People of other oligarchs now operate in Firtash regional gas companies
Before the progressive public had time to celebrate the fact that oligarch Dmitry Firtash had lost control over the regional gas companies, it turned out that from now on, the regional gas companies would be led not by state managers at all, but by lawyers serving the interests of other oligarchs, representatives of gangster business elites of the late 90s, former managers Sergei Kurchenko, etc., writes Anticorrosive.
The process of “nationalization” by the state of oblgas companies began in May 2022, when, at the request of ARMA, the Pechersk Court decided to transfer these assets to Naftogaz. But the then head of Naftogaz Ukrainy, Yuriy Vitrenko, was not very successful in this matter. Perhaps he or his subordinates were simply not “interested” enough in transferring the regional gas companies under the wing of Naftogaz.
After the appearance of Chernyshev’s new team at Naftogaz, things began to move faster. By decree of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 1335 dated November 25, 2022, all Firtash regional gas companies were transferred to the operation of the private company Gas Distribution Networks of Ukraine LLC, which in turn belongs to the state-owned Naftogaz of Ukraine, and the process of placing its people began.
Who used to rule in regional gas companies?
For the last ten years, 20 with 44 regional gas companies in the country, Dmitry Firtash has managed through the Regional Gas Company (RRGC). Alexander Prityka was known in energy circles as the first top manager of RHC. And in the last five years, Oleg Nikonorov, General Director of the Regional Gas Company, has been put in charge of regional gas companies. Nikonorov, in addition to ARMA’s accusations of robbing the state of 17 billion hryvnias (the state allegedly did not receive payment for the use of gas networks throughout this period), is known for “fighting” with schoolchildren who prevented him from enjoying life on his estate from the movie “Home Alone” . Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Nikonorov has never appeared in Ukraine.
De facto, the RGK has been led by another interesting character for almost a year now – Aleksey Tyutyunnik. He is a former employee of the Russian “Gazprom”, which is generally nonsense, given the current circumstances. As you know, ordinary people do not work at Gazprom …
In order to make full use of his official position, Tyutyunnik, during his work at Zhytomyrgaz JSC, set up the production of gas boilers on the basis of Sinvest Group LLC, of which he is the founder. Since then, Mr. Tyutyunik has his own small “candle” plant, which gives a constant profit, because the sales of these boilers are successfully carried out through controlled regional gas companies. By the way, Tyutyunnik is a rather extraordinary person. His colleagues share information about Alexei’s non-traditional sexual views.
Another top manager of RGC, Artem Kompan, is known for trying to break into the leadership of Naftogaz and the GTS Operator of Ukraine. He is responsible in Firtash’s structures for communications with officials at all levels. It is possible that in order to establish these connections, Kompan runs between Kyiv and Vienna.
Who is now in charge of regional gas companies?
Denis Mirgorodsky has been appointed head of the new management structure for the regional gas companies, LLC Gas Distribution Networks of Ukraine. This person has never been involved in either the gas sector or energy in general. He is the owner of the Dynasty law firm headquartered in Dnipro, a plastic container manufacturing plant and a women’s fashion store.
How lawyer Mirgorodsky defended bank owners Versobank, who appeared in the investigation of the European Central Bank as being involved in the Russian Laundry scams and money laundering through Moldovan banks. According to European media, about 200 million euros were “laundered” because of Versobank. Mirgorodsky challenged the decision of the Special Administrative Commission of the ECB and brought the bank’s shareholders out of the blow.
At the same time, Era-Plast LLC, a Mirgorodsky company whose main activity is the production of plastic containers, was a defendant in criminal proceedings for fictitious business and money laundering. It was conducted by investigators from the main department of the SBU in the Kyiv region. Law enforcers believed that Era-Plast was used as one of the links of a powerful conversion center. As of 2014, more than UAH 500 million was illegally flowing through it under a scheme similar to the Russian Laundromat.
It is clear that such a “fighter” against corruption as Mirgorodsky got into the structures of Naftogaz for a reason. He was hired by one of the odious leaders of the OP, Rostislav Shurma, who selects new top managers for key state assets.
What is known about the new regional managers?
As in the case of Mirgorodsky, further personnel appointments are not in favor of the professional selection of personnel by Shurma.
For example, ex-regional and crime boss Anatoly Bystrai has been appointed head of Kharkivoblgaz, which is supposed to ensure the delivery of gas to Ukrainians in the frontline zone. He worked in the gas sector in Poltava and Nikolaev, but he was better able to “turn around” as the director of Kryvorizhgaz. As the head of the company, Bystray quickly put his trusted representatives, who were not gas workers, but were well versed in illegal transactions, in key positions. With their help, Bystray organized corruption schemes to cash out funds that were allocated for major repairs and the acquisition of material assets.
In 2010, the Krivoy Rog city prosecutor’s office initiated a criminal case on the fact of abuse of official position by the leaders of Kryvorizhgaz OJSC, in which Bystroy was charged with 8 episodes. But due to the intervention of fellow party members from the Party of Regions, he was withdrawn from the defendants in the case.
The criminal activity of Fast in Kryvorizhgaz continued even after his dismissal. His protege Vyacheslav Korotkiy, who actively participated in the creation and implementation of corruption schemes and was his confidant, organized a criminal group. She was engaged in extortion of money from the population for the legalization of unauthorized gas equipment. After the opening of criminal proceedings in 2016, Korotkiy fled from the investigation to the Crimea.
People of other oligarchs now operate in Firtash regional gas companies
The long-suffering Dnipro was given the head of Dnepropetrovskgaz by former manager Sergei Kurchenko Bogdan Popyuk.
A clever painter-plasterer from the Chernivtsi region managed to become the head of Firtash’s regional gas companies, first in Zaporozhye, where his company was fined for violating the conditions of a licensed activity, and then in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Subsequently, Popyuk unexpectedly becomes the chairman of the Supervisory Board of Sergei Kurchenko’s Real Bank. His role under Kurchenko was not limited to monitoring Real Bank, because his main task was to transfer money to the right people. They say that Popyuk quickly “surrendered” to the new “owner” all Firtash’s shadow schemes, being their active participant and executor.
In 2015, Popyuk tried to become the mayor of Zaporizhia, but received less than half a percent of the vote. Our job-hopper was not upset, he quickly retrained from a banker to a communal worker and, at the personal invitation of the mayor of Dnipro Filatov, headed the Dniproprovodokanal enterprise in 2016. The townspeople did not wait for the complete reconstruction of the network promised by Popyuk …
There is an expectation that Dmitry Dronov, who is associated with Firtash, will remain in Kyivoblgaz, who has been repeatedly accused of abuse of office, in general he is a very atypical person. Rumor has it that he has already agreed with the current head of Naftogaz on immunity.
In Volhynia and Transcarpathia, people of another well-known “regional” Yuriy Boyko are preparing to be appointed to the regional gas companies.
I think it became clear to readers what kind of people will now be responsible for gas networks and what “best practices” they can apply there.
What to expect next?
If the competent authorities ignore the appointments described above, top positions in the gas sector throughout Ukraine can be obtained by semi-criminal “downed pilots” who faithfully served the oligarchs and pro-Russian politicians-businessmen. For example, many such “specialists” are among the representatives of the HLE, who will be happy to lead regional gas companies in traditionally “their” areas.
Obviously, the gas industry is once again plunging into the darkness of manual control, corruption, and nepotism.
While our soldiers are heroically repulsing the attacks of the aggressor in the East and South, behind their backs internal enemies are already distributing lost positions and assets, hiding behind false slogans.