Smirnov Alexander: “watchers” of Ukrainian ports. PART 2

CONTINUATION. BEGINNING: Alexander Smirnov: “watchers” of Ukrainian ports. PART 1

Even during Yushchenko’s presidency, Rinat Akhmetov acquired two companies in Sevastopol. CJSC SK Avlita was created in the 90s on the basis of the Sevastopol Marine Plant, was used for loading metal and grain onto ships: first it belonged to Kharkov resident Mikhail Bleyzer, then to Lebanese businessman Rafik Dau, and in 2006 it was purchased by Akhmetov’s Metinvest -holding”. In 2004, on the basis of the same plant, PJSC Marine Industrial Complex was created, which also became the property of Akhmetov. For several years, Rinat Leonidovich cherished the dream of building his own coal terminal in Sevastopol to export coal from his mines, but things never went further than projects. For a number of reasons, the construction of a terminal in Sevastopol was not allowed, and the final decision was made in 2010, when Yanukovych had already come to power. But PR colleagues did not abandon Akhmetov, but, according to data Skelet.Infooffered him another option: to buy up Ukrainian thermal power plants, and instead of exporting coal abroad, burn it in their own boiler houses. In his own, because it was much more profitable: by controlling the entire chain from the mine (or “copanka”) to thermal power plants and thermal power plants, Akhmetov got the opportunity to organize scams with the quality and cost of coal, which brought billions in profits.

And so, having abandoned the idea of ​​​​creating a coal terminal, Akhmetov in the same year 2010 then lured Alexander Smirnov to himself and put him at the head of his new company “Portinvest” – the founders of which were CJSC SK Avlita and PJSC Marine industrial complex.”

It was publicly announced that Portinvest would be involved in the construction of a cargo terminal in the Odessa port of Yuzhny. However, during the four “fat” years that the regionals were in power, construction never began, although it was promised every now and then that it would begin. And Portinvest became the company managing Akhmetov’s port assets: in Sevastopol through Avlita and Marine Industrial Complex, in Ilyichevsk Portinvest Logistics, in the port of Yuzhny through Marine Terminal Yuzhny LLC, and similarly in Mariupol through the Mariupol Marine Terminal.

Smirnov never confirmed his image as a “terminal builder”, and instead received another: Akhmetov’s “supervisor” of the Ukrainian ports, controlling them through his people in their leadership. And you know what’s most interesting? That after the second Maidan this not only did not stop, but on the contrary, it acquired an even greater scope! Here’s an interesting fact: already in May 2014, the new Minister of Infrastructure Maxim Burbak, who, by the way, is a childhood friend of Arseniy Yatsenyuk, announced that the Yuzhny port could be given into concession to Portinvest. Of course, Burbak’s monstrous corruption became the talk of the town, but no one expected that he would “accept” from Akhmetov, just like that right after the Maidan! However, during the leadership of the ministry by Vladimir Omelyan, the scale of corrupt cooperation with Akhmetov’s structures became even greater.

Alexander Smirnov considers his most successful personnel operation to be the appointment of Raivis Veckagans to the post of head of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Administration (USPA) in 2017. He was brought to Ukraine from Riga, in the port of which he managed the stevedoring (transshipment) company Riga Coal Terminal. This appointment was Smirnov’s personal initiative, although Akhmetov, of course, paid for it. But the most amazing thing is how Veckagans was successfully disguised as a “liberal reformer” and included in the team of foreign “professionals” invited to govern Ukraine – even despite publications about his connections with the FSB and the “KGB mafia”! Veckagans led the USPA until January 2020, and did a lot for Portinvest and Akhmetov. So much that in December 2019, NABU and the SBU conducted searches at the USPA, and then Veckagans lost his position.

Nikolay Poltoratsky

But before Vetskagans, the USPA was headed by the scandalous Andrei Amelin, to whom Nikolai Poltoratsky, one of Akhmetov’s people, who in this position lobbied for the interests of Akhmetov’s company Lemtrans, was appointed as deputy finance officer. Then Poltoratsky “inherited” went to Vetskagans, but they didn’t work well together right away. According to information Skelet.Info it got to the point that Veckagans demanded the dismissal of Poltoratsky, giving an ultimatum: either he or I!

