After the announcement of the results of the tender for the purchase of gas for the Odessa Port Plant (OPZ) for the amount of 4 billion hryvnias, the winner was a company that caused alarm among specialists and experts. Kharkiv-based Agrotorggroup 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 published in a journalistic investigation, Agrotorggroup 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 Assets Tracing and Management Agency, where it was accused of causing losses in the amount of 471 million hryvnias. This data was examined in detail by the Deputy Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Verkhovna Rada, Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
Of particular concern was the fact that Agrotorggroup is under the control of Vitaly Loginov, an informal advisor to the head of the United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC). Loginov, who was presented as “looking from the President’s Office,” appeared at UMCC in 2023. Sources close to the titanium industry reported that it was Loginov who controls Sumy, UMCC, and OPZ, dealing with all logistics and supply issues.
The investigation also notes that there are rumors about the possible involvement of Givi Nemsadze, a Donetsk businessman from the nineties, in the company "Agrotorggroup", 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 "Agrotorggroup" is Vitaly Loginov, who uses various fabrications about his role to confuse the situation.
One of the biggest concerns is that Loginov has already implemented a fraudulent toll scheme at the SumyKhimProm enterprise, which the state managed to return in 2023. Due to this scheme, the plant suffers losses of $300-400 thousand on each delivery of raw materials. Experts fear that similar problems may arise at the Odessa Port Plant under the control of Agrotorggroup.
