Third attempt: former ZTMC director who fled to Austria gets 3.5-year sentence

The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court has reviewed the case of Volodymyr Syvak, former director of Zaporizhzhia Titanium and Magnesium Plant LLC (ZTMC), for the third time and sentenced him to 3.5 years in prison, the press service of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office reported.

In early 2021, the appellate court acquitted Syvak, but in late 2022 found him guilty of abuse of office (Part 2, Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

In both instances, the Supreme Court overturned the rulings and sent the case back for a new appeal.

ZTMC LLC was established in 2013 on the basis of the state enterprise with the same name ZTMC, the only producer of sponge titanium in Ukraine and Europe. The company was 51% owned by the State Property Fund and 49% by Tolexis Trading Limited, whose beneficiary was Dmytro Firtash.

In 2014, Syvak signed a surety agreement on behalf of ZTMC LLC, under which the company transferred UAH 18.6 million to Zaporizhzhiaoblenergo. The funds were used to repay the overdue electricity debt of the state-owned ZTMC enterprise.

Prosecutors argued that this constituted abuse of office, as the corporate documents of ZTMC LLC placed the obligation to repay the debt on Tolexis Trading Limited, not on ZTMC LLC.

The Appeals Chamber ruled that Syvak had intentionally used his position to provide an unlawful benefit to Tolexis Trading.

• Syvak was tried in absentia. According to court records, he left Ukraine on December 24, 2022, citing his status as the father of six minor children, without notifying the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, prosecutors, or the court — and has not returned since.
• In 2025, it became known that Austria refused to extradite him to Ukraine.