The hearing of the case of the theft of “Kurchenko fuel” sheds light on the question: who owns the main manufacturer and importer of weapons in Ukraine
Almost ten days after the suspicion was announced, the odious ex-people's deputy Sergei Pashinsky appeared in court. On February 21, the High Anti-Corruption Court began choosing a preventive measure for the former elected official. However, the consideration of the case stopped at the stage of presenting the position of Pashinsky’s defenders and the court postponed the hearing to the next day.
Anti-corruption authorities assigned the former people's choice the role of organizer of a criminal organization that was engaged in the dubious sale of confiscated oil products. The fuel belonged to the structures of a businessman from the orbit of the “Yanukovych family” Sergei Kurchenko; it was brought to Ukraine before the Revolution of Dignity.
On February 12, 2024, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office reported suspicions to ex-People's Deputy Sergei Pashinsky, businessman Sergei Tishchenko and others of taking possession of Kurchenko's seized oil products (97 thousand tons), which were subject to nationalization. According to law enforcement officers, their actions caused damage worth more than UAH 967 million.
On February 13, the court chose a preventive measure for businessman Sergei Tishchenko in the form of detention with the alternative of posting a bail of UAH 363.36 million.
On February 15, another accomplice in the scheme, a former deputy director of a state-owned enterprise, was arrested. At the same time, he can be released if he pays UAH 9 million bail.
Despite the status of the suspect, Pashinsky’s support group at the trial was modest. First, there are three defenders. Among them, the most recognizable was lawyer Andrei Fedur, whom the ex-people’s deputy seated to his right. Ironically, it was Fedur who in 2014 became the defender of... the same Sergei Kurchenko and his assets, which were hunted by law enforcement after Viktor Yanukovych fled the country. Ten years later, a well-known lawyer has no problem defending the ardent opponent of Kurchenko and the “blue and white” authorities in general.
Secondly, the former Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights, former party member of Pashinsky, Lyudmila Denisova, was sitting in the courtroom. She silently listened to the essence of the accusations against the ex-convict. Probably her mission here is to announce the bailing of a political comrade.
During the broadcast of the court hearing, one could notice how Andrei Fedur often whispered with Sergei Pashinsky.
“They want to steal oil products worth tens of millions from the Odessa oil refinery (at the time of the change of power in Ukraine, the plant was owned by Sergei Kurchenko - “Glavkom”)... I have no right to name names, but, in my opinion, very influential people in Ukraine are involved in this. This is being done with the help of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.” These words of Andrei Fedur ten years ago were recalled to everyone in court by the prosecutor and actually “pinned” the lawyer who, on the contrary, “defended” Pashinsky. “I can’t help but agree with the opinion of Fedur’s lawyer,” the prosecutor continued to mock.
“You will sell chicken oil products”
The decision to transfer Kurchenko’s seized oil products to the state enterprise Ukrtransnaftoprodukt, and then to sell the company to businessman and Pashinsky’s fellow countryman Sergei Tishchenko, was made in high offices. More precisely, in the building on the capital’s Academician Bogomolets Street, 10, where the then Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov sat. This follows from the testimony of Avakov’s former deputy, Police Major General Vitaly Sakalo. He eloquently describes the famous “walkers” who did not leave the office of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The events took place in early spring 2014.
“One day Minister Avakov called me to his office. In his office was Kolomoisky (an oligarch and owner of the Privat group, now has the status of a suspect, and since September 2023 has been sitting in the SBU detention center - “Glavkom”) together with a lawyer. Avakov said that there is a proposal from Kolomoisky to transfer oil products to his structures (Sergei Kurchenko - “Glavkom”). After this, Avakov again invited me to his office, where the owner of the WOG group, Eremeev (died in August 2015 as a result of a fall from a horse - “Glavkom”), was already there, who was interested in Kurchenko’s oil products. There were more and more people interested. Chairman of the Odessa Regional State Administration Igor Palitsa (now a people's deputy from the group "For the Future" - "Glavkom") spoke about the need for the speedy transfer of fuel, because its storage would pose a threat to the holiday season. But I understood that Palitsa is the same Kolomoisky only from the outside,” Sakal said during interrogation.
And yet, the “jackpot” was hit by ex-People’s Deputy Sergei Pashinsky, who, by the way, was at that time a close political associate of Minister Arsen Avakov. From Sakalo’s testimony, he was once again summoned by the minister, in whose office the acting head of the presidential administration, Pashinsky, was sitting at that time with his companion. Later, Avakov’s deputy clarified that it was businessman Sergei Tishchenko. He was presented as a representative of a state enterprise that is ready to take Kurchenko’s oil products.
