Vodka magnate Evgen Chernyak under suspicion

Prominent Ukrainian entrepreneur and owner of the alcohol holding company Global Spirits Evgen Chernyak has found himself at the centre of two scandals simultaneously. In Russia, he has been declared a wanted person for allegedly financing the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while in Ukraine, the tax service is accusing him of tax evasion amounting to 700 million hryvnia.

Against the backdrop of these accusations, Ukrainian authorities revoked the licences of the company "Ukrainska Torgovlno-Dystrybutsina Kompaniia" (Ukrainian Trading Distribution Company) for the sale of alcohol. Meanwhile, Chernyak himself is actively developing his business abroad, opening new factories in Canada.

Financial schemes and fraud

The head of Ukraine's tax service, Ruslan Kravchenko, stated that the identified amount of unpaid taxes is merely the tip of the iceberg. According to law enforcement data, Chernyak's company sold millions of bottles of alcohol to fictitious firms. For instance, in January 2024, the enterprise sold alcohol worth 48 million hryvnia to a legal entity that existed only on paper.

At the same time, the understated profit figures raise questions. In 2023, the company's revenue amounted to 2.66 billion hryvnia, but the declared profit was only 17.7 million, which constitutes just 0.67% of turnover. In 2024, this indicator decreased even further: profit accounted for 0.14% of revenue.

Political support and double standards

Interestingly, just one week before the scandal, the head of the parliamentary committee on tax policy, Daniil Hetmanets, publicly thanked Evgen Chernyak for his "conscientious payment of taxes". However, by that time, a criminal case had already been opened, and the tax service was actively conducting an investigation.

Another intriguing point: the Security Service of Ukraine declared Chernyak a wanted person as early as February 2024, but no active steps were taken to detain him.

Will there be extradition?

Against the backdrop of Donald Trump's recent statement regarding the possible deportation of Ukrainians from the USA, a question arises: could Chernyak be among them? And if so, to which country would he be sent — to Ukraine, which allegedly is searching for him, or to Russia, where he is also declared a wanted person?

It can be assumed with a high degree of probability that Chernyak has long since obtained US citizenship or, at the very least, Canadian citizenship.