The Komunarskyi District Court of Zaporizhzhia has sentenced two Russian nationals who unlawfully seized the company “Melitopol Cherry” to 12 years in prison.

Detailed dossiers on the occupiers were published by the Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People.

What is known about the criminals

Oleksandr Volodymyrovych Abramov (born 1 May 1968) is a native of Kaluga, Russian Federation.

Tax Identification Number (INN): 402708518651; SNILS: 13926688101; passport: 2913572692, issued on 17 May 2013 by the Federal Migration Service of Russia for Kaluga Oblast in Kaluga. Registered/residential address: 17 Voskresensky Lane, Apt. 17, Kaluga, Kaluga Oblast, Russian Federation.

Ihor Mykolaiovych Gorbunov (born 10 May 1968) is a native of Volgograd, Russian Federation. He serves as General Director of the Russian company LLC “Yuzhny Proekt”, registered in Volgograd.

Tax Identification Number (INN): 344205783762; SNILS: 14468535487; passport: 1813842248, issued on 23 May 2013 by the Federal Migration Service of Russia for Volgograd Oblast in Volgograd. Registered/residential address: 48D Latoshynska Street, Volgograd, Volgograd Oblast, Russian Federation.

Both men arrived in the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast during the first weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion and introduced themselves to employees of seized Ukrainian agricultural enterprises as “new investors from Moscow.”

Circumstances of the crime

With the assistance of Russian military personnel and representatives of the occupation administration, Abramov and Gorbunov seized the assets of three Ukrainian agricultural enterprises: LLC “VKF Melitopol Cherry,” LLC “Vrozhainyi,” and Private Enterprise “Almin-98.”

On 27 March 2022, armed Russian soldiers wearing balaclavas stormed the companies’ central office in Melitopol. They assaulted a security guard, broke down doors, and took control of the premises at gunpoint.

On 2 April 2022, the production facilities of the enterprises located in the villages of Sadove and Kostiantynivka were similarly seized by force with the assistance of military personnel.

Abramov and Gorbunov periodically visited the facilities in a white Mercedes-Benz GL without license plates. They exerted psychological pressure on employees, threatening those who disagreed with being sent “to the basement” (a common term used in occupied territories for unlawful detention facilities), and forced them to harvest crops for transportation to Russia and temporarily occupied Crimea.

In an attempt to create a semblance of legality for their actions, on 17 June 2022 a mirror company, LLC “PKF Melitopol Cherry,” was registered in the Russian state register with a legal address in Krasnodar. Abramov voluntarily became its director. The founder of the company was the Russian LLC “Yuzhny Proekt” from Volgograd, whose General Director is Gorbunov.

Subsequently, Abramov submitted documents to the occupation “Interdepartmental Commission,” requesting that their company be appointed the “temporary administrator” of the Ukrainian enterprises, cynically arguing that the lawful owner had allegedly “withdrawn from business operations.”

Based on these applications, the occupation authorities issued unlawful decrees and signed transfer-and-acceptance acts in the autumn of 2022 and the summer of 2023. Under these documents, all movable and immovable property, land plots, machinery, and remaining agricultural products were transferred under Abramov’s official control.

Having seized the assets, the convicted individuals began commercial operations in the interests of the Russian MAGMA Group of Companies, whose management included Gorbunov. They entered into contracts with Russian counterparties and actively sold Ukrainian harvests, including flax seeds and apples. In July 2024, they even registered the trademark “Melitopol Cherry” with Rospatent under their Russian company.

The verdict

The court found Abramov and Gorbunov guilty of violating the laws and customs of war (Part 1, Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Each was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment. The term of imprisonment will begin from the moment of their actual detention.

In addition to the prison sentences, the court fully or partially satisfied the civil claims and ordered the convicted individuals, jointly and severally, to pay more than UAH 170 million in material damages to LLC “VKF Melitopol Cherry,” more than UAH 35 million to LLC “Vrozhainyi,” and UAH 1 million to the owner of the enterprises.

The actions of the convicted individuals were classified as a war crime against property, as they occurred in the context of an international armed conflict and the appropriation of private property was not justified by any military necessity. The machinery, land, and agricultural stocks were not used for the needs of the military or the civilian population but exclusively for personal gain and the unlawful enrichment of the convicted individuals under conditions of occupation.