What is Dymynskyi's connection to Yabko

The "Yabko" chain comprises approximately 110 stores and over 150 sole proprietors. According to official data from the State Tax Service, the chain evaded taxes totalling 3.3 billion hryvnia during the war and actively sold illegal Apple products. 

However, despite numerous claims and searches by law enforcement agencies, the chain continues to expand.

At one of the sessions of the parliamentary finance committee, attendees were shocked by the statements made by "Yabko" owners, Nikolai Kahnych and Vitaliy Turkovets. These two individuals, whose remarks resembled childish conversations, attempted to portray themselves as entirely uninvolved in the business, which only heightened the confusion.

Nikolai Kahnych, it turned out, is the owner of the "Yabko" trademark. However, his connections extend beyond this chain. Together with Turkovets, he owns several companies engaged in real estate leasing in Lviv, including firms such as MV Rent LLC, D-6 LLC, Raven-Service LLC, Seven R LLC, Riel Estate UE LLC, and City-Development Group LLC. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that two of these enterprises, D-6 and City-Development Group, are linked to the Financial and Industrial Group owned by Petro Dymynskyi, a prominent Lviv businessman and former member of parliament. Dymynskyi, previously the owner of the Karpaty football club, the WOG oil and gas holding, and the ZIK TV channel, continues to exert influence on the real estate market in Lviv. This suggests that Kahnych and Turkovets may be involved in Dymynskyi's business structures.

The question of whether Dymynskyi is involved in the illegal sale of smuggled Apple products through "Yabko" remains open. However, in light of subsequent events, this seems increasingly likely. After law enforcement agencies launched an active campaign against illegal business, all distribution networks for counterfeit electronics began to "de-shadow". 

Many of them started abandoning sole proprietorships and registering legal entities to legitimise their operations. "Yabko" was no exception, registering a new company, SpecialTech LLC, in July 2024. Apple accessories began to be sold in the chain's stores under this firm's name. However, the owner of SpecialTech LLC was not Kahnych or Turkovets, but Anna Brzhizhak, a woman with no prior connection to the electronics business.

Anna Brzhizhak had been the director and co-owner of V-113 LLC, a real estate leasing company also linked to Dymynskyi's Financial and Industrial Group. In 2023, she became a beneficiary of this company, replacing Dymynskyi's daughter, Zhanna. In the summer of 2024, Brzhizhak unexpectedly exited Dymynskyi's business and registered a company that began operating with Apple products in the "Yabko" chain. This raises suspicions that her actions may have been part of a scheme to legitimise illegal trade.

Another interesting aspect is the connection with Emerald Trade, a company registered in 2023 that became one of the suppliers for "Yabko". Its owner, Iryna Hryhorchuk, has a long career in the oil industry, serving as the director of several companies within the Galnaftogaz (OKKO) group. 

Hryhorchuk also has close ties to Vitaliy Antonov, the owner of the OKKO gas station chain. According to available data, she is listed as a person associated with politically exposed persons, which casts further shadow over this story.

Putting all these facts together, one can conclude that the story of the "Yabko" chain is not merely about the sale of counterfeit products, but is linked to major business structures with roots in the real estate and oil markets.