Donetsk clan in pharmaceuticals: Bakhteeva and Bogatyreva in the Ukrainian health market

Medicines are one of the few goods that a person will always need. And the demand for them especially grows in wartime, including from the state. This is where the “golden time” comes for all kinds of medical businessmen

At one time, people from Donetsk were very noticeable in this industry and were represented exclusively by women who created “ministerial” and “deputy” clans. “Comments” decided to find out how the companies that were created at one time by the heads of these clans – the former Minister of Health of the Yanukovych era Raisa Bogatyreva and the former people’s deputy and head of the parliamentary committee on health Tatyana Bakhteeva – live and work.

Undoubtedly, the most profitable period for the Donetsk “ministerial” clan in pharmaceuticals was 2012-2014. This was explained by the fact that its head, Raisa Bogatyreva, was the Minister of Health in the government of Mykola Azarov at that time. Bogatyreva’s supporting structure, Lyudmila-Pharm LLC, earned more than UAH 1.2 billion from government tenders during this period. or about 150 million dollars.

After the change of power, the situation for the “ministerial” changed - Bogatyreva not only lost her ministerial portfolio, but was also put on the international wanted list on suspicion of embezzlement of 340 million UAH. from the state budget.

After Vladimir Zelensky won the presidential election, the ex-minister even returned to Ukraine and was immediately arrested and placed in a pre-trial detention center, but left there 24 hours later. And a few days after this, the former Minister of Health of Ukraine Ulyana Suprun told the media that Bogatyreva was returning her influence through her former adviser Dmitry Podturkin. At that time, he was an assistant to the first deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the Health of the Nation, Valery Dubil.

Coincidence or not, but in the next year 2020, Lyudmila-Pharm won, according to the YouControl analytical service, state tenders worth almost 5 times more than in 2019 - UAH 331 million versus UAH 67 million. At the same time, the company’s own revenue remained at the same level – about UAH 200 million. That is, the increase in income of the “ministerial” clan more than doubled due to victories in tenders, which indicated the influence of Raisa Bogatyreva in the industry.

However, this was still less than in 2015 - 411 million UAH, and in 2021, Lyudmila-Pharm’s position in tenders fell - they managed to win by 185.6 million UAH. However, in 2022-2023. these amounts increased and amounted to UAH 269 million and UAH 259 million, respectively. Already this year, Lyudmila-Pharm LLC celebrated its victory in state tenders worth 63.5 million

In general, from 2015 to the present, according to YouControl, Lyudmila-Pharm has won government tenders totaling UAH 1.98 billion. Taking into account changes in the dollar exchange rate since 2014, this is, at best, half of previous income.

Our hand in the State Enterprise “Medical Procurement” and the Heart Institute

But it is much more interesting to look at some of the small tenders won by Lyudmila-Pharm LLC - the amounts for them range from several million to several tens of millions of hryvnia. And it turns out that the company wins the largest such tenders mainly from two customers - the Heart Institute of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the State Enterprise “Medical Procurement”.

For example, the Heart Institute purchased drugs from Lyudmila-Pharm LLC on October 23, 2023 in the amount of UAH 5 million 277 thousand. This tender is interesting because the company had no competitors, and its offer was the only one.

On March 23, 2024, the Heart Institute held a tender for the purchase of medicines for more than UAH 34 million, and Lyudmila-Pharm won. This time the company became the winner only because its competitor's proposal was rejected and the decision to win was canceled. Note that the competing company of Lyudmila-Pharm, STM-Pharm LLC, asked for 458 thousand hryvnia less for its goods, but officials chose to overpay.

They are also favorable to the company that is associated with Raisa Bogatyreva in the state enterprise “Medical Procurement” - UAH 9.4 million at the tender in October 2023 and almost UAH 21 million. the 25th of October. But the tender dated October 31 of the same year is much more interesting.

Lyudmila-Pharm LLC beat out its competitor Business Center Pharmacy LLC, offering a drug price of only 52 kopecks lower for a batch of the drug Nilotinib for cancer patients. It was this difference that allowed the Lyudmila-Pharm company to win a tender in the amount of 20 million 286 thousand 416 UAH. Whether it’s a coincidence or someone’s invisible help, the fact remains that 52 kopecks decided the fate of a contract worth tens of millions.

Note that while Lyudmila-Pharm wins the tender and receives money from the state budget, Raisa Bogatyreva herself even escaped sanctions.

“Quick Kings” - 6 billion for the Fistal brothers

“Deputy clan” was the name at one time for a group of companies associated with the head of the Committee on Health Affairs from 2002 to 2014, Tatyana Bakhteeva. During her life, the politician has come a long way from an ordinary doctor to one of the most influential people in the entire industry - pharmaceuticals.

And as “Comments” wrote, the ex-people’s deputy’s fellow countrymen, brothers Vladimir and German Fistal, the children of the world famous Donetsk surgeon Emil Fistal, took full advantage of this. Although the latter remained in Donetsk and took a pro-Russian position, nothing prevents his sons from not only living in Ukraine, but also earning billions of hryvnias in public funds.

Avtospetsprom LLC - this name hides the “pearl” of the business empire of the Fistal brothers, specializing in the sale of special medical transport, primarily ambulances.

According to YouControl calculations, the company's property is almost equally divided between German Fistal and his nephew Artem Fistal, the son of Vladimir.

And this company has something to share, because Avtospetsprom earned 6 billion 50 million UAH from winning state tenders alone. And what’s interesting is that the most profitable years for the company turned out to be 3 years:

• 2019 – UAH 931 million;
• 2020 – UAH 1 billion 179 million;
• 2021 – 1 billion 673 million UAH.

And already in the next 2022-2023. “Avtospetsprom” received only 573 million UAH, while in 2015-2018 it was 406 million UAH.

As it is easy to see, with the coming to power of Vladimir Zelensky, the brothers’ affairs, as they say, went uphill. Even Tatyana Bakhteeva began to appear in public space. But still, it’s probably no longer worth considering the Fistal brothers as members of the “Donetsk” clan in pharmaceuticals. The reason for this is their amazing financial success at state tenders, in which the brothers still remain free.

The contract was not fulfilled, but the money was received: “roof” “Avtospetsprom”

Back in 2021, Avtospetsprom LLC concluded 18 contracts for the supply of 815 ambulances with the State Enterprise “Medical Procurement of Ukraine”. Before delivering the cars, the company received UAH 1 billion 342 million under all contracts, but as of August 2023, it did not deliver 77 cars under them. The LLC did not transfer another 15 “fast” ones to the customer under the 2023 contracts.

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine is investigating criminal proceedings, although the latest documents on it in the public domain date back to May 2023, and it is unknown at what stage the investigation is going on.

But judging by the fact that Avtospetsprom continues to supply the state with ambulances, sometimes through the courts after the tender decision has been cancelled, the brothers are protected by someone from the current government. Bakhteeva herself does not have such influence for this. In fact, there hasn’t even been any mention of her in the public space lately.

Against the backdrop of the billions of hryvnias of Avtospetsprom, other incomes of the Fistal companies at tenders - Medical Group Ukraine LLC (UAH 128.2 million) and NPK Kras LLC (UAH 88.6 million) seem quite insignificant.