Serhiy Shapran’s legal comeback: how Dnipro judge Tsarikova returned the assets of the sanctioned company ‘Unigran’ to the businessman

Serhiy Shapran’s legal comeback: how Dnipro judge Tsarikova returned the assets of the sanctioned company ‘Unigran’ to the businessman

Judge of the Dnipropetrovsk District Administrative Court Olena Tsarikova satisfied the claim of businessman Serhiy Shapran’s company and returned to him the assets of the "Unigran" group. These assets were sold already after sanctions were imposed on the Russian owner of "Unigran", essentially stealing them from the state. The Ministry of Justice, to prevent theft from the state, annulled the registration procedures for the transfer of real estate assets of LLC "Unigran" and LLC "Unigran-Service". But now the stolen assets are being returned to Shapran through Tsarikova’s decision.

Shapran was helped to obtain this court decision by his longtime partner, Judge Roman Holobutovsky. Holobutovskyi, as informed interlocutors told OBOZ.UA, is essentially a communicator between the judicial branch and the failed businessmen. He acts contrary to the president’s sanctions policy, essentially robbing the state.

It is surprising that NABU conducted searches of all participants in the "Unigran" scheme, except for representatives of the judicial branch. The Ministry of Justice has not yet nationalized the "Unigran" assets, citing an ongoing investigation. Meanwhile, in Dnipro, arrests are being lifted from the assets of sanctioned businessmen.

Note that this concerns a court decision in case No. 160/24597/25. Tsarikova decided to satisfy the claim of "Uni Stone Plant" (Serhiy Shapran’s company) and cancel the order of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine "On Satisfying the Complaint" No. 1385/5 dated 20.05.2025. This complaint states that the "Unigran" assets were sold illegally, contrary to the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated 12.05.2023 "On the Application and Amendments to Personal Special Economic and Other Restrictive Measures (Sanctions)", which was put into effect by the Decree of the President of Ukraine dated 12.05.2023 No. 279/2023.

Judge Olena Tsarikova has not been involved in major scandals. However, she is a colleague of Roman Holobutovsky, who, according to OBOZ.UA information, organized the adoption of this decision. The complaint was filed by the holding Westgrinite Holdings Limited. Tsarikova canceled the ministry’s order because Olga Stefanishina, who at that time headed the Ministry of Justice and signed the order, once worked at a company where the lawyer of Westgrinite Holdings Limited works.

The "Unigran" case: what is known

Serhiy Shapran was detained and taken into custody in June 2025. He is involved in a number of investigations, but he was sent to pre-trial detention center as part of criminal proceeding No. 42022000000000455. And already in December, the Investigating Judge of the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv, Iryna Hryhorenko, satisfied the claim of the newly minted lawyer Anastasiya Lytvyn and lifted the arrest from the billion-dollar assets of "Unigran".

Proceeding No. 42022000000000455 concerns "Unigran" assets that Shapran and his partner Volodymyr Osipov (former deputy of the Odesa Regional Council from the "Opposition Bloc") appropriated using a long-known media scheme – through the re-registration of Ihor Naumets’ assets to controlled companies.

On June 21, police announced 19 suspicions to the defendants, including Shapran and Naumets themselves. It was stated that suspicions were announced to all participants in the scheme – from organizers to executors. Among them were managers of enterprises, accountants, notaries, and "other persons who participated in the scheme of re-registration of assets despite the sanctions in force".

Initially, Russian citizen Ihor Naumets created the "Unigran" group of companies in Ukraine (including LLC "Unigran", LLC "Unigran Service", LLC "Budindustria-Service LTD", JSC "Malynskyi Stone Crushing Plant", JSC "Korosten Quarry", PrJSC "Pinyazevitsky Quarry" and other enterprises). The activities of these companies amid the full-scale Russian aggression posed a threat to Ukrainian state security, and on 12.05.2023, Decree of the President No. 279/2023 introduced NSDC sanctions in the form of blocking the assets of "Unigran" and its beneficial owners.

Shapran and Osipov decided to take advantage of the 2023 situation. Their goal was to appropriate assets that the state was supposed to receive. According to the investigation, Naumets was also supposed to "stay in the plus".

The crooks began implementing their plan by lifting the arrests. After their cancellation, likely with the involvement of "necessary" judges, the crooks opened a path to withdrawing the blocked assets from under sanctions. As a result, the property of the "Unigran" group of companies, transferred to controlled companies, essentially passed into Shapran’s ownership.

Since the end of 2024, the criminal proceeding on the takeover of "Unigran" has gained momentum. Arrests were imposed on property and corporate rights of LLC "Uni Lux", "Uni Service", "Uni Stone Plant", "Korosten Extraction Company", "Malynskyi Extraction Company". That is, exactly those companies to which Shapran and Osipov transferred the sanctioned "Unigran" assets. LLC "Budindustria-Service LTD" was also arrested.

The arrested corporate rights and property were transferred to the management of ARMA. However, this did not solve the problem: part of the assets continued to operate despite the arrests. Moreover, Shapran, when detained, was driving abroad in a car that is also under arrest. This raised serious questions about the effectiveness of ARMA’s work.