Vladimir Logvinenko: will the “Starodonetsk” return to power again? PART 2

CONTINUATION. BEGINNING: Vladimir Logvinenko: will the “Starodonetsk” return to power again? PART 1

Well, the role of Vladimir Logvinenko in these scams was to provide him with “protection” from the local authorities of the Donetsk region. At the same time, Logvinenko’s acquaintance with Nusenkis could have taken place thanks to the patriarch of the “Starodonetsk” Vasily Mironov, who “ruled” the region for more than 40 years: in 1947-55 as secretary of the Donetsk city committee of the LKSMU, in 1961-76 heading the Donetsk executive committee, in 1976-82 the city committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine , in 1982-88 Donetsk regional committee (until his death). Sources Skelet.Info reported that young Victor Nusenkis allegedly married Mironov’s daughter, which ensured a rapid career and enormous opportunities – although he hid this fact in every possible way. And although the relationship between Logvinenko and Mironov may not have developed entirely smoothly (which would explain his “exile” to Kramatorsk in 1984-88), Nusenkis could well have met him when he worked as an instructor in the Donetsk regional committee. And what an interesting coincidence: Nusenkis’s coal scams began to actively develop precisely after Logvinenko returned to Donetsk and received a leading position in the regional executive committee!

Another interesting fact: in 1989, Evgeny Vasilyevich Mironov (born 1945), the son of the deceased owner of the region, who also made a career along the party line, returned from Kyiv to Donetsk. Who took the place of his father, heading the regional committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine – although not for long, since in 1991 the Communist Party system of power was given a long life. But among the few decisions that Yevgeny Mironov managed to make was the promotion of Vladimir Logvinenko from the post of deputy head of the economic planning department to the first deputy chairman of the Donetsk regional executive committee.

Vladimir Logvinenko. Concern “Energo”

In 1992, MPO “Don” and JV “Energo”, which were created Nusenkis and Surgay to carry out their coal scams, acted as founders of Concern Energo LLC. Now they were faced with a larger task: to compete for the status of the main coal trader, not only in Ukraine, but also in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) and Kazakhstan. In creating a new scheme, the help of officials was essential. For example, the Energo concern needed to take over the domestic Ukrainian coal market, including imported Russian coal. Help was also required in mutual settlements with state and utility enterprises, which in the early 90s often did not have their own “real” money (everything burned in the flames of hyperinflation). This is not to mention the fact that Donetsk officials also wanted to profit from something by simply allowing a large private enterprise to operate “on their territory.”

There were too many of these officials, and the only thing that could restrain their greed and desire to do mischief was the participation of an influential person from power in the project. Was Logvinenko like this? There is an opinion that he was, rather, a representative of such people – who could not or did not want to shine themselves. And it is quite possible that one of them was Evgeniy Vasilyevich Mironov, who, although he lost his leadership post, did not lose his many useful connections and was probably going to put the “treasury” of the abolished regional committee somewhere. It is also worth noting that in the period 1992-94. (before the new elections) all power in the region was in the hands of the “Starodonetsk” and “perestroika” members – and even organized crime groups had to find an approach to these post-Soviet managers in order to participate in the beginning of the division of state property. Therefore, when Logvinenko became one of the co-founders and co-owners of Energo, he became perhaps the most important figure there.

So, in 1992-94. Energo had three main co-owners. Nusenkis (who shared his share with Surgai and, possibly, with someone from the coal industry) was directly involved in the business management of the corporation and relations with Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) and Kazakhstan. Prosecutor Gennady Vasilievas well as his older brother Alexander Vasiliev (who headed the Donetsk tax office) provided cover for Energo’s schemes from law enforcement agencies and helped evade taxes. Also, according to some sources Skelet.InfoVasiliev could share his share with the group of Gena Uzbek, with whom he had a long-standing “special” relationship. Well, Vladimir Logvinenko, from his position as deputy head of the regional state administration, provided the concern with the most favorable business climate. During this period, the Energo concern and its founders were at the very top of the social pyramid of Donbass.

