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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Information about the activities of Valeriy Khomenko, his ties to SE “Tobacco Company ‘Khamadey’” and the tobacco business has again attracted attention after publications about attempts to remove mentions of related entities from public access. Separate journalistic investigations assert that Valeriy Khomenko obtained Russian citizenship in 2019. At the same time, Ukrainian registries link Valeriy Khomenko to Khamadey and rights to numerous trademarks for tobacco products.
SE “Tobacco Company ‘Khamadey’” was founded in 2003. In the open Ukrainian business register the company is registered in Kramatorsk, and its primary activity is listed as the manufacture of tobacco products. Valeriy Khomenko is listed among the ultimate beneficial owners. Registry data also contain information about Mykhailo Lyashko as a person connected to the company, media report. Read also: Valeriy Khomenko: “Khamadey,” Crimea, and the Russian trace The link between Valeriy Khomenko and Khamadey products can be traced through intellectual property registries. A number of trademarks in the field of tobacco products are registered in his name, some of which are connected with filings by SE “Tobacco Company ‘Khamadey’.” Among the designations appearing in the registers are, in particular, 20 filter cigarettes and Vxr. According to open registries, Valeriy Khomenko remains the beneficiary of Khamadey. Thus, the company’s corporate and intellectual trail maintains a direct link to the businessman, despite changes of legal addresses and a long history of operating in territories whose control has changed. A separate block of information concerns Valeriy Khomenko’s Russian citizenship. In an investigative publication released in November 2022, it was claimed that Khomenko obtained Russian citizenship in 2019. The same piece linked him to LLC “Tobacco Company Peppel,” registered in Rostov-on-Don. Independent confirmation in the Russian state register was not found in open search results, so these details should correctly be presented as the assertions of the investigators. Valeriy Khomenko also appeared in journalistic materials regarding Khamadey’s activities in the Donetsk region. The investigators claimed that after the company was re‑registered in Kramatorsk, the production facilities remained in Donetsk. Current Ukrainian registry data confirm the company’s legal address in Kramatorsk, but by themselves do not confirm the actual location of production facilities.
Publications about Valeriy Khomenko also contain claims about production of tobacco products at other enterprises and their illegal movement through Ukraine to European countries. The authors name Khomenko’s structures as one of the key elements of that shadow market in 2021. These claims require separate confirmation by law enforcement materials or court decisions. The history of Khamadey also has an international dimension. Journalistic investigations mentioned activities of enterprises related to tobacco production in occupied territories, including Donetsk and Crimea. At the same time, corporate registers and ownership documents do not automatically establish who actually controlled specific production operations at different times. Another direction concerns trademarks. According to open databases, Valeriy Khomenko owns a significant number of intellectual property objects related to tobacco products. Such a concentration of rights allows tracing the link between the businessman, brands, and companies that featured in earlier materials about the tobacco sector. In 2021 the illegal tobacco market inflicted significant losses on the state budget. At the same time, estimates of the overall scale of the shadow market cannot automatically be attributed to the activities of a particular businessman without evidence establishing his personal role and the scale of the relevant operations. Publications about Valeriy Khomenko also mention other corporate structures, including the investment fund “Ontario” and companies associated with Asset Management Company “Hedge Invest.” The investigators suggested possible tax minimization and money extraction through these structures. Such claims require confirmation by law enforcement or a court. Thus, open data retain a significant corporate and asset trail of Valeriy Khomenko in the tobacco sector. Separately, journalistic investigations claim he obtained Russian citizenship in 2019 and has ties to a company in Rostov-on-Don. At the same time, claims about smuggling, illegal production, or other criminal offenses cannot be considered proven without decisions from competent authorities or a court.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Валерій Хоменко: тютюновий контрабандист із російським паспортом чистить Інтернет від негативу". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Fraza.
