The TV presenter, director and producer, close to the authorities, received shares in various businesses during the war
The Russian war is forcing changes in the lives of not only ordinary Ukrainians. The domestic show business and film industry, where a lot of money was circulating in peacetime, also suffered a fair amount. Now leading TV presenters, actors, singers and screenwriters have retrained mainly as volunteers. At the same time, the question has not disappeared: “how to make money?” After all, as comedian, singer and volunteer Vadim Michkovsky (Uncle Zhora) rightly noted in a conversation with “Glavkom”, there were savings, but they have the ability to run out.
“Before the war, I was involved in organizing and holding holidays as a host. Now there are no such requests, except for charitable or social ones. However, we are trying to launch new projects that would generate income,” a quote from the showman from last year’s interview with “Glavkom.”
But, as it turned out, fortune smiled on some representatives of showbiz, especially those close to power. This is discussed in the “Glavkom” investigation.
Gorbunov became a developer
The people's favorite and “star” of “1+1” Yuriy Gorbunov said in a recent interview that during the war he mainly lived off the television projects “The Voice” and “Snidanok z 1+1”. At the same time, he complained that these funds were not enough.
The TV presenter had great hopes for the production of the series “PGT Ingulets”. In the summer, Gorbunov’s company “Prototype Production” won an art competition, for which the state “Multimedia Platform for Foreign Broadcasting of Ukraine” gave 33.6 million UAH. Then a wave of public discontent stood in the way of earnings. Therefore, Prototype Production LLC had to refuse budget funding for the 24-episode film.
In parallel with these unpleasant ups and downs, Yuri Gorbunov started a larger-scale business, which for some reason he does not talk about anywhere. According to the Youcontol analytical system, on July 11, 2023, the showman became one of the co-founders of the capital construction company Space Plaza. The very way a TV presenter starts a construction business has a mysterious appearance.
Apparently, the TV star was simply given a share in the company. Before Gorbunov’s arrival, the company had three co-founders: a resident of the Vinnitsa region, Temuri Voronkov (who contributed UAH 6 million to the authorized capital of Space Plaza) and two residents of Kiev, Alexander Vinnitsky and Tatyana Shushakova. They both contributed 2 million UAH.
When Gorbunova appeared in Space Plaza, his contribution to the authorized capital amounted to 600 thousand UAH. At the same time, the same amount of funds was subtracted from the 6 million UAH previously contributed by Temuri Voronkov.
On July 12, the TV presenter’s “portfolio” grew thicker - Mr. Voronkov “threw” him another 400 thousand UAH. Thus, Yuriy Gorbunov’s total contribution to the construction company amounted to UAH 1 million.
Let us add that Space Plaza LLC was created in November 2021. During this time, the company has not yet noted anything special. We assume: given the appearance of Yuri Gorbunov, grandiose construction projects are still ahead. And the great post-war recovery gives hope to players in the construction industry.
In addition, already during the war, presenter Gorbunov, together with his presenter wife Ekaterina Osadchaya, who has now abandoned gossip columns and is working on a project to search for missing people, registered a public and charitable organization. The first was called the “Ekaterina Osadchaya Public Association”, the other was called the “Ekaterina Osadchaya Foundation”.
By the way, the latter organization is engaged in “providing other social assistance without providing accommodation.”
From the director of “Servant of the People” to... an energy specialist
At the peak of the war, the film director and screenwriter of the series “Servant of the People” Alexey Kiryushchenko suddenly launched an active business activity. He has Russian citizenship, and in 2015 received a permanent residence permit in Ukraine.
But now Kiryushchenko’s sphere of interests is not limited to film production. At the end of August this year, he, together with a resident of the Donetsk region, Alexander Khandriga, became co-owners of the capital's El-Energo LLC. The company was founded in September 2022. Already in November it received a license to... supply electrical energy.
In September, Kiryushchenko “infiltrated” the Culver group of drone manufacturing companies. Now the film director has 5% each in Culver Aviation LLC, Glaive LLC and Culver Technologies LLC.
In a comment to investigative journalists, Culver CEO Alexander Danilenko could not (or did not want to?) explain how exactly the director received shares in this business, as well as what exact role he plays in the company. Kiryushchenko himself refused to talk to journalists, saying that they were asking “nonsense” and would do an “order.”
By the way, with Kiryushchenko, Ukrainian film producer and chairman of the Council for State Support of Cinematography at Goskino Artem Kolyubaev came to the company producing UAVs.
Interesting detail. Unlike Yuri Gorbunov’s company, which refused budget money, Kolyubaev’s film production company “Mainstream Pictures” “gnawed out” funding for three films at once: “Art in the Shadow of War” (4.5 million UAH), “One Big Family” (7.6 million UAH) and “Mangrove Grove” (9 million UAH).
This trio of enterprising beginners - Yuri Gorbunov, Alexey Kiryushchenko and Artem Kolyubaev - are united by their closeness to the pro-government Zekomanda.
For example, in recent years, the Council for State Support of Cinematography at Goskino, under the leadership of Kolyubaev, approved the allocation of 21 million UAH for the production of films by Gorbunov’s company “Prototype Production”. In particular, these are the films “Mad Neighbors” and “Chasing Two Hares.” Even earlier, the state gave Yuriy Gorbunov more than 18 million UAH for the filming of the films “Skazhene Vesilya”, “Skazhene Vesilya-2”, “Skazhene Vesilya-3”.
The same applies to Kiryushchenko. Immediately before the election of Vladimir Zelensky as president, the director of “Servant of the People” was “matched” to the post of head of the State Film Agency. After some time, information appeared that Alexey Kiryushchenko was working on launching a new state television channel for the occupied territories, “Dom.”