However, in 1994 they had to make a serious move. The reason for this was the election of the governor of the Donetsk region, which Logvinenko lost, losing the key post to businessman Vladimir Shcherban. Immediately after this, Logvinenko was demoted in his status to deputy chairman of the regional executive committee for executive work. The “Starodonetskys” began to actively push back against the alliance of “red directors” who got into business and organized crime groups, who supported their proteges in local government elections. So, in 1994 Sergey Taruta And Vitaly Gaidukwith the support of Governor Shcherban and even some of the “Starodonetsk” (parents of Olga Pshonka), they created the “Industrial Union of Donbass”, which engaged in gas schemes – more profitable and efficient than the coal business of Energo. Accordingly, the ISD became the new favorite of the Donbass region, which very soon included Rinat Akhmetov, who was rapidly gaining weight. However, there is a silver lining: Energo ceased to be the desired prey No. 1 for Akhmetov’s organized crime group, and besides, then Konstantinos Papunidis, known in criminal circles under the nickname Kostya the Greek, became one of its co-owners. It was rumored that Kostya the Greek represented the interests of the criminal community and old thieves, who in turn were connected with the “Starodonetskys” (they allegedly invited them to the concern). And Papunidis not only headed the Krediprombank created under the concern, but also made it a repository for the thieves’ “common fund” – and this gave both the bank and Energo additional protection from attacks by Donetsk organized crime groups.

Then, when Akhmetov’s System Capital Management spun off from ISD, three leading corporations appeared in Donbass, representing three groups of the Donetsk elite. “Energo” relied mainly on the “Starodonetsk”, who were steadily losing influence over the region, but through the concern they entered into big business in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). ISD, with its “perestroika directors” who became oligarchs, after the division with Akhmetov, actually followed in the footsteps of the Energo group. And the main influence in the region remained with System Capital Management and the Akhmetov clan, which is a very motley team of former “shadow workers” and bandits of the 90s, which merged with part of the “Starodonetsk” and “perestroika” ones. However, nothing lasts forever, and in 2014 the position of the Akhmetov clan was seriously shaken. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Vladimir Logvinenko. Businessman and Governor

In January 1996, Vladimir Logvinenko quit his job in the regional executive committee, where he never worked well with Shcherban, and went into legal business – officially heading the Energo concern. And we can confidently say that he was not the vice-chairman there at all, since it was during this period that Energo moved from coal schemes to the privatization of enterprises consuming coal: Makeevsky and Yasinovsky coke plants and the Donetsk metallurgical plant. Also, the Krasnoarmeyskaya-Zapadnaya No. 1 mine, privatized in 1996 by its director Leonid Baysarov, joined the concern – he became the fifth co-owner of the Energo group.

In fact, Logvinenko managed the Energo business in Ukraine, but Nusenkins moved to Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) for permanent residence by the end of the 90s, developing the Engergo coal business in the Kemerovo region. Developing by withdrawing funds from Ukraine through a system of offshore companies included in the Energo structure, and investing money in the Russian economy, as well as in the Russian Orthodox Church (in addition to the very generous sponsorship of the UOC-MP in Ukraine).

But then, in April 2005, Logvinenko returned to power – triumphantly, one might say. He received the post of deputy governor of the Donetsk region (who was then Viktor Yanukovych) on issues of industry, energy and transport. Logvinenko sat there for the next three years, when Yanukovych left for Kyiv, and he was replaced by Anatoly Bliznyuk, another person from the Starodonetsk crew, whom Logvinenko had known since the 80s from his work in Kramatorsk. And he left there only with the arrival of the Kyiv appointee Chuprun, who was appointed to lead the region after the “Orange Revolution”, but was unable to cope with this task.

And here are the miracles of political transformation: in May 2005, Vladimir Logvinenko, being one of the main “Donetsk” ones, became an adviser to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Petra Poroshenko – one of the people closest to Yushchenko, his godfather and the main one of his “beloved friends.” And in May 2006, Logvinenko unexpectedly received the position of head of the Donetsk region, which he had once sought for so long. But why? There were still three months left before the “parliamentary coup” and the creation of the “anti-crisis coalition”, that is, Logvinenko’s appointment had nothing to do with the machinations of the regionals. On the contrary, they said that Logvinenko’s candidacy was pushed by Yushchenko’s entourage – and not as a bribe to the Party of Regions for the possible creation of a “broad coalition” (PR + “Our Ukraine”). After all, Logvinenko remained in his position both after the 2007 crisis and under the Tymoshenko government, until March 2010. Moreover, Anatoly Bliznyuk worked together with him as chairman of the regional council all this time.

