LLC "Europos" and its Russian "clone": is Ukrainian retail financing the aggressor?

LLC "Europos" and its Russian "clone": is Ukrainian retail financing the aggressor?

On the shelves of Ukrainian retail chains, it is still possible to find commercial equipment originating from Russia in the fourth year of the full-scale war. The company LLC "Europos," which presents itself as a manufacturer and distributor of advertising materials for retail networks, is involved in criminal proceedings under Article 111-2 Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (aiding an aggressor state). The enterprise, now owned by a Lithuanian beneficiary, is suspected of importing goods from Russia to Ukraine through the United Arab Emirates. And that’s not all: it seems that the company has a "twin" directly on the territory of the aggressor state.

During a journalistic investigation by the StopCor editorial office, it became known that LLC "Europos" is engaged in the manufacturing and wholesale trading of plastic products and other equipment. The company is represented in the Ukrainian Internet segment by two websites:

• europos.prom.ua, where it is stated that "Europos" offers a wide range of commercial equipment, advertising, and anti-theft solutions produced in Ukraine and Poland;
• europos.com.ua, where it is mentioned that among the firm’s clients are "large international retail chains," and a product catalog is provided.

This includes, in particular, price holders, clips, signs, flip information systems, displays, advertising fittings, and more. Our editorial team was drawn to the fact that in the sample photographs provided on the website, the Russian language is used, and prices are not indicated in hryvnias.

Furthermore, an identical list of goods was found on another online resource with a similar name – europos.ru. This is the site of the online store of the Russian company LLC "Europos Group." According to the information provided on the page, LLC "Europos Group" (brand EPG) is a commercial-manufacturing company specializing in the production of products for equipping points of sale: shops, cafes, restaurants, offices. The company has its own production facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation.

"EPG is a company with a rich history and strong market presence. Founded in 2008, EPG has become a leading player and is recognized as a leader in production volume, product quality, and customer service in the markets of Russia and the CIS," states the site.

Hence, we decided to take a closer look at both the Ukrainian "Europos" and its Russian "clone."

According to the YouControl information-analytical platform, the limited liability company "Europos" with an authorized capital of 50,000 UAH was registered in 2010 in Kyiv. The main NACE code is 46.19 "Activities of intermediaries in trading a wide range of goods." The director is Oleksandr Moshnoriz.

The current founder and ultimate beneficiary is stated as Lithuanian citizen Žilvinas Petrauskas. In Lithuanian registers and social networks, we found several persons with this name and surname, but only one of them on Facebook is a member of the Europos group. However, the personal page of this user is almost empty, and judging by the existing posts, Mr. Žilvinas rather positions himself as a biker rather than a businessman.

This raises a logical question: is the Lithuanian just a nominal owner?

It is noteworthy that the historical founders of LLC "Europos" in 2010 were precisely citizens of the Russian Federation – Volodymyr Denysov and Serhiy Chashnykov.

These same Denysov and Chashnykov, along with Žilvinas Petrauskas, are listed in Russian registers as co-owners of LLC "Europos Group."

In turn, according to LinkedIn, the Russian LLC "Europos Group" allegedly still has five employees on the territory of Ukraine.

And yet another unpleasant fact that may be a part of the pro-Russian puzzle.

The Ukrainian LLC "Europos" figures in a criminal case No. 760/6761/25 under Part 1 of Article 111-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (aiding an aggressor state).

According to the materials available in the court register, the pre-trial investigation established that in order to implement a common criminal intent aimed at aiding the aggressor state, with the aim of harming Ukraine by voluntarily transferring other assets to representatives of the aggressor state, individuals developed a scheme that ensured bypassing the ban on conducting any business activities and currency settlements with Russia.

"The mentioned scheme involved the supply of goods from LLC "Europos Group" from the territory of Russia to the UAE, with further changes to the accompanying documents during re-registration between business entities in the UAE, giving the goods a fictitious country of origin, and then selling the goods to Ukraine, specifically to LLC "Europos," which made it possible to make a transfer of funds from Ukraine through accounts in the UAE to Russia," states the ruling of the Solomyanskyi District Court of Kyiv dated March 15, 2025.

Could it be that advertising products to large Ukrainian retail networks are supplied by a company that imports goods from Russia through the UAE, circumventing sanctions?

And are the partners of LLC "Europos" aware of this? The StopCor team has sent relevant inquiries to retail networks in Ukraine (ATB, Epicenter, Auchan, Comfy, and others) that may potentially cooperate with LLC "Europos," and is currently awaiting responses. A request has also been sent to the SSU.