Motor Sich plant ex-president to be tried for abetting Russian aggression

Vyacheslav Boguslaev, the former president of the Motor Sich plant in Zaporizhzhia, and Oleh Dziuba, who was director of the plant’s foreign trade department, will be tried for collaboration with Russia and obstructing the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office and security service, or SBU, on Wednesday announced they had finished investigating the case of Messrs Boguslayev and Dziuba, who were detained last October.

Mr Boguslaev, 83, is charged with collaboration, abetting the aggressor state, obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces, and participating in a terrorist group.

He, as well as his co-defendant, face up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

Both, according to the investigation, helped set up a Motor Sich unit in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region back in 2017, which paid taxes and dues for the terrorist group DPR [‘Donetsk People’s Republic’].

In addition, Motor Sich under Mr Boguslayev’s management continued selling aircraft engines for Russian military helicopters even after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February.

And in April 2022, Mr Bohuslaev is believed to have deliberately blocked the transfer of a helicopter for Ukrainian defence intelligence.

As part of the criminal proceedings, all the property of the accused totalling more than UAH 12 billion was seized, including funds, real estate, corporate rights of both officials, as well as the property that they obtained through criminal means.

Motor Sich is one of Europe's largest manufacturers of aircraft and helicopter components based in Zaporizhzhia. It owns an engine-building plant and three machine-building plants, as well as an airline company.

Until recently, Motor Sich’s main owner was Vyacheslav Boguslaev, a former member of parliament. In 2016 sold a 56% stake in the company to Beijing Skyrizon Aviation Industry Investment Co Ltd, a Chinese holding, but the deal was soon blocked for reasons of national security.

When Mr Boguslaev was arrested on treason charges last October, his shares of Motor Sich were seized and transferred to the Assets Tracing and Management Agency.