Vitaliy Khomutynnik. How the richest MP of Ukraine made his fortune

People’s Deputy Vitaliy Khomutynnik is the co-chairman of the Vidrodzhennya parliamentary group, and concurrently, one of the richest people’s deputies of the VIII convocation. He is now 39 years old, and he has already been elected as a people’s deputy 5 times. In the upcoming local elections, Khomutynnik will lead Vidrodzhennya to the local elections, and the future development of the association will most likely depend on their results, since it includes only majoritarian deputies. In the near future, the parliament wants to liquidate the majoritarian election system in Ukraine again, which in turn makes the group’s deputies worry about their own fate in big politics.

15 year old businessman

Vitaly Khomutynnik was born in a “simple” family in 1976 in Makeyevka, Donetsk region. His mother worked as a seamstress, and his father in a repair shop for household appliances (until recently he was a deputy for technical affairs in one of the joint-stock companies in Makeyevka). Khomutynnik started working quite early, his first official place of employment was the State Enterprise “Specialized Management of Reclamation and Construction Mechanisms”. According to his official biography, this is where his business biography begins. He tells journalists that while working at this enterprise, he established the supply of things from Turkey and already at the age of 15 (!) he was traveling to Turkey for them. However, everyone understands that this looks far-fetched, according to the source, his “friend” Vladimir Lemeshko (now the owner of the investment company “Intime” and co-founder of ZAO “Cascade”) ran the business instead of him. And his father’s connections in the criminal world, as well as his friends from youth gangs, provided cover for his business.

Khomutynnik and Shcherban

At the beginning of the “dashing 90s” Vitaly Yuryevich began to gather a team of fighters around him who helped him “solve cases”, the way cases were solved in the 90s is well known to everyone. Around the same time, young Khomutynnik met Vladimir Shcherban, the future governor of the Donetsk region.

Vladimir Shcherban

Having worked for only a year as the head of the Donetsk regional council and the head of the regional state administration, Shcherban was removed by Pavlo Lazarenko and moved to parliament. And in 1999 he became the governor of the Sumy region, where he transferred Donetsk methods of work, and also brought his people, including Vitaly Khomutynnik.

In 1994, the company “Cascade” was registered, where Vitaly Khomutynnik was first listed as a commercial agent, and then as the director of foreign economic activity. The lack of higher education did not prevent him in 1998 from taking the post of chairman of the board of the enterprise ZAO “Cascade”, where his friends Vladimir Lemeshko and Vladimir Logvinov were co-founders. This enterprise began to conduct tax fraud, play with bills of exchange, in general, it worked as if someone respectable was behind it, and this someone was Vladimir Shcherban, who helped the “young talent” in every possible way.

In 1999, Vladimir Shcherban was appointed governor of the Sumy region, and Donetsk entrepreneurs, police officers, and bandits began to move there at an accelerated pace. Shcherban began to actively introduce his people into the regional management structure. The next stage was racketeering of local entrepreneurs and directors, and Vitaly Khomutynnik was involved in these racketeering schemes. He played the role of a “good cop” who came and asked businessmen to give up their shares for free, and if they refused, then “evil bandits” came to them and simply “squeezed out” their property. Then, under the control of Vitaly Yuryevich came enterprises of instrument making, woodworking industry, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. Among them are Nefteprommash, Svessky Pump Plant, Belopolsky Machine-Building Plant, Lebedinsky Piston Ring Plant, Sumy Porcelain Plant, as well as a number of other regional enterprises in instrument making, woodworking, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy.

In 2000, Shcherban and Khomutynnik registered the North-East Industrial Group corporation, in which 49% of the shares belonged to Kaskad CJSC, and the remaining 51% to the corporation itself. Before Viktor Yushchenko came to power, the joint brainchild of Shcherban and Khomutynnik controlled the activities of Krolevetspromarmatura CJSC, Svesky Pump Plant OJSC, Nefteprommash OJSC, Sumy Porcelain Plant CJSC, Romensky Printing Machines Plant OJSC, Sumy Rubber Products Plant OJSC, Satel Chemical Current Sources LLC, Sumy Sewing Factory Spetsodezhda CJSC, Akhtyrskaya Sewing Factory OJSC, Akhtyrselmash JSC and a number of other enterprises. The structure existed until 2005.

