Director of Ukrainian Nemo dolphinarium convicted of collaboration with Russians

Director of the Nemo dolphinarium Solontsov was convicted of collaboration. Stock photo: Odesa Dolphinarium NEMO on Facebook

The Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa convicted Anatolii Solontsov, the director of the Ukrainian Nemo dolphinarium, of collaboration with the Russians.

Source: Solontsov admitted his guilt, according to the verdict published on 11 October 

Details: Solontsov is the CEO of the Odesa limited liability corporation Nerum, which has owned the Nemo chain of dolphinariums since 2015.

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In 2014, the business opened a dolphinarium in Russia. Solotsonov was appointed as its director.

Since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion, from February 2022 until 17 January 2023, Solontsov conducted commercial activities in collaboration with the Russian Federation and the unlawful authorities in occupied Crimea, namely entertainment and hospitality services.

]Nemo dolphinariums are located in two cities on the peninsula: Alushta and Feodosiia.

Beginning in 2022, the offshoots in Crimea and Russia under the management of Anatolii Solontsov paid taxes to the Russian state treasury and offered a 50% discount to Russian soldiers.

In addition, on behalf of the Nemo dolphinarium, Solontsov signed lease agreements with the Russian company Felisistas for marine mammals, as well as animal sales contracts as the director of Nerum. Essentially, Solontsov sold out both companies to Russia.

In January 2023, he resigned as CEO of the Nemo Dolphinarium. The position was taken by a citizen of the Russian Federation who is a confidant of Solontsov.

The defendant and his lawyer reached an arrangement with the prosecutor to plead guilty.

Anatolii Solontsov was fined UAH 170,000 (about US$4,000) with confiscation of property. He was also barred from holding positions in state or local governments for ten years.

One mitigating factor was that Solontsov “sincerely repented and actively cooperated in the investigation of the crime”.

Background: Previous investigation showed that the Nemo dolphinarium is connected to Russia’s ruling party United Russia and may have branches in this country.

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