Investigations into the salt asset: NABU detectives carried out searches in Zakarpattia in connection with the Tereblya deposit case
The corporate dispute surrounding ‘Kation Invest’ had previously been marked by the annulment of registration procedures and court rulings.
The Tereblya salt deposit. Photo: goloskarpat.info
Detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) recently carried out a series of searches in Mukachevo and Rakhiv in Zakarpattia Oblast. This was reported by journalist Vitalii Hlahola, citing his own sources within the anti-corruption agency, reports Zakarpattia 24. The investigations are linked to the long-running dispute over the strategic Tereblya rock salt deposit and alleged attempts to gain unlawful control over the mining company, Kation Invest LLC.
At the time of publication, the NABU press office had not released any official details of the searches carried out, and the identities of those directly involved in the proceedings remain unknown.
Details of the investigative measures and the individuals involved in the investigation
According to sources, detectives in Rakhiv carried out investigative procedures at the office of Ivan Petrashchuk, the state registrar of Rakhiv Town Council. It was this official who had previously made changes to the state register, which triggered an acute phase of corporate conflict.
Furthermore, according to unofficial reports, as part of the criminal investigation, law enforcement agencies are looking into the possible involvement in the conflict of Pavlo Khalimon, a Member of Parliament and deputy head of the ‘Servant of the People’ parliamentary faction. Serhiy Kondratyev, the former head of the company – who represents one of the parties to the corporate dispute – had previously made public statements regarding the MP’s probable role in the dispute. There is currently no official information regarding the MP’s procedural status in this case.
The background to the conflict over the Tereblya field
The Tereblya rock salt deposit is situated in the village of Tereblya, in the Tyachiv district of the Zakarpattia region. This is a new strategic enterprise for Ukrainian industry: construction of the mine began in 2022 following the loss of access to ‘Artemsol’, and the first batch of salt was extracted here in 2023. The subsoil resources are being developed by Katión Invest Ltd.
The timeline of the corporate dispute over the asset encompasses several key episodes:
- Controversial change of management: in November 2025, the state registrar of the Rakhiv City Council entered a record in the register regarding a change of the company’s director, following which the company’s co-owners alleged an attempt at a hostile takeover.
- The Ministry of Justice’s response: Subsequently, the Ministry of Justice considered the owners’ complaint and annulled the registration procedure on the grounds that it was unlawful.
- Court ruling on the special licence: at the end of October 2026, the court declared the agreement to sell the right to use the Tereblya field to another entity to be invalid, restoring control of the asset to the lawful subsoil user.
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