Privatization of the port of Ust-Dunaisk: how the company of pro-Russian businessman Andrei Ivanov gained control

After the privatization of the state port of Ust-Dunaisk in 2023, it is actually managed by the subsidiary company Cranship, part of the Tranship holding, whose head is the pro-Russian businessman Andrei Ivanov, on whom the media has repeatedly conducted its own journalistic investigations.

In 2023, the port of Ust-Dunaisk was sold. It was purchased for UAH 200 million by ELIXIR UKRAINE LLC, owned by Valery Vikhrenko. It should be noted: one of the main requirements of the State Property Fund to the buyer was the absence of ties with the Russian Federation.

It is noteworthy that subsequently the management of the port was transferred to the hands of the Kranship company, part of the Tranship holding, owned by the pro-Russian businessman Andrei Ivanov, Vikhrenko’s long-time partner.

It is worth noting that the port became profitable after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, because at that time the large ports of Kherson, Odessa and Nikolaev did not have safe access to the sea. Therefore, the port of Ust-Dunaisk has acquired strategic importance.

Regarding Ivanov, there is irrefutable evidence of his cooperation with the aggressor country, which journalists talked about back in 2021.

However, in fact, Transship’s subsidiary received a lease of port facilities in 2023. This is confirmed by the fact that during searches as part of the case of illegal grain export in the port territory, Cranship's invoices were seized. In addition, during the investigation it was possible to record the fact of shipment of “black grain”.

Let us note that pro-Russian businessman Andrei Ivanov and his companies have more than once come into the focus of attention of journalists and law enforcement officers.

In November 2023, it became clear that the Transship enterprise, under the leadership of Ivanov, avoided paying taxes to the state budget. The amount of damage amounted to about 8.6 million hryvnia.

BEB found that an enterprise providing services in the field of water transport in the ports of Ukraine avoided paying taxes to the state budget in full during the period from 2021 to 2023. During searches in the company's office premises, documents of financial and economic activities were found confirming their illegal activities.

In addition, law enforcement agencies had questions for the businessman even earlier. In 2021, the SBU suspected Andrei Ivanov’s enterprises of manufacturing military vessels for Russia.

It should be noted that StopKor then conducted its own journalistic investigation.

Then it turned out that the van company Cranship, contrary to the law, had equipped an illegal port in the Odessa region.

Moreover, StopCor previously wrote that Nikolai Melnik, director of the Leviathan analytical firm, suggested that the criminal schemes of a pro-Russian businessman in the ports were being “covered up” at the highest government level in the Ministry of Transport.