Court temporarily bans ARMA from transferring IDS Ukraine assets to "Pryorytas"

On 29 September, the Dnipro Circuit Administrative Court established a temporary prohibitory measure. It prevents the Agency for the Management and Disposal of Property (ARMA) from signing a contract with LLC "Legal Bureau 'Pryorytas'" and transferring the seized assets to its management.

Winner's links to competitors

On 21 September, the ARMA commission designated "Pryorytas" as the winner of the selection for the manager of the seized assets of IDS Ukraine. The group includes the brands "Morshynska", "Myrhorodska" and "Alaska". According to IDS Ukraine itself, the company controls over 40% of the bottled water market. However, an investigation by "Stop Corruption TV" journalists revealed that Serhiy Herman will be responsible for the business strategy of "Morshynska" within the winning team. Until recently, he was linked to a company operating in the same market.

Experience managing "Rosynka"

In a Facebook post, Serhiy Herman states that he has over 14 years of management experience in the production of drinking water and non-alcoholic beverages. He also mentions that he chaired the board and served as general director of the Kyiv Non-Alcoholic Beverages Plant "Rosynka".

However, this period was ambiguous. Under Herman's leadership, "Rosynka" became involved in court disputes and bankruptcy proceedings. The enterprise's financial problems persist to this day: by the end of 2025, LLC "Kyiv Plant 'Rosynka'" incurred losses of over 23.5 million hryvnia.

Restrictions on competitors

However, the main issue is not the losses of "Rosynka". A Cabinet of Ministers resolution dated 5 February 2026, No. 167, restricts the participation in manager selections by companies that produce or sell goods interchangeable with the products of the enterprise whose assets are being transferred to management.

Lawyer Markian Bem, a partner at "Nazar Kulchytskyi and Partners" law firm, explains the risks of such a situation. The manager of corporate rights gains access to all information about the company: financial documentation, trade secrets, marketing research, production data, intellectual property and logistics. If this information reaches a competitor, they could use it for their own benefit to the detriment of the owner.

Hasty divestment of stake

According to Markian Bem, Serhiy Herman was a co-owner of "Rosynka" until approximately the beginning of October. He no longer appears as a co-owner in open data. This concerns the lawyer: he believes that the stakes were divested quickly, already after the announcement of the competition winner. In Bem's opinion, this indicates a crude attempt to circumvent the legislative ban for competitors.

Business partners and bank guarantee

According to registry data, Herman previously owned 20% of the company "TVH 'Rosynka'". The remaining 80% of shares belong to the fund "ASVIO CAPITAL", linked to businessman Vyacheslav Suprunenko, the former son-in-law of ex-Kyiv mayor Leonid Chernovetsky. Thus, the person who will be responsible for the strategy of "Morshynska" was until recently a business partner of Suprunenko.

Another coincidence concerns finances. The charter capital of "Pryorytas" is only one thousand hryvnia, yet during the competition the company provided a proposal for a bank guarantee. According to Forbes, VST Bank offered to provide it. Among the bank's beneficiaries is Volodymyr Kostelman, a co-owner of Fozzy Group, which includes the "Silpo" chain.

Queries to authorities

"Stop Corruption TV" journalists sent queries to ARMA and the Economic Security Bureau, specifically asking whether the agency had investigated possible links between the winner and competitors. There are no official responses yet.

Thus, several lines intersected around the competition winner: a legal bureau with a capital of one thousand hryvnia, a strategist linked to a competitor of "Morshynska", his business partner Suprunenko, and a bank linked to a co-owner of a major retail chain.