Statement regarding the illegal blocking of the Velmart store, Bila Tserkva
In Bila Tserkva, we have recorded high-profile actions surrounding our operating Velmart store, which we regard as a raider-style blockade involving elements of coercive pressure reminiscent of the 1990s and interference in business activities by the landlord, Traven 21 LLC. The case concerns the Velmart store located at Zenitnoho Polku Street — a well-loved store among city residents that serves over 150,000 customers per month.
We emphasize that the unlawful blocking of a store recognized as a critical infrastructure facility effectively prevents residents of the city from accessing essential goods.
Over a recent period, a series of actions have been taken that have led to the de facto complete shutdown of the facility. In particular, the store entrances have been blocked with concrete barriers, making access impossible for both customers and staff. The store has been disconnected from electricity supply, including through the obstruction of the generator’s operation. The generator was unlawfully sealed with the involvement of representatives of local law enforcement authorities, namely the National Police of Ukraine.
The combination of these actions indicates characteristics of a raider takeover scenario aimed at forcing the existing business out of the premises. Such indicators include: disregard for the terms of the existing lease agreement, unilateral restriction of access to the premises, obstruction of business operations, the deliberate creation of artificial debt, as well as the coordinated nature of actions aimed at transferring control over the asset outside of legal procedures. At the same time, it must be emphasized that there are no court decisions, including those of the Supreme Court, regarding the termination or cancellation of the lease agreement for the Velmart store in Bila Tserkva.
We emphasize that what began as a commercial dispute, initiated by the landlord (the property owner on the landlord’s side is Mykola Budyko), has escalated into a targeted blockade of the facility’s operations through physical restrictions of access.
We publicly call for the immediate cessation of the physical blockade of the facility, the restoration of access to the premises and engineering infrastructure, as well as an independent legal assessment of all individuals involved in these unlawful actions.
At the same time, we inform that we are already using all available legal mechanisms to counteract these unlawful actions and restore the lawful operation of the facility. As a national retailer, we emphasize our awareness of responsibility toward thousands of daily customers and state our intention to consistently defend our rights strictly within the legal framework. A number of official appeals have already been submitted to competent authorities, including the State Bureau of Investigations, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and the National Police of Ukraine, reporting a criminal offense, in order to identify all involved individuals and bring them to criminal responsibility.
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