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On 9 and 10 October, the anonymous Telegram channel "Joker" published a series of materials dedicated to businessman Ruslan Shostak, co-owner of the EVA and VARUS retail chains. The posts mentioned his potential interest in acquiring the "Morshynska" brand and possible contacts with the Russian side. However, such claims lack documentary evidence, so they must be distinguished from information that can be verified through open registries.
The business activities of Shostak and his partner Valeriy Kiptik, which are actually confirmed, include two main episodes: the participation of their companies in the management and subsequent privatisation of the "Vinnytsiapobukhim" enterprise, which previously belonged to a Russian owner, and the participation of a structure linked to them in the contest of the Agency for the Recovery and Management of Assets (ARMA) for the management of IDS Ukraine assets.
The "Morshynska" brand is part of the IDS Ukraine group, which also controls the "Myrhorodska" and "Alaska" brands. According to the company's own data, the group owns over 40% of the Ukrainian bottled water market, and its revenue in 2025 reached 7.4 billion UAH.
In 2022, IDS Ukraine's assets were seized due to the link between a portion of the shares and Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman, who is under sanctions. Corporate rights were transferred to ARMA's management. The company LLC "Alliance D" participated in the contest to select the manager. According to open registries, the beneficiaries of this company are Ruslan Shostak and Valeriy Kiptik. They are also co-owners of the Terwin corporation, which owns the EVA and VARUS chains.
As previously established by the publication "StopKor", the formal owner of "Alliance D" is the Cypriot company AFFITTO GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED. The ultimate beneficiaries of this structure are also Kiptik and Shostak.
It is important to distinguish the procedure for managing seized assets from their purchase. The ARMA contest concerned the management of IDS Ukraine's corporate rights, not the sale of the "Morshynska" brand into the personal ownership of the winner.
On 21 September 2026, the ARMA commission declared LLC "Legal Bureau "Prioritas"" the winner. However, on 29 September, the Dnipropetrovsk District Administrative Court established a temporary prohibitory measure, prohibiting the agency from signing a contract with the winner and transferring assets to it. This was reported by the publication "StopKor".
Another significant episode in the biography of Shostak and Kiptik is linked to PJSC "Vinnytsiapobukhim". This enterprise belonged to the Russian company "Nevskaya Kosmetika", linked to Volodymyr Plesovskikh (under sanctions). The factory produced children's cosmetics "Ushasty Nyany", cleaning agents "Sarma", "Mister Chister", and toothpaste "Novy Zhemchug".
In July 2022, the enterprise's assets were seized and transferred to ARMA's management. LLC "Krayteks-Service", which is linked to Shostak and Kiptik, was selected as the manager. In July 2023, the company resumed production, including cleaning agents under the new brand "Vukhastyk", which became one of the results of rebranding the former Russian products.
In April 2025, the management of the asset was terminated, and the enterprise returned to state control for further privatisation. In August of the same year, the company "Afina-Group" became the winner of the auction, offering 608.1 million UAH for the factory. In January 2026, the transfer of ownership rights was officially completed. According to the publication "Biznes Censor", the beneficiaries of "Afina-Group" are Ruslan Shostak and Valeriy Kiptik.
Thus, the partners' companies first managed the enterprise seized from the Russian owner, and later a structure linked to them became its owner. This confirms their involvement in working with the former Russian asset, but the fact itself does not indicate that the businessmen have ties with Russian capital.
Ruslan Shostak is a Ukrainian entrepreneur, co-owner of the EVA store chains and VARUS supermarkets. His business activities began in the 1990s with projects in Dnipro. He subsequently developed the production of everyday consumer goods, retail trade, and other areas.
In 2002, Shostak, together with a partner, founded the EVA chain, which specialises in beauty, health, and care products. In 2003, he began developing the VARUS chain. After a change in partnership relations in these projects, Valeriy Kiptik became one of Shostak's key business partners.
Currently, their interests are united, in particular, in the Terwin corporation. According to the publication RAU, Shostak's entrepreneurial activities cover retail trade, real estate, and other spheres.
Following the publications by "Joker", it is important to distinguish public statements from verified circumstances. Open sources record the participation of Shostak's and Kiptik's companies in the management of "Vinnytsiapobukhim" (which previously belonged to a Russian company) and the participation of "Alliance D" in the ARMA contest regarding IDS Ukraine assets linked to the sanctioned Mikhail Fridman.
However, these circumstances do not prove that Shostak or Kiptik themselves have ties with Russian owners or act in their interests. A previous investigation by "StopKor" also emphasised that there were no official suspicions or sanctions against these businessmen.
Questions regarding the transparency of the ownership structure of the applicant companies, their financial capacity, and compliance with the requirements for managers of strategic seized assets remain open.
The publication "StopKor" continues to monitor the situation around IDS Ukraine and the ARMA contest for managing "Morshynska" assets.
As a reminder, several Ukrainian companies and investment structures are competing for the assets of the "Morshynska" producer, which are linked to Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman. Among the applicants are the owners of the VARUS and EVA chains, the former owner of ATB, as well as companies linked to the restaurant and financial businesses.
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