Co-owner of Odesa Grain Terminal detained while attempting to flee to Romania

GNT co-owner Volodymyr Naumenko was detained while attempting to flee across the border with Romania.

This was stated by the American creditors of the grain terminal, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

GNT’s creditors are Innovatus Capital Partners (ICT) and Argentem Creek Partners (ACP).

ACP said that the National Police took Volodymyr Naumenko into custody in a pre-trial detention center in Kyiv. The bail amount was set at UAH 557 million (about $13.4 million).

American companies ACP and ICT gave GNT more than $90 million in loans in 2019-2021 secured by terminals, real estate and inventories. GNT did not repay the loans and, according to investors, did not provide reporting and refused to undergo an audit. In particular, ACP accuses Naumenko of the disappearance of more than 100 thousand tons of grain, which was transferred as collateral to a fund managed by ICT, as part of the financing of assets located in the port of Odessa.

In October 2024, a British court sentenced GNT co-owners Groza and Naumenko to 21 months in prison for violating an asset freeze order. In January 2025, the London Arbitration Court ordered them to pay $150 million in debts.

Investors accuse Naumenko and Groza of fictitious schemes – in particular, in an attempt to transfer part of the assets to third parties at undervalued prices, including to a company associated with a Russian.

At the same time, Naumenko’s defense denies all charges. Naumenko’s lawyer stated a gross violation of his client’s rights, which “endangers his freedom and life,” including due to the “serious medical condition” of the GNT co-owner. The lawyer also called the bail of UAH 570 million exorbitant.