Stepan Derivolkov: a veteran of corruption gives himself expensive gifts and raises sketchy people

Stepan Derivolkov is one of the most scandalous former officials of Viktor Yanukovych and Alexander Klimenko.

Ukrainians were reminded of the scandalous businessman from the time of Yanukovych - Stepan Derivolkov still feels great even during the war

According to Absolution Leaks, the former deputy head of the State Customs Service has a net worth of more than $38 million. Stepan Derivolkov even decided to give himself a gift for Ukraine’s Independence Day - he bought a luxurious Toyota Camry (model KI0020A).

True, in order not to attract unnecessary attention, the car is for some reason registered to a legal entity in occupied Mariupol.

Despite the fact that Stepan Derivolkov himself is retired, he continues to pass on his invaluable experience in schematosis to the younger generation.

Therefore, we invite you to get acquainted with the track record of the scandalous customs officer Stepan Derivolkov.

The most scandalous and famous

After the outbreak of a full-scale war, the main gates of imports into Ukraine became its Western customs, the importance of which increased sharply. A serious struggle immediately broke out for control over them between corrupt clans and groups seeking to place their people there. These “personnel issues” are resolved through intermediaries and “supervisors”, who are former high-ranking officials of the customs service, who still retain great connections and influence there...

One of them is Stepan Derivolkov, in 2009-2013. holding the post of Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Service of Ukraine, and from April 2013 to March 2014 the post of Deputy Minister of Revenue and Duties. Journalists nicknamed him “a customs officer with significant experience as a corrupt official,” and the history of this nickname is very interesting.

The fact is that Derivolkov not only hysterically deletes all materials exposing him in the media, but also regularly ordered laudatory publications about himself, in which his “intelligence, honesty, professionalism and significant experience in leadership service” were unctuously praised. However, in reality, Derivolkov was known as one of the most corrupt and scandalous heads of Ukrainian customs during the times of Yushchenko-Tymoshenko and Yanukovych-Azarov, who, according to the media, was detained twice by the SBU. And he still remains in demand as a “fixer” and a corrupt lobbyist.

Stepan Derivolkov. Secrets of his biography

Derivolkov Stepan Dmitrievich was born on May 16, 1968 in the city of Izmail. Judging by the fact that Derivolkov knows the Bulgarian language well and, according to Skelet.Info sources, also has a Bulgarian passport, perhaps his parents belong to the Bulgarian diaspora, living compactly in the Odessa region. Nothing more is known about his family, and none of the journalists were interested in them, as well as in Derivolkov’s young years - after all, he received his odious “fame” already in adulthood. Which was a big omission, since digging into his distant past reveals some interesting details. For example, that Stepan Derivolkov did not serve in the army - although in the 80s, military registration and enlistment offices often rowed both oblique and lame. Apparently, he had a fairly serious illness or some other good reason to get a “white ticket”! But Derivolkov always avoided this topic.

Derivolkov’s biography also states that he graduated from the Odessa Technical College of Measurements (now the State Academy of Technical Regulation and Quality) in February 1987, which also raises questions: after all, graduation in Soviet technical schools took place in May-July. It seems that young Styopa Derivolkov, for some reason, simply did not finish his studies. After which, in April of the same year, he went to the Moscow region, to the city of Dubno, where he got a job at the Tensor instrument plant as an instrumentation mechanic. A couple of months later he became a service technician, and from February 1988 he also became a part-time packer, apparently wanting to earn more.

But, apparently disappointed in the amount of honest earnings, in January 1989 Stepan Derivolkov returned to his native Izyum, where he got a job as an inspector at Izmail customs. Let us emphasize: a guy with a technical school education as a “kipovets”, declared unfit for service even in a construction battalion, suddenly got the job of a customs officer - even then considered very “thieves” (not so much because of the money, but because of access to imported goods). Derivolkov clearly owed this incredible luck to some relative or patron - however, he always kept quiet about this. And one more curious detail: in a number of commissioned articles praising the imaginary merits of Derivolkov, at his request it was stated that he came to customs only in 1995. Why was this lie necessary and what did they want to hide behind it? This question remains unanswered for now, but we see that Derivolkov’s early biography is still very interesting and keeps many secrets!

