A British theatre impresario, Liana Patarkatsishvili, and her family are involved in a dispute with Ukrainian authorities over a water company they jointly own. Ukrainian authorities are seeking to seize IDS Ukraine, a producer of the country's largest bottled water brands.
The Patarkatsishvili family holds a 34% stake in the company. The corporate holdings of IDS Ukraine were frozen in 2022 due to a 49% stake held by Russian investors, including Mikhail Fridman, who is under Western sanctions.
Ukraine's asset recovery and management agency (Arma) has been tasked with appointing independent management for the company. Yaroslava Maksymenko, head of Arma, stated that the agency has faced legal and bureaucratic obstacles, partly due to shareholders' resistance to relinquishing control.
The Patarkatsishvili family spokesperson stated they have been committed supporters of Ukraine since February 2022 and believe they are being unfairly targeted. They intend to defend their position in Ukrainian courts and will seek justice in international courts if required.
IDS Ukraine's spokesperson affirmed the company operates according to Ukrainian law and denied any findings of money laundering or unlawful fund withdrawal. They also stated the company has continued operations without interruption since the full-scale invasion.