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Оксана СтепураGadgets
4 November 2026, 13:11
2026-11-04
Hetmantsev bought an iPhone 18 Pro Max from Yabko and couldn't find it in the customs database. How did the company explain the origin of the smartphone?
The head of the Verkhovna Rada's tax committee, Danylo Getmantsev, decided to personally check where the iPhones in the Yabko network come from. He bought an iPhone 18 Pro Max, checked it by IMEI on the website of the State Customs Service and did not find any data on customs clearance. The company explained that this phone came to the store through the service of buying back equipment from customers.
The head of the Verkhovna Rada's tax committee, Danylo Getmantsev, decided to personally check where the iPhones in the Yabko network come from. He bought an iPhone 18 Pro Max, checked it by IMEI on the website of the State Customs Service and did not find any data on customs clearance. The company explained that this phone came to the store through the service of buying back equipment from customers.
This is reported by ZAXID.NET with a link to Hetmantsev's post and a comment from Yabko.
The head of the Verkhovna Rada's tax committee published the check and screenshots of the inspection and recalled that the network had previously been at the center of scandals due to accusations of illegal import of equipment.
"Let me remind you that throughout 2026, the Yabko chain assured that it was operating "exclusively through official imports." And even promised to show documents. There were searches. There were statements. There was also a BEB report that the "case was closed," Hetmantsev wrote.
The network explained that smartphones on store shelves do not necessarily come directly from importers. The company also buys equipment from ordinary people.
"Some of the devices come through the equipment buyback service from customers. These can be both used and new devices in factory packaging. Such a mechanism for the purchase and further sale of equipment is provided for by the legislation of Ukraine, and all relevant transactions are documented. It was through such a buyback service that the smartphone in question arrived on the network," Yabko explained.
The company also disagrees that the absence of IMEI in the State Customs Service database automatically makes a smartphone "gray." They reminded that the service displays data on customs clearance of devices only from September 4, 2026, and moreover, it does not cover all cases of legal import of equipment.
In September, Hetmantsev also accused the chain of selling new iPhone 18s before official importers were able to bring them to Ukraine. At the time, Yabko assured that buyers were only offered to place a pre-order, while the devices themselves were still undergoing customs clearance.
Another story happened in January 2026. Then customs officers found 829 iPhones worth over UAH 35.5 million in the caches of a minibus at the border. The head of the Verkhovna Rada tax committee said that the smartphones were allegedly intended for Yabko, but the company denied any connection with the detained batch.
Lviv court seizes seized property from Yabko stores, including thousands of pieces of equipment, not just Apple. More than 40,000 pieces of protective glass were also seized.
