7 Common Mistakes of Suppliers

“7 Common Mistakes of Suppliers, or What a Manager Should Know to Avoid Losing in Court” is a book by Vladyslav Borysenko, attorney and managing partner of Borysenko & Partners law firm. The second, revised and expanded edition was published in 2026 in Ukrainian. References to legislation and case law are current as of September 2026.

The book is written for owners, CEOs, CFOs, chief accountants and in-house lawyers of companies that sell goods to other businesses. No legal background is required. Each chapter describes one common mistake, shows how it plays out in court and gives a specific recommendation on how to avoid it.

What has changed since the first edition of 2018

The Commercial Code of Ukraine is no longer in force, and with it the provisions that standard supply contracts relied on for years. The Supreme Court has developed new case law on electronic evidence, defects in primary documents, force majeure and contractual penalties. Since September 2025 the limitation period has been running again, so the problem of time-barred debts is back on the agenda.

Seven mistakes covered in the book

1. A contract that still lives by a repealed code.
2. Relying on a reconciliation statement – and ending up with a debt that can no longer be recovered.
3. A delivery note that does not show who delivered what under which contract.
4. A payment deadline that never arrives.
5. Penalties that do not work.
6. A force majeure clause you cannot rely on.
7. An agreement made in a messenger that could not be proven.

At the end of the book, the seven rules are summarised on a single page that is easy to print out and hand to your sales team or accounting department.

If a counterparty has already stopped paying, the attorneys of Borysenko & Partners will represent you in commercial court. Call us at +38 050 930-00-25.

Download the book “7 Common Mistakes of Suppliers” (PDF, 36 pages, 1.5 MB, in Ukrainian).