The Commercial Court Has Opened Bankruptcy Proceedings Against Vodka Producer Khortytsia and Morosha

The Commercial Court of the Kyiv region has opened proceedings in the bankruptcy case against Global Spirits — the producer of the vodkas “Khortytsia,” “Morosha,” and “Pervak.” The basis for this was creditor claims totaling 1 billion UAH, recorded in the court ruling dated 15 September. Now the holding’s financial problems have been joined by a bankruptcy legal procedure due to debt to a former partner.

The application was filed with the court by Opt-Systems LLC — the former distributor of the Khortytsia brand, which until March 2025 was named Ukrainian Trade Distribution Company LLC. This is stated in the court ruling. In 2023 the company provided Global Spirits with nearly 2 billion UAH in financial assistance with a repayment deadline in May 2024, but the vodka producer repaid only part of the amount.

In court Global Spirits tried to prove that the debt had already been settled if funds that Opt-Systems was to pay the company for use of the brands were taken into account. The court rejected these arguments.

The judge imposed a moratorium on satisfying creditor claims and appointed arbitration manager Serhiy Pichakhchi as the property administrator. Interestingly, at the time of the court filing Opt-Systems itself had already been declared bankrupt, and the petition was submitted on its behalf by the court-appointed liquidator.

Who is behind the Global Spirits holding

Global Spirits is considered one of the world’s leaders in alcohol production and the largest alcohol holding in Europe. Its structure includes the Khortytsia Distillery and Odesa Cognac Plant JSC, and its brand portfolio covers vodka, cognac, and wine products exported to 87 countries worldwide.

The founder and director of the holding until 2023 was Yevhen Cherniak. At the end of 2023 the SBU announced suspicions against Yevhen Cherniak and six other top managers of his companies for aiding the aggressor state. It concerns allegations that in 2022 companies under his control paid 6 billion UAH in taxes into the Russian budget. Cherniak’s structures located in Central Asia and the South Caucasus purchased spirit from Russia on an industrial scale. The businessman denied all the accusations.

According to Cherniak, he has not had business in Russia since 2014. However, OSINT researchers at Molfar established that companies linked to him sold alcohol in Russia during the war under the brand “Traditsiya uspeha.” According to the latest information, Cherniak lives in the U.S. — he left Ukraine before the full-scale invasion, and the SBU is currently seeking him.

Earlier Informator reported that the Khortytsia liquor and vodka plant in Zaporizhzhia was completely destroyed as a result of a Russian attack and is beyond restoration. The enterprise was struck four times; the company lost about 3–4 million bottles of finished product for which excise tax had already been paid.