The State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) has announced that on January 13, 2026, it will hold a repeat online auction for the privatization of 99.99% of the shares of one of the largest domestic chemical enterprises, Sumykhimprom, the agency’s press service reported.
The SPF set the starting price of the lot at UAH 1 billion 88.081 million (excluding VAT), which is 9.3% lower than the starting price at the auction on June 11, which did not take place due to the lack of participants.
The SPF reminded that Sumykhimprom is one of the key objects of large-scale privatization under its management.
“Sumykhimprom is a unique opportunity to acquire almost 100% of the shares of an operating, powerful chemical complex with a wide range of products, significant production areas for further modernization and development of export potential,” the SPF emphasized.
According to the terms of the tender, the new owner will have to maintain the company’s main activities and invest at least UAH 150 million in technical re-equipment and modernization of production. In addition, the winner will have to pay off wage and budget debts, as well as overdue accounts payable, within six months, except for debts to individuals and legal entities subject to sanctions and related parties, as well as creditors whose beneficiaries are citizens/residents of the Russian Federation and/or Belarus. The winner must comply with social guarantees for employees in accordance with the requirements of labor legislation and not allow their dismissal within six months after the acquisition of the asset.
Sumykhimprom is one of the largest domestic enterprises producing complex mineral fertilizers, titanium dioxide, sulfuric acid, and other types of inorganic chemicals. The company is one of the top three budget-generating enterprises in the city of Sumy and the region and produces more than 30 brands of NPK fertilizers with different nutrient ratios for different soil and climatic zones.
For more than 10 years, the plant was managed by a group of companies affiliated with entrepreneur Dmitry Firtash’s Group DF. In November 2023, the Commercial Court of Sumy Region granted the petition of the State Property Fund and the Ministry of Justice and closed the bankruptcy and reorganization proceedings against Sumykhimprom.
The SPF planned to sell the company to a private investor even before the full-scale war. However, privatization was delayed due to the position of minority shareholder Dmitry Firtash, who in 2010 acquired 0.005% of the company’s shares and control over its management. Sumykhimprom accumulated debts, which allowed the creation of a committee of creditors and the initiation of reorganization proceedings.
Since 2015, the SPF has been trying to stop the bankruptcy proceedings of the company through the courts, but was only able to do so in 2023, which unblocked the privatization.
In March 2022, the Russians shelled the company, leading to an ammonia leak. As a result, the plant was out of operation for a year and resumed work in the spring of 2023. As of June 2025, the front line was less than 30 km from Sumykhimprom.
According to information on the website, the company’s revenue in the first half of 2025 fell fourfold to UAH 36.1 million, while net losses decreased by 39.6% to UAH 189.1 million. In addition, as of mid-year, the company had UAH 0.30 billion in long-term debt and UAH 3.63 billion in current liabilities.
