Minerals Worth Billions: How a Firm Linked to Deputy Laba Turned “Geological Study” in Zakarpattia Into a Shadow Business?

417 thousand cubic meters of andesite, 949,8 million UAH in losses and nearly 99 million UAH of legalized funds — these figures appear in the case around a Zakarpattia quarry, where among the suspects are regional council deputy Mykhailo Laba, businessmen and managers of related companies. “StopCor” investigated who owns these companies, how their structure changed, where the multimillion assets came from, and why law enforcement overlooked the quarry’s large-scale operations for so long.

The quarry in Zakarpattia region is featured in a criminal proceeding over large-scale extraction of andesite: investigators believe that more than 417 thousand cubic meters of minerals were unlawfully removed from the deposit, causing 949,8 million UAH in damage to the state.

Andesite is not just a stone quarried at a pit. It is a raw material for the construction industry: crushed stone and other products used in construction, road works, and infrastructure projects are made from it. The economic value of such a deposit is determined primarily by its reserves: the larger the volume of quality raw material that can be extracted, the longer the quarry can operate and generate income for its owner.

Among the suspects are a deputy of the Zakarpattia Regional Council, co-owners and managers of the enterprise that developed the deposit, as well as the chief engineer and the head of another commercial entity. This was reported by the National Police.

Law enforcement also established movement of almost 99 million UAH, which, according to the investigation, were received from the sale of unlawfully extracted andesite and were legalized. During 18 searches, investigators seized documents and other materials related to the companies’ activities and the sale of raw materials, and are now determining the full circle of people who may have been involved in the scheme.

At the same time, as Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko noted on social media, the enterprise’s activity at the deposit began as early as 2024, when LLC “KobaltumResursExport” received permission for geological study and pilot-industrial development of a plot of 59 hectares.

However, according to investigators, the pilot stage quickly turned into actual industrial extraction, for which corresponding infrastructure began to be built on the deposit’s territory. For the quarry’s operation, investigators say about 10 hectares of forest were destroyed, and forest fund lands were used without authorization to lay 2,6 km of power lines and install 52 poles.

Two companies, the same address, and million-amount turnovers

So we’ll be asking what these companies are and why law enforcement didn’t notice their activity for so long despite the scale of the work, extraction volumes, and the infrastructure involved. According to a source at Ukrainska Pravda, specific officials and businessmen are involved in this story — co-founder of LLC “KobaltumResursExport” and Zakarpattia regional council deputy Mykhailo Laba, founder and director of the enterprise Volodymyr Andriushchenko, chief engineer Oleksandr Klyn, and also the director of LLC “BudTrading” Serhii Petruk. According to UP, Petruk was handed a notice of suspicion at the border while attempting to leave Ukraine.

So, LLC “KobaltumResursExport” is a relatively young company, registered only on 6 July 2023 in the village of Nevytske in Zakarpattia. Its activities are related to mining of minerals, including iron ores and nonferrous metal ores, and among the company’s owners are listed Volodymyr Andriushchenko and Mykhailo Laba, the son of Verkhovna Rada deputy Mykhailo Laba.

The company’s financial indicators indicate a sharp increase in its activity in 2025: if in 2023–2024 the company’s revenue was 0 UAH, and the net financial result was negative — minus 38,6 thousand UAH in 2023 and 386,2 thousand UAH in 2024 — then in 2025 LLC “KobaltumResursExport” received 22,8 million UAH in revenue and 1,17 million UAH in net profit. Assets grew over the year from 100,5 million to 122 million UAH, and the number of employees — from one to nine.

Mykhailo Laba is quite well-off. His declaration lists among his property a residential house of 263,3 sq m and eight land plots totaling 9946 sq m. The official also has two cars — an Audi Q7 2017 year model, which Laba purchased on 31 August 2023 for 500 thousand UAH, and a Mercedes-Benz B200E 2015 year model, purchased by his wife on 19 June 2024 for 210 thousand UAH.

In 2024 the family also acquired three land plots totaling 4300 sq m: Laba’s wife acquired a plot of 2500 sq m on 10 May, and Laba himself acquired plots of 1000 and 800 sq m on 16 August.

Among Laba’s corporate rights are 40% of LLC “IP ‘New Horizons’”, founded in 2024, and 100% of LLC “Kobaltum-Ukraine” valued at over 25,6 million UAH, founded in 2025.

His income includes 3,6 35 million UAH from entrepreneurial activity, 206 thousand UAH salary from LLC “KobaltumResursExport” and 1,303 million UAH from disposition of real estate, which was in 2025. In addition, Laba declared 4,2 million UAH in cash, and his wife — 300 thousand UAH in cash. So where did 20 000 000 UAH for the charter capital come from?

Another enterprise — LLC “Company ‘Bud Trading’”. It was registered on 15 April 2025. Today its director, founder and ultimate beneficial owner is Serhii Petruk. The company’s charter capital is only 5 thousand UAH, main activity — wholesale trade of wood, building materials and sanitary-technical equipment. Additional activities include production of concrete products and concrete mixes.

