The 'Onyx' Company Case
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has uncovered that the Ukrainian company 'Onyx', known for its 'Luchiano' brand, paid salaries for a decade to a former employee who became a Russian and so-called 'DPR' citizen. The SBU has served suspicion notices to three individuals, including the former head of the company's branch in occupied Donetsk, for allegedly aiding the aggressor state. This case highlights the complex legal and ethical dilemmas faced by businesses with pre-war operations in territories now under Russian control.
The payments were made from 2014 to 2024 to Marina Tsybenko, who managed the 'Onyx' enterprise in Donetsk, which was re-registered under Russian law. In company records, Tsybenko was listed as chief accountant, with payments continuing even after Russia's full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022. Late in 2022, the company's owners issued powers of attorney for corporate rights management to three other former employees who remained in Donetsk and obtained Russian citizenship, after which the occupied enterprise was formally re-registered under Russian Federation legislation.
Financial Scale and Consequences
In 2024, the turnover of the 'Onyx' business in occupied Donetsk reached approximately 800 million rubles, with a net profit of 37 million rubles. The enterprise paid around 175 million rubles in taxes to the Russian federal budget. The SBU has declared Marina Tsybenko, Lyudmyla Shosta, and Nataliya Brahynska wanted on suspicion of collaborating with the aggressor.
Financial documents from the Donetsk enterprise also listed the name of Iryna Petranovska, the director of the Ukrainian 'Onyx', among salary recipients. During searches, a 2024 statement from Marina Tsybenko was found at Petranovska's premises, suggesting potential connections between the Ukrainian and the occupied entities.
The 'Luchiano' brand originated in Donetsk in the 1990s. Following the 2014 occupation of parts of the Donetsk region, part of the business remained in the non-government-controlled territory. The 'Onyx' company re-registered its core business in government-controlled Ukraine and opened new production facilities in the Kyiv region after 2014. Operating in occupied territories can lead to severe legal repercussions and reputational damage for Ukrainian companies.
The ongoing activity of the enterprise in occupied Donetsk and the suspicions against former 'Onyx' employees raise serious questions about the ethical and legal dimensions of conducting business in a conflict zone.
This investigation demonstrates how business operations can become entangled with political and military events, impacting Ukraine's economic landscape. The continuation of work in occupied territories may result in legal consequences and harm the reputation of Ukrainian enterprises.