“Later, I repeatedly saw Pashinsky and Tishchenko in the premises of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who visited the chief of staff, Sergei Chebotar. I also knew about the long-standing friendly relations between Chebotar and Turchinov, who was then acting president,” said Vitaly Sakal.
Another eyewitness, at that time director of the state enterprise Ukrtransnaftoprodukt Vladimir Gavrilov, recalled other interesting details. In the summer of 2014, he was called by the head of the department for the functioning and reform of the oil and gas sector of the Ministry of Energy Andrey Boychuk (Pashinsky’s creation. Before his appointment to the ministry, Boychuk was a centurion of the Maidan Self-Defense - “Glavkom”) and they went to JSC “Fortuna Bank” (by decision of the National Bank, the financial institution was liquidated in March 2020), which was owned by businessman Tishchenko.
“Guys, we need to work,” said Sergei Tishchenko. He also spoke about Kurchenko’s concept of working with seized oil products... A few days later they gathered again at the bank, where, in addition to Tishchenko, his lawyers were there. On the table lay a letter (the document included the name of Vladimir Gavrilov as a signatory - “Glavkom”) to the Ministry of Internal Affairs with a request to transfer the seized oil products (to the State Enterprise “Ukrtransnaftoprodukt” - “Glavkom”). Boychuk told me to sign, which I did,” noted Gavrilov, who is also a suspect in the Pashinsky case.
Separately, Gavrilov admitted that every month businessman Tishchenko paid him 20 thousand UAH (at the then exchange rate, this is approximately $1.6 thousand).
The former director of Ukroylproduct LLC, Alexander Buchinsky, also shared his observations with the investigation. This enterprise was controlled by Sergei Tishchenko. And it was this LLC that bought Kurchenko’s oil products from the State Enterprise “Ukrtransnaftoprodukt” at reduced prices.
“According to my functionality, I was Tishchenko’s sales manager. In the fall of 2014, he gave instructions to sign an agreement on the supply of petroleum products between the state enterprise "Ukrtransnaftoprodukt" and LLC "Ukroylproduct"... Tishchenko told me verbatim: “You will trade in petroleum products of the “chicken” (that is, Sergei Kurchenko - “Glavkom”),” he recounted the conversation with Tishchenko witness Buchinsky.
“Ukrainian armored vehicles” are controlled by Pashinsky’s “pounds”?
Several witnesses made sensational confessions regarding the activities of one of the flagships of the military-industrial complex, the Ukrainian Armored Vehicles company. Eloquent statistics: during the invasion, the income of this company is growing by leaps and bounds (in 2022 - 13.1 billion UAH, in 2023 - 24 billion UAH).
According to the Youcontrol analytical system, Ukrainian Armored Vehicles LLC was created in May 2001. Until June 2015, the company was called “Ukrglavpak” and had nothing to do with weapons and military equipment. Specialized in the production of plastic containers.
In 2016, Ukrainian Armored Vehicles changed its profile to car trading. Subsequently, “quedas” related to the production of military equipment, weapons and ammunition were added.
Until October 2017, the owner of this company was its then director Alexander Kuzma. He is a relative of Nikolai Kuzma, well-known in the pharmacological business, who in 2014 was an assistant on a voluntary basis... to the same people's deputy Sergei Pashinsky.
Now the Ukrainian Armored Vehicles company is registered to Kiev resident Lyudmila Petriga. At the same time, one of the four co-founders of the company - Bureau of National Developments LLC - belongs to the assistant of ex-People's Deputy Pashinsky Nikolai Kuzma.
“Pashinsky could hire people who were involved in his business as assistants on a voluntary basis. For example, Nikolai Kuzma, Yuri Stasko, who, on Pashinsky’s instructions, were engaged in the business of producing armored vehicles. In particular, Nikolai Kuzma’s brother Alexander, through the Bureau of National Developments LLC, is a co-founder of Ukrainian Armored Vehicles LLC. As far as I know, other legal entities co-founders of “Ukrainian Armored Vehicles” are also controlled by Pashinsky and former people’s deputy Ivan Vinnik,” said the former head of the secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security and Defense Tatyana Blistiv during interrogation.
Andriy Senchenko, a people’s deputy of three convocations from Batkivshchyna and Pashinsky’s former deputy in the presidential administration in 2014, also spoke about Pashinsky’s closeness to the “Ukrainian Armored Vehicles”. Senchenko also headed the National Association of Defense Industry Enterprises of Ukraine, the leadership of which was actually “wrested” from him by his ex-comrade-in-arms Pashinsky. The corresponding changes to the unified state register were made by the registrar from the Khmelnitsky region at the beginning of April 2022. Because of this, Senchenko is now suing the Ministry of Justice.