Registration changes show that the company began changing its structure practically immediately after creation. Already on 13 May 2025, less than a month after registration, director Kostyantyn Mendibaiev was replaced by Serhii Petruk, and Petruk was also entered as the ultimate beneficial owner. A week later, on 20 May, the company changed its legal address — from a Kyiv address to an address in the village of Kamianytsia in Zakarpattia. Later the address changed again — to the village of Nevytske, Tsentralna Street, 38A, where the company is currently registered. All the companies are registered there.

Quarry under investigation: millions in losses, searches, and a deputy’s reaction

And now questions have arisen about the accounting in this story as well. According to Tyachivska Pravda, investigators compared tax reports with the surveyor’s documents and found a discrepancy of 353 149 tons of andesite worth about 247 million UAH. According to law enforcement, products were sold for cash off the books, and almost 100 million UAH of the funds received were legalized. More than 353 thousand tons of andesite is an amount difficult to explain as a simple reporting error.

The prosecutor’s office is requesting bail of 100 million UAH for three suspects, and 10 million UAH for the chief engineer. In total, the bail amounts to 310 million UAH.

And again, according to Tyachivska Pravda media, after the searches Laba Sr. spoke from the podium of the Verkhovna Rada, claiming there was pressure on business during the war. The business in question concerns his son. Later the MP initiated consideration of the case by a Temporary Investigative Commission of the Verkhovna Rada.

Another interesting detail in this story was published on journalist Vitalii Hlahola’s Telegram channel. According to him, investigators and the prosecutor’s office came to the quarry. Damages were calculated by the State Environmental Inspection of Zakarpattia and SE “Lisy Ukrainy” (Forests of Ukraine). The Carpathian forestry office terminated agreements for use of plots, and “Zakarpattiaoblenergo” began dismantling 2,6 kilometers of line and 52 power poles that supplied the quarry.

And now the Rada will also find out who among law enforcement dared to notice all this.

So now the investigation and the court must sort this out, and the parliamentary TSC will separately consider the situation following Laba Sr.’s statements. Meanwhile, at the quarry they are accounting for damages, investigating the activities of related companies, and identifying everyone who may be involved in the scheme.

At a press conference, representatives of LLC “KobaltumResursExport” publicly stated they were being pressured and that attempts were made, in their view, to force a sale of the business. Company director Volodymyr Andriushchenko and co-owner Mykhailo Laba claim that problems around the enterprise began after it received a special permit to use the subsoil of the “Kamianytske Second” deposit.

According to Andriushchenko, after receiving the special permit, representatives of various structures allegedly offered to arrange a meeting with representatives of “Friendly Wind Technology” to discuss transferring the permit. Later, he says, he was offered to consider the possibility of selling the special permit.

“I replied: give an official invitation to that or another structure, or a letter from those with whom we were supposed to meet. But I did not receive such documents. These calls came over the course of a month — with requests to meet one way or another. Then there was a certain meeting in the city where we were told that we should meet with representatives of ‘Friendly Wind Technology’ and discuss sale of our permit — allegedly we would be offered conditions we couldn’t refuse. To which I replied that our enterprise does not intend to sell the site, which we want to develop ourselves,” Andriushchenko said.

Separately, Mykhailo Laba spoke about pressure. According to him, in April 2026 he and Volodymyr Andriushchenko met with Maksym Yefimov and Serhii Smirnov. Laba claims that during that meeting representatives of KobaltumResursExport were offered to sell the enterprise, and if they refused — other measures, including seizure procedures, were not ruled out. According to Laba, the company rejected that proposal.

The company’s owners link these events to the situation around the neighboring “Kamianytske” deposit, whose special permit in 2026 was transferred from JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” to PJSC “Kramatorsk Heavy Machine Tool Plant”, which media link to Maksym Yefimov’s business group. According to KobaltumResursExport’s representatives, this coincidence of circumstances may explain the increased attention to their enterprise.

At the same time, the owners and manager of the company deny claims of illegal activity. They state they operated within the received special permit, the agreed work program and the registered land rights.

“We entered into contracts with our contractors who, according to the DPR project, carried out in stages all the works specified in that project and within the limits allocated by that project,” said Mykhailo Laba.

The company’s lawyer, Yaroslav Mytrovka, also insists that the company’s current activities are being incorrectly interpreted as industrial extraction, whereas, he says, the enterprise is at the stage of geological study and pilot-industrial development.

Thus, the statements made at the press conference are the public position of the owners and management of KobaltumResursExport. Their claims of pressure, offers to buy the enterprise, and a possible connection of these events to the situation around the neighboring deposit require separate verification and comments from all parties mentioned.

Therefore the StopCor team has already sent inquiries to the Zakarpattia Regional Prosecutor’s Office

and the Main Directorate of the National Police in Zakarpattia region,

to find out whether law enforcement knew of the quarry’s activities earlier, whether relevant inspections and investigations were carried out, and who has been notified of suspicion in the current criminal proceeding. The editorial office is awaiting responses from law enforcement.

Recall that the StopCor team wrote about Andrii Osipov’s criminal past; his assets and connections drew attention in the case about $1 million for preventing the extradition of an RF citizen and about million-dollar gifts, an estate near Kyiv, “borrowed” cars and an apartment rented by judge Anatolii Maidanovych.