Sayenko Kharenko acted as a legal advisor to Kyivstar in its acquisition of a 97% stake in Uklon Group, one of the leading ride-hailing platforms in Ukraine.
Sayenko Kharenko team supported Kyivstar throughout the entire transaction, from legal due diligence to negotiating and finalising the deal. The team also assisted with obtaining merger clearance, advising on intellectual property matters, and ensuring smooth execution and completion.
“We look forward to welcoming Uklon in Kyivstar family, adding new and complementary expertise to our portfolio of market-leading digital services and solutions. With this acquisition, we are happy to bring together two leading companies with strong value propositions, enhancing our ability to offer digital experiences for millions of Ukrainiansaccording to our digital operator strategy”, said Oleksandr Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar.
Kyivstar is Ukraine’s largest digital operator, serving over 23 million mobile subscribers and more than 1.1 million Home Internet customers as of December 2024. The company provides a wide range of services, including 4G, big data, cloud solutions, cybersecurity, and digital TV. Kyivstar is a part of the international VEON Group, which is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange (New York). Kyivstar and VEON have committed to investing USD 1 billion into new telecom technologies in Ukraine during 2023-2027.
Uklon, founded in Kyiv 15 years ago as a tech start-up, has grown into one of Ukraine’s largest ride-hailing platforms, successfully competing with global players without external financing. As of today, the service is operating in 27 cities of Ukraine and unites more than 100 thousand active partner drivers. The company also provides services in Uzbekistan.
The full-scale legal support for this complex transaction required enhanced coordination, which was delivered by partners Oleksandr Nikolaichyk and Volodymyr Sayenko, ensuring seamless execution at every stage. The transactional team was led by partner Alina Plyushch with the support by associate Dmytro Zaiachkivskyi. The due diligence process was led by counsel Iryna Bakina and senior associate Olga Kyriusha, supported by a team including senior associate Taras Bondarenko, associates Alina Kylymenchuk and Victoria Chorna, and junior associates Ahil Aliiev and Vladyslav Novitskiy. The antitrust matters were overseen by partner Maksym Nazarenko and counsel Igor Pomaz. The intellectual property aspects were handled by partner Oleg Klymchuk and associate Anastasiia Finko.
