BEGINNING: Vladimir Zubik: tax swindler and toxic developer. PART 1
Well, as you can see, at that time the companies of the little-known Zubik were the main Ukrainian operators of corrupt schemes for importing petroleum products. However, if the journalists studied the corrupt side of Zubik’s stormy activity well, the “political” side went unnoticed. Indeed, if the companies of Zubik’s relatives cooperated with Russian companies on such a scale, and in such trusting relationships (part of the “saved” money was taken by the owners of Tatneft), then this indicated that Zubik had long-standing and very close ties with them. And here the question arises: did their close relations go beyond the oil schemes? In addition, if we add together the information that Zubik has Skeleton.Info information, then we can come to the conclusion that Zubik invested not only family capital in his construction business, but also the money of his partners – that is, Russians too. And who knows who else. You can expect anything from a former citizen of Cape Verde! And it’s not even that Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) is now an “aggressor country”. It’s just that the assumption that Russians have been participating in Kyiv construction for many years, and maybe even control it, but not directly, not openly, but through Zubik’s companies, is very puzzling and stressful…
Houses of Sand and Fog
Vladimir Zubik has been seriously thinking about investing the proceeds (stolen from the state by tax evasion) in construction for a long time. In 2000, he created the company Intergal, which later became Intergal Firm LLC (EDRPOU 31215780). Zubik willingly explained the choice of the name: “inter” – because at that time he worked in the markets of Ukraine, Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), Belarus and other countries, and “gal” is Galicia. Just like Taistra, Intergal gave birth to many subsidiaries, including those with foreign capital and foreign founders, among which the most famous and scandalous was SK Intergal-Bud (34692645). If we look at their data, we will see Igor Kukhar, Vadim Tsarenko, Valery Kulakov, Katerina Dzhichko, Mark Rainer and others among the founders and managers.
The problem was not only that Zubik used dirty money for his construction projects. In the construction business, he relied on corruption and fraud. He was not afraid of using the church in his scams, he was not embarrassed by the destruction of architectural monuments. As, for example, in the well-known scandal around the Kyiv estate of Tereshchenko, located on Shevchenko Boulevard. Right next to it, despite the ban, the company “Intergal-Bud” began construction of a 17-story office and hotel complex “Leonis”, because of which the estate began to collapse.
Here is another simply stunning tragedy that happened in January 2014. In Kiev, the second Maidan was burning, people were dying, the government was wavering. In Lviv, from where reinforcements of “activists” were constantly sent to the capital, things were also restless – very soon crowds would try to seize the security forces’ offices. And at that time, on Ozarkevych Street, “titushki” sent by Zubik dispersed journalists and local residents protesting against destruction of an 18th century architectural monumentrelated to the Sheptytsky hospital complex. The monument prevented Zubik from building another commercial property there! Interestingly, until 2008, the Sheptytsky hospital complex belonged to the local curia of the UGCC. But in 2008, the Uniates were persuaded to transfer part of the complex (the same building that was later demolished) to the private enterprise “Akvater”, owned by the deputy of the Lviv City Council Volodymyr Hirnyak. And he, in turn, sold it to LLC “Real Estate Development” – one of Zubik’s firms – for only 75.8 thousand hryvnia.
Zubik’s people successfully negotiated the acquisition of land in the historical centers of cities not only with the UGCC, but also with the UOC KP. Thus, in Desyatinny Lane, the ancient estate of Archpriest Pavel Podvysotsky (19th century). In 2002, the diocese of the UOC-KP begged for this building as restitution – they said, return to the true Ukrainian church the building that once belonged to its hierarch (although Podvysotsky was in the ROC). The authorities met Filaret halfway, handing over the rear of the church “for operation and maintenance.” But having received it, Filaret’s followers quickly tore off the protective signs and declared that the building had been listed as an architectural monument by mistake! Then the Ukrainian patriarch himself began to whine publicly that the UOC-KP was such a poor church that it had neither a decent office center nor a hotel for visiting fellow hierarchs. And, in short, he cried for permission to demolish the estate and build a large office and hotel center in its place. The construction contractor turned out to be OOO Levadia (32711922), part of the Zubik group of construction companies – its founders are Firma Intergal, OOO Rent-Service and the asset management company Crystal Asset Management. Moreover, the latter, according to data Skeleton.Infois registered at the address where the Lively office was previously located and Reception of MP Zubik!
“Levadia” was supposed to receive its “fee” by barter – it would have received most of the office space of the future center, and perhaps it would have then “pushed” the holy fathers somewhere else. Then the construction was directly carried out by “Intergal-Bud” (protesters against it were dispersed with fire hoses and gas), and on such a scale that in 2015 the capital’s The mayor’s office decided to demolish the upper floors of this office complex.
