Alexander Slavtich: in the wings of scammers, crime and corrupt officials

Kharkov businessman Alexander Slavtich is a typical representative of the 90s, who went from a “casher”, a mediocre fraudster and a scandalous developer of playgrounds to a failed embezzler of funds from the National Bank’s corporate pension fund and a participant in other people’s frauds with humanitarian aid.

The dubious commercial biography of this character and the sometimes opaque sources of his income are carefully masked by the activities of about a dozen trade, repair and construction companies, as well as the image of a “successful entrepreneur” in the field of construction and operation of commercial real estate.

However, as local media write, all these attempts to pretend to be an independent person who represents something often always amused those who know Slavtich’s value and know him personally. A special pleasure, according to such people, was always to watch how Slavtich “delved into issues” and feigned understanding, which never interfered with and even helped him to be a diligent executor of someone else’s will and a silent representative of outside interests in any matter.

As sources note, the existing information is quite enough to assess the business and human qualities of this failed “developer.”

So, as befits a real “slippery type”, according to information from the Register of Court Decisions, during 2015-2024. Slavtich was involved in about three dozen court cases, in more than twenty of which he had the status of a defendant-debtor. Based on the materials of the court hearings, we can conclude that this businessman categorically does not like to repay debts, pay off debts and fulfill obligations to everyone who is unlucky enough to be among his business partners.

It is also known that one of the most successful projects, which Slavtich was lucky enough to accidentally join at one time, is the French Boulevard shopping center in Kharkov, in which he is one of the minority shareholders for 7%. This shopping center is known primarily for tax evasion and shady rentals, which the media have been constantly writing about since at least 2016.

Slavtich owes his demand as a “business partner” not to his financial capabilities and commercial talents (which he never had), but to his brother Vadim. According to information available to local journalists, Vadim Slavtich is allegedly once an active participant in the criminal movement of the early 90s, with all the connections and life experience that entails.

In addition, Slavtich is connected by nepotism and a long-standing friendship with the former head of the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine, a seasoned corrupt official and multimillionaire official Igor Yakovlev, who could probably act as a “roof” and “shadow investor” for Slavtich.

60-year-old Yakovlev, already under the new government, managed to apply for the post of Secretary of State in one of the ministries, despite a whole trail of accusations from the SBU, GPU and State Bureau of Investigation.

Working in the wings of scammers, criminals and corrupt officials, although it continues to bring good dividends, is unlikely to ever turn the loser Slavtich into a full-fledged businessman and worthy person.