★★★★★ 5.0 ON GOOGLE · CLIENT REVIEWS | AVAILABLE 24/7
In modern Ukraine, corporate disputes are not just legal disagreements, but real battles for control over assets that can paralyze or even destroy a company. Changes in legislation, in particular the new Law of Ukraine “On Joint-Stock Companies”, and the updated case law of the Supreme Court force owners and investors to be extremely vigilant. Underestimating these risks may lead to prolonged court battles, loss of control over the business and significant financial losses.
One of the most high-profile corporate conflicts of recent years occurred between the co-founders of the “Esculab” network of medical laboratories. The co-owners with equal shares, Serhii Diadiushko and Stanislav Luhovskyi (43% each), together with Denys Melnyk (14%), found themselves at the center of a scandal.
The conflict began when one of the partners accused the others of an attempt to raid his share. In response, the other side declared that access to management was being blocked and financial information concealed.
The consequences were devastating:
Business stagnation: Due to court proceedings and mutual accusations, the company’s development came to a halt.
Financial losses: According to estimates by the financial director, the potential losses amounted to hundreds of millions of hryvnias.
Reputational risks: The conflict became public, which negatively affected the reputation of the brand.
Only after a lengthy struggle, in July 2025, the Supreme Court put an end to this case. The court supported the position of Stanislav Luhovskyi and Denys Melnyk, who retained control over the company.
Analyzing this case, one can identify the key mistakes made by the founders
The absence of preventive mechanisms: The constituent documents did not contain clear provisions for resolving conflicts between partners with equal shares, which led to a “deadlock”.
Escalation instead of dialogue: Instead of mediation or negotiations, the parties immediately moved to open war, mutual criminal complaints and lawsuits, which only dragged out the process and increased costs.
This case clearly demonstrates why professional legal support is critically important. Experienced lawyers could have:
At the stage of setting up the business: Developed a corporate agreement or other constituent documents containing effective mechanisms for resolving disputes between shareholders.
At the beginning of the conflict: Organized a negotiation process and found a compromise solution, or, at a minimum, created a “roadmap” for a civilized division of the business.
During the court process: Built the correct legal strategy taking into account the practice of the Supreme Court.
Timely legal consultation could have not only prevented the emergence of a prolonged conflict, but also minimized its negative consequences for the business. Remember: it is better to invest in prevention than to spend millions on treatment.
Ukrainian corporate disputes not infrequently escalate into open conflicts. A vivid example is the situation that happened with the woodworking enterprise “Terra Da Bosco Ukraine” in the Cherkasy region in April 2025.
According to the management, a group of people, having even involved a local deputy, organized the seizure of production facilities and established control over security. To consolidate their influence, the raiders used the mechanisms of the law enforcement system, initiating criminal proceedings and obtaining the seizure of the company’s corporate rights. This allowed them to remove the lawful owners from management.
At first, law enforcement did not respond to the company’s appeals, which allowed the raiders to entrench themselves at the enterprise. However, thanks to publicity and the persistence of the owners, the situation began to change. Court proceedings are currently ongoing, a criminal case has been opened, but the incident has already attracted public attention. This case showed that an ineffective reaction on the part of state bodies can undermine investor confidence in the security of business in Ukraine.
The situation around “Terra Da Bosco Ukraine” provides important lessons:
Speed of reaction: Delay may cost a business control over its assets. It is important to act immediately, as soon as the first signs of a threat appear.
A threat through criminal proceedings: This case demonstrates how criminal proceedings can be used as a tool of raiding. The disputes between the parties probably became the basis for such actions.
To effectively protect your business, it is worth preparing in advance. This is where a professional legal team comes to the rescue:
A corporate security audit: Specialists will analyze possible vulnerabilities, from court disputes to shortcomings in the statutory documents.
Preparation for an attack: Advance preparation of procedural documents allows lawyers to act instantly when a threat arises.
A prompt reaction: In the event of an attack, the team immediately applies to the court to challenge the seizure of property, files complaints with the Ministry of Justice, and also works with the media to give the situation public exposure.
Such round-the-clock support becomes an “immunity” for the business, providing coordinated protection and helping to retain control over the assets.
Another type of corporate dispute is a “quiet” raider attack, which takes place without a physical seizure of offices, but through the state registers. In May 2025, the agricultural enterprise “PC Favorit Agro” from the Dnipropetrovsk region unexpectedly received a notification from a monitoring service that the company’s owner had changed. The new director and founder became an unknown man from Odesa.