From the explanations of Andrei Senchenko: at the beginning of 2016, Sergei Pashinsky approached him and told him that he would be engaged in the production of military equipment on the basis of Ukrainian Armored Vehicles LLC. To do this, he asked Senchenko to borrow $500 thousand, which he lent.
In 2019, Senchenko contacted Pashinsky and asked to return the half a million dollars he had borrowed. To which the ex-people's deputy said that he had no funds. But the borrower offered to register for him 10% of the authorized capital of Ukrainian Armored Vehicles LLC and to include him in the supervisory board. This was supposed to serve as a guarantee of repayment of the debt. Pashinsky accepted this offer.
As can be seen from the unified register, at the end of September 2019, Senchenko became a co-founder of Ukrainian Armored Vehicles with a symbolic contribution to the company’s authorized capital in the amount of UAH 1.18 thousand.
But Senchenko’s ritual powers in the defense company ended in October 2021. Then his share was transferred to citizen Yuri Chmyr. As Senchenko noted during interrogation, Pashinsky’s son Anton partially paid him off, returning $300 thousand in cash.
Further, Senchenko’s share after citizen Chmyr ended up in the hands of the current director of Ukrainian Armored Vehicles LLC, Vladislav Belbas. The legal finalization of the scheme took place in June 2022.
Here it is worth recalling the investigation of the “Glavkom” nine years ago, which talked about the purchase of armored vehicles from Ukrainian Armored Vehicles LLC by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, headed by Arsen Avakov. By the way, this information was voiced in the Pashinsky case, in particular, it was indicated that “Ukrainian Armored Vehicles” sold a small batch of military equipment to the National Guard, which was part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Another interesting detail. A witness in the Pashinsky case, Davydov, told the investigation that the current owner of Ukrainian Armored Vehicles LLC, Lyudmila Petriga, has a pedagogical education. At one time, she was “seconded” to Pashinsky’s son Anton, and helped run the affairs of an oil plant in Slavyansk, Donetsk region. This plant was revived, as witnesses stated, under the patronage of Pashinsky. In fact, it was managed by businessman Sergei Tishchenko.
New criminal case against Pashinsky
In addition, it became known in the courtroom that a new criminal proceeding on facts of pressure and threats had been opened against former MP Sergei Pashinsky. According to the prosecutor, the statement about the crime was written by the Deputy Minister of Defense in 2014-2016, Yuri Gusev. Now the investigation has registered criminal proceedings.
The ex-official of the Ministry of Defense is a witness in the Pashinsky “fuel” case. During the interrogation, Yuri Gusev stated (his testimony was quoted by the prosecutor during the meeting - “Commander in Chief”): at that time, the People’s Deputy and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security and Defense Sergei Pashinsky personally called him and asked him to sign certain documents where the transfer was discussed fuel from the Kherson oil depot for the needs of the army. The call took place in March 2015.
“Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense Vinnik came to me with a draft document and offered to sign it. This was an act of acceptance and transfer, according to which the state enterprise Ukrtransnaftoprodukt donated fuel and lubricants stored in Kherson to the Ministry of Defense. As far as I remember, we were talking about large volumes of petroleum products... The draft document was not accompanied by any accompanying documents or resolutions, which aroused certain suspicions in me. Typically, such documents are processed by relevant departments,” Gusev says in his testimony.
Separately, the former Deputy Minister of Defense indicated in his testimony: when studying the draft document that Pashinsky asked to sign, Gusev asked his friends from Kherson about the quantity of petroleum products. As it turned out at that time, the local oil depot was empty. This caused a warning from Gusev and he refused to sign the necessary papers.
“Shortly after, Pashinsky called me, who began to be indignant at my refusal. I explained that I would not sign a document containing false information. And Pashinsky threatened me, including with criminal cases, as well as dismissal from the post of Deputy Minister of Defense. After this conversation, several people reported that Pashinsky was very hostile towards me... Essentially, I received media harassment, accusations and threats,” Gusev recalled.
It should be added that Yuriy Gusev, after being in power during Poroshenko’s presidency, managed to work in ZeKommand: in 2019-2020 - head of the Kherson Regional State Administration, in 2020-2023 - director of Ukroboronprom. After his dismissal, Gusev was promised the position of Ukrainian Ambassador to the Czech Republic, which he never became.
