Main points
- The journalist reported on BEB activities in the Lviv region related to the Yabko network, where they were able to seize smuggled equipment worth over $100 million.
- The Yabko network responded to the accusations.
The high-profile story of BEB and “Yabko” / Collage of Channel 24, illustrative photos of “Yabko”, BEB
The network was shaken by news from a journalist about alleged “searches” by BEB in the Yabko electronics store chain. She was allegedly accused of selling illegal goods and tax evasion, but the company presented its position.
Were there searches of the BEB at Yabko?
BEB could have carried out certain “measures” in the Lviv region. It was probably not just about searches – the format was much broader, journalist Yevhen Plinsky reported, relying on his own sources among law enforcement officers.
According to him, the activities took place in places where equipment related to the Yabko network was likely stored and distributed. During these actions, contraband equipment worth more than $100 million could have been seized.
Also, more than 100 individual entrepreneurs were involved in the sale of illegal goods without paying taxes, which, according to detectives' analysis, allowed Yabko to launder over 40 million hryvnias in unpaid taxes in a short period of time.
– writes Plinsky.
He also noted that we are not talking about stores where sales to customers take place, but about the company's offices and logistics centers.
What is the position of the Yabko network?
In a comment to Channel 24, the public relations manager of the Yabko chain, Diana Gruts, said that such messages are trying to compromise the company.
According to her, the spread of messages about searches at BEB in Telegram public groups is a sign of a targeted campaign against the Yabko network.
The company provides all necessary documents and explanations without hindrance within the framework of current legislation. We work transparently, comply with the requirements of the regulatory field and are interested in an objective and impartial process,
– the manager said.
What do they say at BEB?
In response to a question about the searches at Yabko, BEB responded that over the past month, BEB detectives have conducted a large-scale operation to de-shadow the electronics and technology market. The names of the networks and other details were not specified in the comments to Channel 24 .
It is also known that BEB detectives are investigating the issue of tax evasion by electronics stores through the mechanism of artificial business fragmentation. During the searches, a significant amount of equipment and electronics was seized – laptops, tablets, headphones, smart watches, and more.
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What is known about the previous accusations against the Yabko network?
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In January 2026, a shipment of 829 contraband Apple products, including 501 iPhones and other gadgets, worth 35.5 million hryvnias, was discovered at the border. People's Deputy Hetmantsev accused the Yabko chain of involvement in the smuggling, but the company denied the accusations.
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Last March, the State Tax Service uncovered a VAT evasion scheme worth 286 million hryvnias in the Yabko and Yabluka chains, including sales without cash registers and forged checks.
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After more than 400 inspections, companies were fined over 85 million hryvnias, and the chains were forced to switch to the general taxation system and become VAT payers.