As it turned out, the registration action was carried out by a state registrar from the Chernihiv region on the basis of forged documents. She stated that her account had been hacked and that the raiders had used her digital key.
Fortunately, the owners of “Favorit Agro” reacted lightning-fast. They immediately:
Filed a statement with the National Police.
Sent a complaint to the Ministry of Justice.
Blocked the company’s bank accounts.
These actions made it possible to quickly stop the unlawful registration and prevent the withdrawal of assets. This case proves that vigilance and a swift legal reaction can stop an attack at an early stage. However, the problem remains systemic: in 2024, 323 criminal proceedings were opened, but only 28% of them reached the court.
The “Favorit Agro” case shows that the best protection is preventive measures. The owners connected a monitoring service in advance, which allowed them to instantly detect the fraud.
The raiders’ mistake was underestimating the company’s vigilance. If the entrepreneurs had delayed even a few days, the new “owner” could have:
Re-registered the assets.
Withdrawn funds from the accounts.
Fabricated fictitious debts.
The conclusions are simple: in the field of registration, it is critically important to have an early warning system and a clear action plan in case of a raider intrusion.
Professional legal support today is like an air defense system for a business. Lawyers:
Set up monitoring of all the company’s registration data.
Develop a step-by-step instruction on what to do in the event of an attack.
Prepare in advance an anti-raiding package of documents: powers of attorney, draft statements, contacts for quick communication.
In the case of “Favorit Agro”, advance preparation paid off. The lawyer, having received the signal, immediately filed a complaint with the Anti-Raiding Commission of the Ministry of Justice, which is able to cancel unlawful entries in the register within a day. In this way, most raider attacks are “intercepted on approach”, which makes it possible to protect the business from serious losses.
The analyzed corporate disputes prove that no one is insured against conflicts, neither large corporations nor medium-sized enterprises. The reasons may be different: the ambitions of partners, attempts by competitors to seize assets, or plain fraud. They have one thing in common: without reliable legal support, the injured party risks losing everything.
Most often, a business loses not because of the opponent’s strength, but because of its own miscalculations:
The absence of clear rules: When the charter or corporate agreement has no mechanisms for resolving conflicts, the partners find themselves in a deadlock.
Procedural errors: Violations in drawing up documents, convening meetings or making changes in the register give opponents a lawful basis for cancelling your decisions.
Delay: In the event of a raider attack, time works against you. Every minute of delay increases the risk of losing control over the assets.
Underestimating professionals: Attempts to resolve complex disputes on one’s own or “amicably” rarely end in success.
A proactive stance and cooperation with experienced lawyers are not costs, but an investment in the stability of your business. A professional legal team ensures:
Predictability: Lawyers create a reliable legal basis for your company, anticipating possible risks.
A swift reaction: Thanks to documents and action algorithms prepared in advance, lawyers can act instantly when a threat arises.
Reliable protection: They know all the “rules of the game” and can use them effectively to your advantage.
In the world of business, where every mistake can cost an extraordinary amount, having experienced partners at your side who will protect your interests is priceless.
It is a dispute between participants, shareholders or the management of a company, often over control of assets and management, which is capable of paralyzing the business.
The struggle for control, disagreement over the distribution of profits, abuses by management, dilution of shares, and violation of the rights of minority shareholders.
Through a well-drafted charter and corporate agreement, control over registration actions, and a timely legal reaction to the first signs of a threat.
Such disputes are resolved mainly in commercial courts; success depends on the evidentiary basis and a correctly chosen defense strategy.
Yes, these disputes are complex and fast-moving, so the support of a lawyer significantly increases the chances of retaining control over the company.
Author: Ilona Melnychuk, attorney In Brief You can dissolve a marriage through the registry office (DRATS, the body for the state registration of civil status
The “Lexon” attorney secured the complete cancellation of a resolution imposing a fine under part 2 of Article 122 of the Code of Ukraine on
It happens more often than it seems: one day you suddenly find out about the existence of a court decision issued in a case you
Grand changes await the Ukrainian business environment. As of August 28, 2025, the Commercial Code of Ukraine loses its force. This is not just a
Buying real estate is always a serious step that requires not only significant financial investment, but also thorough legal verification. To avoid unpleasant surprises, it
Buying real estate has always been a responsible step, and in the conditions of 2025, when economic instability and wartime risks intensify fraudulent schemes, it
