After the announcement of the results of the tender for the purchase of gas for the Odesa Port Plant (OPZ) in the amount of 4 billion hryvnias, the winner was the company that caused alarm among specialists and experts. Kharkiv Agrotorggrup Company LLC has a dubious reputation, and its participation in the tender raised questions about the transparency and integrity of the process.
According to information made public in a journalistic investigation, Agrotorggrup has previously participated in dubious auctions for the sale of Russian assets. In the spring of 2024, this company appeared at auctions organized by the Agency for Search and Asset Management, where it was accused of causing losses in the amount of 471 million hryvnias. These data were reviewed in detail by Yaroslav Zhelezniak, deputy chairman of the financial committee of the Verkhovna Rada.
The fact that "Agrotorggrup" is under the control of Vitaly Loginov, an informal adviser to the chairman of the United Mining and Chemical Company (OGHC), caused particular concern. Loginov, who was presented as a "watcher from the Office of the President", appeared at the OGHC in 2023. Sources close to the titanium industry reported that it is Loginov who controls Sumy, OGHC and OPZ, dealing with all logistics and supply issues.
The investigation also notes that there are rumors about the possible involvement of the Donetsk businessman Givi Nemsadze from the 1990s in the Agrotorggroup company, but there is no confirmation of this information. According to an anonymous source, this is just an attempt at disinformation. In fact, the main controller of Agrotorggrup is Vitaly Loginov, who uses various fictions about his role to confuse the situation.
One of the biggest worries is that Loginov has already implemented a fraudulent tax scheme at the SumyKhimProm enterprise, which the state managed to return in 2023. Due to this scheme, the plant suffers losses in the amount of 300-400 thousand dollars on each delivery of raw materials. Experts fear that similar problems may arise at the Odesa port plant under the control of Agrotorggrup.
