informnapalm.org
Their company is engaged in smuggling and systematic violations of the sanctions regime against the occupied Crimea, according to some media reports.
Owners of ships that blocked the passage of Ukrainian vessels through the Kerch Strait do business in Ukraine, according to an investigation by InformNapalm.
The Neyma tanker and tug boats Bystry, Gandvik and Eltigen were used in blocking the passage near the bridge's arc, InformNapalm reports.
All vessels are owned by the company Yuvas-Trans, whose founders are Yaroslav Anatolyovych Narodytsky (65%), Anatoliy Leonydovych Narodytsky (25%), and Oleh Volodymyrovych Vasenko (10%). All three reside in Kerch (Russia-occupied Crimea).
The Narodytsky brothers are also founders of many companies in Russia and Ukraine.
InformNapalm claims that Yuvans-Trans is engaged in smuggling, systematically violating the sanctions regime against the occupied Crimea.
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In October last year, the company's tanker was fired upon by the coast guard of Libya for fuel smuggling.
In addition, in 2015, Russian coast guards detained Narodytsky's tanker for buying and selling of illegal fuel on the high seas.
As Anatoly Narodytsky explained to the Russian media, he used the scheme to circumvent sanctions against Crimea.
At the same time, the Narodytsky brothers do business with EU companies through their Ukraine-registered firms. Also, Yaroslav has a company registered in Scotland, stating in statutory papers that he is in fact a Ukraine national.
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InformNapalm notes that neither the Narodytskys nor their associates are the sanctions list. Besides, no high-profile court rulings as regards their companies have been handed down, the investigation says.
"Smuggling, systematic violation of Ukrainian laws and international law, possible large-scale tax evasion, suspicion of dual citizenship, organization of a criminal network and an incing on the cake – the recent blocking of Ukrainian warships from passing the Kerch Strait… And this is just what the InformNapalm team was able to find by slightly digging into the surface," reads the report.
UNIAN memo. On the morning of November 25, Russia blocked the passage through the Kerch Strait of the Ukrainian Yany Kapu tugboat and two light artillery boats Berdyansk and Nikopol that were sailing from Odesa to Mariupol on a scheduled redeployment. Having received no confirmation on the possibility of passing the Strait, the Ukrainian naval group headed back toward Odesa. As the vessels were leaving the Kerch Strait area, Russian coast guard ships with aviation support opened aimed fire on them. As a result of the attack, the Russian invaders captured 24 Ukrainian seamen and seized all three vessels. Three of the sailors were injured.
The Ukrainian crew, who Kyiv insists are prisoners of war are being accused of "illegally crossing the Russian border" and facing up to six years in prison.
The Russian-controlled court in Crimea ruled to remand all 24 sailors in custody. All POWs were later transferred to Moscow-based detention facilities "Lefortovo" and "Matrosskaya Tishina."