Cleaning up the tech and electronics market from shadow schemes: ESBU’s 2025 performance results

 In 2025, the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine intensified its efforts to bring the electronics and appliances market—one of the most shadow-heavy segments of the consumer market—out of the shadows. The work was carried out simultaneously across several areas: analysis of commodity flows and financial transactions, identification of high-risk entities, cooperation with the State Tax Service and the State Financial Monitoring Service, and the application of criminal law mechanisms against organizers of "grey" import schemes and illegal sales.

ESBU focused not only on identifying individual violations but also on de-shadowing the entire chain: from import and logistics to product sales and financial flows. As part of their analytical and operational work, ESBU detectives blocked supply channels for smuggled products, shut down outlets selling uncertified goods, exposed schemes for legalizing equipment through fictitious documents, and removed goods from illegal circulation.

In 2025, 28,912 units of equipment with an estimated value of over UAH 374.3 million were removed from illegal circulation. The seized items included mobile phones, computer hardware, power equipment, and household appliances.

Particular attention was paid to the premium segment. Throughout the year, 3,926 units of smuggled Apple products worth UAH 94.4 million were seized, including smartphones, headphones, laptops, and tablets.

Based on the results of the work in 2025, 18 criminal proceedings were entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations (ERDR), eight of which were referred to court. In seven cases, guilty verdicts have already been issued.

In parallel, the ESBU initiated a direct dialogue with the largest electronics retail chains, which served as a catalyst for voluntary fiscalization. Businesses received a clear signal regarding the inevitability of a response to abuses while simultaneously learning about the opportunity to emerge from the "shadows" on their own.

According to State Tax Service data, the volume of legal transactions grew by 53.4%, and the average salary in the sector increased to 29.2 thousand UAH from September to December 2025. This de-shadowing of trade, achieved through a combination of analytics and enforcement, has fostered a more transparent market for high-value equipment. Read the full analysis from the State Tax Service.