And about several key figures that Smirnov placed. First of all, it is worth mentioning Alexander Oleinik, one of the oldest cadres of Smirnov and Akhmetov. From the early 90s until recently, he worked at the Mariupol seaport: he started as an engineer, and since 2000 he has held management positions, and since 2013 he has managed the port. The fact that the Mariupol port has become Akhmetov’s personal sea gate is primarily due to Oleynik! And now he runs the Yuzhny port, for which Akhmetov has been fighting for a long time. And here are the first corruption scandals: “Oleynik’s first step was to close access to berths for Ferrexpo and reduce rates for Metinvest,” – stated People’s Deputy Alexander Dubinsky.

Alexander Oleynik

But in 2017-2018, Yuzhny was led by Vitaly Zhukovsky, whose appointment was also personally lobbied by Alexander Smirnov. Roman Inde, who had previously worked at Portinvest as Smirnov’s deputy for the operation of maritime transport, was appointed as his deputy. And this Zhukovsky-Inde couple began to provide Portinvest with unprecedented discounts: although the cost of cargo transshipment at Yuzhny was $5.8 per ton, Akhmetov’s company was reloaded for $3.8. What, in fact, they got burned for: NABU conducted searches in the office of the Yuzhny management, charges were brought against Zhukovsky of causing damage to the state in the amount of 150 million hryvnia and embezzling funds in the amount of about 100 million hryvnia. But Zhukovsky got away with only dismissal, and he was replaced by Anatoly Yablunovsky, another cadre whom Smirnov warmed up.

Alexander Smirnov and his scandals in the port

Don’t be surprised that all the public scandals associated with Portinvest and Smirnov’s appointees have occurred in recent years only in the port of Yuzhny. This can be explained quite simply: the Mariupol port, thanks to Oleynik’s many years of efforts, is Akhmetov’s strong rear; in Ilyichevsk, on the contrary, he does not have sufficient influence (the media claim that Avakov’s entourage “rules” there, and Sevastopol was lost. However, was it lost?

Vitaly Zhukovsky

The Sevastopol companies Avlita and Marine Industrial Complex did not close in 2014; they were re-registered as Russian companies Aval LLC and Remkor LLC, whose director Yuri Furtatov has been the director of Avlita since 2012 – and continue to operate to this day. And now from their terminals not only metal and grain are loaded onto ships, but also military cargo for Russian troops in Syria.

But let’s return to the Yuzhny port. It is quite possible that many facts about the corruption that reigned there would also have remained unpublished if they had not been a weapon in the conflict of interests of two rival clans. The first clan, of course, is Akhmetov’s group. But the second is the Transinvestservice Corporation (TIS) and its owner Andrei Stavnitser. TIS has settled in Yuzhny since the mid-90s, owns several terminals there, essentially creating the largest private port in the country. TIS is fighting for dominant control over Yuzhny, does not want to give the port to Akhmetov and opposes him in every possible way – including regularly opposing Akhmetov’s appointees in the port management.

Stavnitser has his own powerful support. These are the so-called “Soros activists” (Sergei Leshchenko, Mustafa Nayem, Egor Firsov), as well as a group of “Soros managers” (Maxim Nefedov, Igor Smelyansky, Vladimir Shulmeister. This is too few to place USPA and “ Yuzhny” of his own people, but enough for active defense – so that Akhmetov is content with the level of control that he has and does not try to “squeeze out” Stavnitser’s business. But we noted above that Portinvest has made many times! promised to build a new coal terminal in Yuzhny, but never got around to it, apparently because there is already one terminal there, and a fairly large one – this is the TIS terminal. And as we all remember, the Donetsk ones have a tradition of not spending money on it. creating a new one, if you can simply take away something already built and working from someone. So the fight for Yuzhny is not limited to corruption. This is a fight not only over whose schemes will work, and whose companies will receive “discounts” and win. tenders, but also for the actual survival of big business.

Victor Dyachenko, for Skelet.Info

Subscribe to our channels at Telegram, Facebook, CONT, VK And YandexZen – Only dossiers, biographies and incriminating evidence on Ukrainian officials, businessmen, politicians from the section CRYPT!