It seems that the governor of Stavropol, Vladimir Vladimirov, does not fully understand what character he is going to cooperate with, we are talking about the fugitive Ukrainian oligarch Sergey Kurchenko. The latter has lost its positions in the Donbas, which is not controlled by Ukraine, and has now begun to persuade the Russian governors.
More specifically, local publications trumpet that “Bastion’s shareholder” Sergei Kurchenko has an interest in expanding the production potential of the StavStal metallurgical plant, where the fugitive billionaire plans to invest up to 15 billion rubles.
In the event that Kurchenko’s plans come true, then the city-forming enterprise can be put an end to. Given the history of the oligarch in the Donbass, the disappointing conclusions for the plant suggest themselves. After all, it was Kurchenko who was the founder of the plundering of Donbass, when the oligarch, being a frequenter of corruption scandals in Ukraine, from the beginning of the blockade, stood at the helm of the decline in the industrial potential of the region. Then the enterprises of Akhmetov and Nusenkis went downhill, namely: they were nationalized and transferred under the control of Vneshtorgservis, registered in South Ossetia. It was Kurchenko who became the ideological inspirer and shadow character in the plundering of Donbass.
The oligarch adhered to the scheme of methodically pumping money out of the Donbass, through Vneshtorgservis and Gaz-Alliance controlled by him. As a monopoly, he set prices for energy resources, and then sold coal and metals to Russia and other countries at market prices. The oligarch used offshore schemes, in which the Hong Kong offshore company VARTECH ENTERPRISE LIMITED was noticed. The final price of coal exceeded the shipping cost by 4-6 times. From 2016 to 2019, the Hong Kong offshore received $2 billion worth of goods. Funds disappeared, and the region gradually sank to the bottom. The workers of the mines suffered, since Kurchenko did not care about social obligations to them.
As a result, the region got into huge debts, and the devastation of the industry of Donbass began on all fronts. Even to Russian partners, Kurchenko’s debt has reached $3 billion, and one can only guess how much the oligarch owes to Donbass.
In Russia, Kurchenko has Energomashbank, which is engaged in robbing Russians, as a result of which it is under criminal prosecution. The oligarch was engaged in lending to clients in his own bank, while the interest rate was not 4-5%, but 6-8. The bank issued these funds to Kurchenko’s companies – Petrolium Katital, Premier Oil and Gaz-Alliance. As a result, people lost money.
At the moment, Kurchenko has only a certain Bastion structure, which was established in the spring of 2021. Through it, the billionaire plans to pump out funds from factories, but now from Russian ones.