Detention of CEO Club Ukraine's Executive Director: Defence Alleges Possible Mistaken Identity
Statement by CEO Club Ukraine regarding the detention of executive director Dmytro Karchuk at the Polish border
CEO Club Ukraine and the legal team representing its Executive Director, Dmytro Karchuk, state that this is a case of mistaken identity in connection with the theft of 171 electric bicycles in Germany and call for a thorough examination of all the circumstances of the case.
On 28 July 2026, Dmytro Karchuk, Executive Director and co-owner of CEO Club Ukraine, was detained while crossing the Polish border pursuant to a European Arrest Warrant issued by the German law enforcement authorities. Dmytro is currently being held in pre-trial detention in Przemyśl.
According to the German law enforcement authorities, in September 2024, a man allegedly arrived at a warehouse in Germany in a lorry, presented himself as an employee of a logistics company, used forged transport documents, collected a shipment of 171 electric bicycles and failed to deliver it to its intended destination. The shipment was valued at nearly EUR 127,000. The German authorities have linked this individual to Dmytro Karchuk.
The position of the defence is unequivocal: Dmytro had no involvement whatsoever in these events and could not physically have been at the scene of the alleged offence, as he was in Ukraine at the time.
Dmytro Karchuk has led CEO Club Ukraine as its Executive Director since 2013 and subsequently became one of the organisation’s co-owners. He is responsible for the development of the community, its day-to-day operations, and its engagement with members and partners.
CEO Club Ukraine is one of the country’s leading business communities. For 15 years, it has brought together more than 250 company owners and business leaders. It is an environment that has contributed to the emergence of a new generation of Ukrainian entrepreneurs and executives. The Club’s members include leaders of companies that have a significant impact on the development of the Ukrainian economy, including Nova Poshta, Rozetka, MHP, WOG, MEGOGO, Nibulon, FUIB, MacPaw, Ajax Systems, Uklon, UNIT.City, Jooble, Google Ukraine, Cisco, Vodafone, Glovo and SAP Ukraine.
Over more than 13 years of Dmytro’s work at CEO Club Ukraine, hundreds of entrepreneurs and company executives have had the opportunity to witness first-hand his professionalism, responsibility and impeccable business reputation. The allegations that led to his detention have therefore caused shock and profound disbelief throughout the entire community.
A team of lawyers from Arzinger is working on the case together with Polish and German legal counsel. The defence has compiled a body of independent evidence for submission to the competent authorities confirming that Dmytro remained continuously in Ukraine on the days when the shipment was collected in Germany.
This evidence includes official documents, statements from people who met with him in person at the time, and medical records relating to an operation, subsequent rehabilitation and his limited mobility during that period. Taken together, these materials rule out the possibility that he personally drove a lorry to the warehouse in Germany and collected the shipment in question.
Moreover, Dmytro does not hold the category of driving licence required to operate the lorry that, according to the case materials, was used to collect and transport the goods.
The lawyers are currently working to establish how Dmytro’s personal data may have entered the German criminal case file and become associated with the person who actually collected the shipment. One of the possibilities being examined by the defence is that Dmytro was mistakenly identified or that his personal data or documents were unlawfully used by third parties.
We fully respect the independence of the judicial systems of the Republic of Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany and are not requesting any interference in the work of the courts or law enforcement authorities.
At the same time, we ask all relevant parties, within the scope of their respective authority, to help ensure that Dmytro Karchuk’s rights are properly protected, that all procedural safeguards are observed, and that careful consideration is given to the objective evidence confirming his presence in Ukraine during the period in which the alleged events took place. According to the defence, this evidence demonstrates that he was not involved in the alleged offence.
With the utmost respect,
Serhii Haidaichuk
President
CEO Club Ukraine
Text of the statement in German:
https://www.ceoclub.com.ua/tpost/detention-of-ceo-club-ukraines-executive-director-defence-alleges-possible-mistaken-identity
Text of the statement in Ukrainian: https://www.ceoclub.com.ua/tpost/zayava-ceo-club-ukraine-shchodo-zatrimannya-direktora-klubu-dmitra-karchuka-na-kordoni-v-polshchi
Text of the statement in Polish:
https://www.ceoclub.com.ua/tpost/erklarung-des-ceo-club-ukraine-zur-festnahme-des-clubdirektors-dmytro-karchuk-an-der-grenze-in-polen