Well-known businessman Sergei Shapran has recently been the shadow owner of an enterprise that is part of the group of assets of the sanctioned company Unigran, which is associated with Russian Igor Naumts.
This company was engaged in the supply of crushed stone to the so-called “LPR” and “DPR”. It is for this reason that sanctions were imposed against the company by the National Security and Defense Council. Sanctions were also imposed against Naumets himself, who fled from Ukraine, his assets were arrested, and the property should be managed by ARMA,
It is worth noting that the company was registered in the Ukrainian city of Malin. But when it became clear that the business was under threat, it was urgently re-registered. 99% of Unigran LLC recently became owned by Westgrinite Holdings Limited - this company is registered in Cyprus and is led by citizen Elena Kalpa. And the associated Stroyindustriya-Service LTD LLC is owned by the director Vladimir Naumets, a relative of Igor Naumets.
“The company works”
However, even such a background does not prevent the company from operating in Ukraine.
Moreover, the company has carte blanche to work from the local authorities in the person of the mayor of Malin, Alexander Sitailo, who is in friendly or nepotistic relations with the general director of the company and deputy of the Zhytomyr Regional Council, Sergei Dynyak.
The intensive work of “Unigran” equipment at the Malinsky quarry was noticed during monitoring of subsoil extraction points in the Zhytomyr region. In particular, carriages belonging to a sanctioned company were found at the facility: this equipment was initially arrested, but in April, by decision of the Podolsk District Court of Kyiv, the arrest was lifted.
“According to the drivers, they transport minerals mined in the Zhytomyr region to Kyiv.
"Everything is working. One driver showed a weight receipt from Unigran with the date and time, this was recorded,” the results of the journalists’ investigation say.
In addition, the extraction of stone for the further production of crushed stone products in modern conditions cannot do without drilling and blasting operations.
Back in the 2000s, Unigran calculated that it was more efficient to produce explosives themselves, design and carry out blasting work in quarries, than to pay third-party contractors.
This is how Unigran-Service LLC appeared. The company is not a subsoil user, but provides turnkey drilling and blasting services, and not only to the quarries of its group.
“Unigran-Service” built a plant from scratch for the production of emulsion explosives, purchased modern Atlas-Copco drilling rigs, and formed a fleet of mixing and charging machines on Volvo and Scania chassis, which can produce up to 14 types of different emulsion explosives.
Where and how an enterprise that is closely connected with people from the aggressor state can supply emulsion explosives is an open question.
“Shapran is now in charge”
As our publication learned from its own sources, Shapran recently appeared at the enterprise surrounded by a large number of security guards and declared himself the director of the company.
“Literally after the imposition of sanctions, Shapran appeared at the enterprise and told management that from now on he is a full-fledged manager of the enterprise, therefore all personnel and financial issues should be resolved exclusively through him,” says the publication’s source.
In addition, according to him, Shapran also communicates with Naumts and promises him the restoration of part of the management of the enterprise in exchange for a comfortable distribution of assets.