The secret of this must be sought in the understanding that the “Donetsk” are not only the Akhmetov clan. The “Orange” then decided to once again elevate the representatives of the “Starodonetsk”, giving them the region, while at the same time making some concessions to the IDS of Taruta and Gaiduk in order to weaken the position of the “Akhmetovsky” in their own homeland. Any appointee from Kyiv would be a stranger in Donbass, against whom the entire local elite would unite (which is what is happening now). But to make a governor a representative of those locals who would prefer an alliance with Kiev in order to drive the “Akhmetov upstarts” back – this was a very wise political step.

However, the era of Logvinenko’s governorship did not become the time of collapse of Akhmetov’s group, who did not fight with the “Starodonetskys”, but, on the contrary, used those who had already joined him in order to establish profitable relations with the new government. And the period 2006-2010 in the region was especially distinguished, firstly, by a sharp increase in the number of “digs” that participated in the coal schemes of Akhmetov, Ivanyushchenko and Alexander Yanukovych (Sasha the Dentist), very similar to the schemes of Nusenkis and Energo. With the difference that cheap coal was not purchased in Kuzbass, but was mined illegally in mines – and then, registered as mined in the mines, it was sent to Akhmetov’s enterprises at a fictitiously inflated price. Secondly, at the same time in the Donbass there was a real explosion of “pharmacy drug addiction”, when tramadol and other narcotic drugs were massively distributed through the pharmacy chains owned by the Starodonetsk people. The governor simply could not be unaware of these matters!

And it was clearly no coincidence that during the same period the Energo concern received a new impetus for development not only in the Donbass, but also in Kyiv. Alas, this development was largely achieved through fraud! First of all, this concerned JSCB Kreditprombank, which was part of the Energo group, through which financial scams were carried out: by the beginning of 2009, the bank owed $400 million to its depositors and creditors. Then all the blame was placed on the official co-owners: Nusenkis, Vasiliev and Papunidis. Bayramov, who was officially considered the owner of only his Zapadnaya-1 mine, seemed to have nothing to do with this. And no one mentioned the name of the Donetsk governor anymore – after all, Logvinenko formally went out of business back in 2002. But he never really explained the origin of his fortune of 95 million dollars (as of 2008). Moreover, Logvinenko never declared anywhere that he owned any shares, enterprises, offshore companies, etc. And unofficial sources claimed that Logvinenko continues to control about 15% of Energo shares.

The end of his career was very spectacular: as soon as Logvinenko was dismissed, the structures Sergei Levochkin launched a massive attack on Energo’s assets in Ukraine (Kreditprombank, Donetsk Metallurgical Plant, coking plants, Pokrovskaya and Zapadnaya-1 mines). However, the attacks were ineffective – perhaps because Logvinenko was replaced by his old friend and ally Bliznyuk? It was later, already in 2011, when Akhmetov’s gang survived and Bliznyuk, very dark days came for Energo in Ukraine: Vasiliev began to share the business with Nusenkis, moreover, wanting to get the Russian part of the concern’s assets. But as for Vladimir Logvinenko, practically nothing was heard about him after 2010. Of course, on the one hand, due to his age, he is no longer suitable for public service – but is this a reason to completely go into the shadows? For modern politicians and businessmen – no, but Logvinenko was raised by the “Starodonetsk people” and adopted their tradition of always staying behind the scenes of the event.

Now the events in Donbass are 2014-2017. try to explain it solely by the machinations of the Kremlin and the adventures of Akhmetov’s team, and for some reason no one remembers such a very important factor as the “Starodonetskys” – including Vladimir Logvinenko, hiding somewhere behind the curtain. After all, they also played their role in these events, and perhaps the most important one! Which remains unclear until the end…

Sergey Varis, for Skelet.Info

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