On January 9, at the press center of the "Interfax-Ukraine" news agency, representatives of "Prista Oil-Ukraine LLC" and "Attollo Granum LLC" held a press conference on the topic "On Pressure by BES Employees on Enterprises in Odesa Port."

The conference was attended by Oleksandr Pavlenko, Director of "Attollo Granum LLC," Oleksandr Lototskyi, Director of "Prista Oil-Ukraine LLC," as well as the companies' lawyers, Valerii Snitkin and Oleksandr Zubrytskyi, who provided video evidence to support their statements.

The participants of the press conference claim that starting from December 19, detectives of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine, under the pretext of alleged tax evasion, have been blocking the operations of dozens of enterprises operating in Odesa Port.

In 2024, "Attollo Granum LLC" paid UAH 25.73 million in direct taxes to the state. As of today, the company employs 192 workers who receive fair wages, with the payroll fund for 2024 amounting to UAH 57 million. At "Prista Oil-Ukraine LLC," over 160 people are currently employed, and the company paid UAH 26.5 million to local and state budgets last year.

"Not only businesses suffer from the blockades but also labor collectives – drivers, crane operators, and technical staff. During the operational blockade, the company's daily losses exceed UAH 750,000," emphasized Oleksandr Pavlenko, Director of "Attollo Granum LLC."

"Detectives arrive every morning at the search site, read a court ruling on the necessity of 'resuming' an investigative action, and by the evening of the same day, declare the 'suspension' of the investigative action. Meanwhile, the ruling of the Kyiv District Court of Odesa by Investigative Judge D.A. Tishko mentions searches but contains no word about asset arrests, which are, in fact, taking place," noted lawyer Valerii Snitkin.

During the press conference, it was stated that BES detectives are not conducting any investigative or search actions. Most BES employees are present in Odesa Port without any assignments or explanations about their actions or objectives. Simultaneously, goods are being blocked, and cranes are being sealed.

Company representatives emphasized that in private conversations, law enforcement officers confidently state they will "remain at the site" until January 15, despite the ruling being valid only until January 10, and even plan to continue their actions beyond that date.

The directors of "Prista Oil-Ukraine LLC" and "Attollo Granum LLC" reported submitting complaints about the current situation to the Office of the President, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine, the State Bureau of Investigations, and the Business Support Council of Ukraine but have not yet received any response.

"We conclude that the aim of such illegal actions by law enforcement officers is not the necessity of investigating a criminal case but the obstruction of the economic activities of several enterprises. For example, despite the absence of any prohibitions on goods declaration and directive documents, car carriers are not being allowed out of the port, and drivers are being held hostage by the situation," emphasized Oleksandr Lototskyi, Director of "Prista Oil-Ukraine LLC."

At the conference, it was noted that BES detectives' actions have already led to the suspension and blocking of any financial and economic operations related to exporting goods from the port. The activities of dozens of enterprises not mentioned in the search warrant are being obstructed, and all cranes on the port's territory have been immobilized: law enforcement officers force all crane operators to leave their workplaces and seal the equipment.

"As a result, exporting companies are incurring additional expenses related to storing goods in the port, being unable to load and ship goods according to contract terms, and bearing extra costs for downtime and vessel stay at the port," highlighted lawyer Oleksandr Zubrytskyi.

In conclusion, representatives of "Prista Oil-Ukraine LLC" and "Attollo Granum LLC" stated that against the backdrop of the total blockade of the "Grain Corridor" by the aggressor state, which harms Ukraine's international partners, there is also an "internal blockade" that could lead to an international scandal. Furthermore, law enforcement actions are hindering the timely payment of taxes to the budget and, consequently, the inflow of foreign exchange earnings to Ukraine, which is unacceptable in wartime.