization also fear that if a controlling stake is transferred to “non-transparent” structures, risks will be created for national security and energy independence: the OPP has important logistical and production functions that can affect the operation of the region’s critical infrastructure. In the world, such risks are usually carefully assessed by competent authorities during the sale of strategic assets, but in open public statements they criticize the speed and opacity of the current procedure.