Vitaliy Khomutynnik managed to get dirty not only in the racketeering business, but also in dirty politics. It was he who organized squads from youth gangs of Sumy region for forceful actions during elections. When Viktor Yushchenko came to power, 4 criminal cases were opened against Shcherban. And Khomutynnik got off with only a slight fright. Shcherban went abroad, and Khomutynnik was busy returning assets to their former owners.

Khomutynnik’s “Family” Schemes

In 2003, he got married and bought a penthouse in Kyiv on Kovpaka Street, 17, and a year later he gave his wife a brand new Toyota RAV4, 2004. There is nothing strange about this, if you do not take into account one detail: Vitaly Khomutynnik, having a luxurious apartment on Kovpaka, registers it in his wife’s name and registers for housing as an out-of-town “homeless” deputy, thus, he managed to get himself a three-room apartment in Pozniaky – on Sribnokilska Street, 24, apt. 168.

In order to increase the square footage of the apartment, he also registered his mother and brother Yuri there, who at one time became famous for stealing expensive cars. In addition, almost all of Vitaly’s Kiev enterprises are registered to Yuri. Among them: the firm “Globus-Invest” and “Concord-Trade”.

The firm “Globus-Invest” was founded by Khomutynnik together with a certain Mr. German Volga. It was this firm, using gangster methods, that in 2005 bought a house in the Pechersky district, in Redutny Lane 6. On February 20, 2005, the residents of the house saw a photocopy of the purchase and sale agreement, which indicated that the owners of the house were Khomutynnik Yuri Yuryevich and Volga German Nikolaevich.

Vitaly Khomutynnik with his wife

What can the richest people’s deputies of Ukraine afford?

According to his income declaration, in 2014 Vitaliy Khomutynnik earned over UAH 293 million (Second place among all Ukrainian politicians). In one of his interviews, Vitaliy said that he can afford literally everything. He collects paintings and figurines, is a fan of extreme recreation, and is also fond of scuba diving and tennis.

According to the people’s deputy, he likes to vacation in the Dominican Republic, the Maldives and the Seychelles the most. He often shares amazing photos on social networks. The politician loves scuba diving and underwater hunting. In addition to exotic vacations, Khomutynnik also loves expensive watches. According to media reports, the people’s deputy has watches for all occasions, for example, Franck Muller “Long Island” – worth 27 thousand dollars, A. Lange and Sohne – worth almost 62 thousand dollars, and Breguet Classique “Grande Complication” – worth 126 thousand dollars. The people’s deputy harmoniously combines expensive watches with suits of such famous brands as “Cavalli” and “Zegna”.

Vitaliy Khomutynnik’s connection with Igor Kolomoisky

On March 6, a new parliamentary group, “Vidrodzhennya”, was created in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. It included 17 people’s deputies who had previously been part of the “Economic Development” association, headed by Vitaliy Khomutynnik. Three other parliamentarians who joined “Vidrodzhennya” are majoritarians from the Kharkiv region: Valeriy Pisarenko (an associate of the fugitive Andriy Portnov, more about him in the article Andrey Portnov: a raider story), Dmitry Svyatash (co-owner of the automobile company AIS) and Vladimir (father of the former head of Naftogaz-Ukraine, Alexander).

Previously, the Economic Development group was linked and associated with the oligarch Igor Kolomoisky, and if earlier only some key deputies fell under his sphere of interests, now it looks like Igor Valerievich is creating the backbone of his future party in the Verkhovna Rada.

Conversation between Khomutynnik and Kolomoisky during a session of the Verkhovna Rada:

Political analyst Vadim Karasev believes: “Kolomoisky is betting on a new opposition that will be able to form an alternative government and claim power when the current government has to resign. Today, the Cabinet of Ministers does not have enough influence. This is also preparation for local and parliamentary elections. In addition, if the current government falls along with the economy, someone will have to pick it up. The fact that the group is based on former regionalists will not hinder the process. Soon, battalion commanders will join them.”

Also, according to experts, for the deputies who joined “Vidrodzhennya” this political project is almost the last chance to stay in politics. They were elected by the majoritarian system, which, as the ruling coalition promises, will be eliminated. This means that they will be able to get into the parliament of the IX convocation only on the lists of one of the parties. Given the ambiguous reputation of the group members, it is unlikely that anyone other than Igor Kolomoisky will agree to take them under their wing.

Dmitry Samofalov, for SKELET-info