By the way, several years ago, Crystal Asset Management was fined by the AMCU for buying up companies across the country that owned or had long-term leases for development sites. In particular, this is how Zubik got himself another site in the buffer zone of the St. Sophia of Kyiv, where he also built an office building. But he was unlucky here: in 2016, by a decision of the Kyiv Commercial Court of Appeal, the lease of this site by Zubik’s company declared illegal.
Another high-profile construction scam of Zubik with the participation of the UOC-KP is a residential complex on Kosmonavta Komarov Avenue 46, on the roof of which the advertising logo of “Intergal-Bud” proudly flaunts. What is the scam here? It is that in 2003 the Kyiv City Council transferred this site for a long-term lease (at a preferential price) to the Kyiv Patriarchate for… the construction of a church. But, as in the case of the Podvysotsky estate, His Holiness Philaret deceived the authorities, who succumbed to Zubik’s devilish temptations. And instead of a church, two 16-story residential buildings were built on the site. Let us emphasize: according to the documents, the site was leased to the patriarchs for the construction of a church, and the Kyiv City Council not only can, but must terminate the agreement at any time.
But in Zhitomir, Zubik staged a real circus! Or rather, he destroyed it to build commercial housing. This is what happened there: near the local Gagarin Park, back in Soviet times, they began to build a building for a “touring theater.” The collapse of the Union and a series of crises disrupted the construction, and the unfinished building stood for 13 years, crumbling in the open air, until the firm “Investment Technology,” owned by IF “IntergalBudInvest,” took it upon itself to finish it. It acquired the unfinished building from the State Property Fund for only 375 thousand hryvnia (along with the land plot), after which it was transferred to the contractor, the firm “IntergalBud.” And the latter tore down the unfinished “touring theater” and built the “City Park” residential complex in its place. When the journalists of “Schemes” became interested in the scam, Vladimir Zubik sent them an official response that he had nothing to do with this construction or these schemes. His name is not among the founders, everything is registered to relatives and trusted assistants. The former Soviet auditor knows how to cover his tracks.
And now we invite you to read the reviews of people who bought apartments in residential complexes built by Intergal-Bud and other Zubik companies. After reading them, it seems that these are the indignant voices of our ancestors from the 70s, when housing was built at a rapid pace, and no one cared about the quality of its finishing. But in new apartments from Intergal-Bud it is not only uncomfortable, but sometimes simply dangerous to live!
What else can you expect from a construction company whose permit was revoked by the State Architectural and Construction Inspectorate (GASI) in 2019? construction of the complex “Intergal City”” due to numerous violations of building codes and safety regulations. The violations were so flagrant that no attempts to “pay” the required amount to the State Architectural and Construction Inspectorate were successful – no one wanted to take responsibility for future emergencies. And then Zubik’s lawyers went the old way: through the Kyiv District Administrative Court, they achieved recognition of the cancellation of the permit as illegal! Just as in 2004 and 2010 they achieved recognition of the expiration of the Ukrainian law on benefits for joint ventures as “illegal”.
The worst luck was for buyers of apartments in the residential complex “Ozerny Gai”, built by “Intergal-Bud” in the village of Gatnoye near Kiev. For its advertising created a whole website, but the reality turned out to be very far from the pictures and promises. Not only was the residential complex built on a swamp that was not properly drained, and in the future it may suffer the fate of the infamous Five Streets area in New York (new houses built there in the 19th century began to settle in the damp soil, were abandoned by decent citizens and became a refuge for antisocial elements). And the first residents who moved in there were horrified to learn that their house was not connected to the sewer! Without thinking twice, they were offered to dig a hole near a 128-apartment high-rise building… cesspool! And of course, there was a backup option – just dump all the waste directly into the nearby lake.
Something bad could also happen to the buildings of the future residential complex “La Mer” in Odessa, which Zubik wants to build on the slopes of the beach of the 13th station of the Bolshoy Fontan. However, experts say that this zone is extremely unstable, and the construction of residential high-rises there will lead to a large-scale landslide. For now, construction has been suspended, but Zubik and his lawyers know a way to bypass any ban!
However, the houses built by Zubik’s companies not only crack and stink, but also explode. On December 21, 2019, in Lviv, in one of the houses of the residential complex “Semitsvet” at 60 Shevchenko Street, also built by “Intergal-Bud”, there was an explosion. domestic gas explosion. It turned out that the apartment owners had called a repairman either to repair the gas equipment or to replace it – and during this work the explosion occurred. Of course, all the blame was placed on the repairman (who ended up in the hospital with burns), and for some reason the media did not ask the question of why in a building that was commissioned only a year ago, the residents already have to repair or replace the gas equipment? What else should buyers of apartments from Zubik be afraid of – elevator breaks, 220-volt discharges from batteries?
Mikhail Shpolyansky, for Skelet.Info
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