[Summary translation prepared by Business & Human Rights Centre]

Mining and Processing Plant in Marhanets: Kolomoisky, Boholyubov, and new facts about “hidden production, 26 August 2025

JSC “Marhanets Mining and Processing Plant” formally suspended operations back in October 2023, but evidence suggests otherwise: worker injuries, ore shipment documents, and the deaths of employees during a drone attack. The plant is owned by Cypriot offshore companies linked to Ihor Kolomoisky and Hennadii Boholyubov. Meanwhile, the enterprise has not paid taxes for nearly two years—during this time, the Marhanets city budget has lost over UAH 100 million, and the state has missed out on hundreds of millions more in rent and tax payments. Kolomoisky himself, currently in pre-trial detention, is suspected of attempting to pressure the authorities through control of strategic enterprises.

At the Hrushivskyi quarry, three workers suffered serious workplace injuries. Two of these cases were recorded as “non-work-related incidents,” which appears to be an attempt to conceal the true nature of the accidents and avoid liability for safety violations. Such document manipulation indicates that production activity may have continued despite official claims of suspension. According to Serhii Khnykin, head of the Marhanets branch of the anti-corruption organization “Stop Corruption” and a member of the city council, the injured workers sustained severe head injuries, skull fractures, and contusions and were hospitalized in Marhanets Central Hospital.

A tragedy occurred on April 23, 2025, when Russian forces attacked a bus carrying plant workers with an FPV drone. Ten people were killed and fifty-nine injured. The head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, Serhii Lysak, confirmed that the victims were employees of the Marhanets Mining and Processing Plant. This incident not only caused loss of life but also served as direct evidence that the enterprise was effectively operating, with workers continuing their duties at production sites despite ongoing shelling, as also reported by local residents.

Additionally, workers have reportedly lost long-standing benefits. The plant has not paid taxes to the municipal budget for nearly two years, as officially confirmed by the regional tax authority. Although the tax service ruled that the company must pay taxes retroactively from 2022, including land tax, the city continues to lose tens of millions of hryvnias annually—a critical issue for a city where the plant is the largest taxpayer. At the same time, the Bureau of Economic Security is investigating tax evasion schemes at enterprises affiliated with the “Privat” group of Kolomoisky and Boholyubov, which includes the Marhanets Mining and Processing Plant.