The rise of a customs officer's career

So, according to the entries in the work book, Stepan Derivolkov worked from January 1989 to March 1991 as an inspector, and then until April 1997 as a senior inspector at Izmail customs. During its reorganization, Derivolkov was then re-registered as a senior inspector of the Danube customs (uniting Izmail, Bolgrad, Kiliya and other customs posts). We can say that during this time his career made virtually no progress. But the country around us was rapidly changing, and a good life required more and more money! However, according to Skelet.Info sources, Derivolkov compensated for the limited powers of a simple inspector with his connections and ability to negotiate with the right people.

And in the fall of 1997, these connections yielded results: Derivolkov was transferred to the Bolgrad customs post as chief inspector, and three months later he was appointed acting there. Head of the department at the Tabaki checkpoint. Since July 1998, he became the full-fledged head of this department, remaining in this position until his new promotion in 2003. Along the way, Derivolkov held the position of deputy head of the Bolgrad customs post for several months (in 1999-2000). There he launched such a violent corruption activity that the Ukrainian media recalled it even many years later:

“His whole history, from the inspector to the bribe-taking minister, is one of smuggling, corruption, abuse and theft, robbery of the state. In Izmail they will say what he had when he was a simple head of the “Bolgrad” post (this is not “Chop” for you). If they leave him and his henchmen, then the Maidan is worthless.”

Another interesting detail: since the position of chief already required higher education, and Stepan Derivolkov only had a technical school behind him, he decided to graduate from the university in absentia. But for some reason he chose not legal or economics, which would correspond to his profession of a customs officer, but the Odessa Polytechnic, receiving a diploma in control and automation systems there in 2002. That is, Derivolkov, just as he was a “Kipovite”, remained so - and the meaning of such a higher education is completely incomprehensible to a customs officer! But, obviously, it was much easier (and cheaper) for Derivolkov to continue his “Kip” studies than to comprehend jurisprudence or economics.

In November 2003, the career of Kipovka customs officer Derivolkov received a new powerful start: he was appointed first deputy head of the Danube customs, and in August 2004 he headed it. The media reported that for this increase, Derivolkov contributed 100 thousand dollars to the management of the State Customs Service. He easily recouped these expenses by levying a “tax” on fuel and tobacco dealers.

Also, his promotion was directly related to the odious Igor Kaletnik, who from October 2003 to February 2005 headed the Black Sea regional customs, which includes the Danube region. Kaletnik himself received his position thanks to his father, who previously headed the Vinnitsa Regional State Administration and was a close associate of Leonid Kuchma, and Viktor Medvedchuk, who placed his people in the leadership of customs.

That is, we have the fact that Medvedchuk put Kaletnik at the head of the Black Sea regional customs, and Kaletnik, in turn, put Derivolkov at the head of the Danube region. Of course, he did not choose Derivovkov for his “professional qualities.” After all, why would Kaletnik, who was crushing corruption schemes at customs, need an honest leader there? No, he appointed Derivolkov because he convinced him of his usefulness. And he later confirmed this with deeds - and so diligently that he became one of Kaletnik’s closest accomplices! This is how Derivolkov received the image of “Kaletnik’s man,” which he still cannot get rid of.

Derivolkov. Communist Party wallet

The customs frauds of Derivolkov and Kaletnik reached such proportions that the latter, immediately after the first Maidan, was forced to urgently return from Odessa to Kyiv, where he managed to get the position of head of the Department for Combating Customs Offenses. That is, the fox was assigned to guard the chicken coop! However, by that time, a fierce struggle had developed in the leadership of the State Customs Service of Ukraine between its head Vladimir Skomarovsky (Petro Poroshenko’s man) and his first deputy Nikolai Salagor (at that time Yulia Tymoshenko’s man). Kaletnik temporarily survived from the State Customs Service (he worked for several months as a judge of the Desnyansky District Court), but in April 2006 he was reinstated, and again “fought” corruption at customs until November 2007, when he wisely hid from justice in the Verkhovna Rada.

By the way, in those elections Kaletnik was greatly helped by Derivolkov, who, through his connections at customs and in the Bulgarian diaspora, organized votes for the communists in Izmail. Because, firstly, Kaletnik himself was a member of the Communist Party of Ukraine, and secondly, after him, Derivolkov joined the Communist Party. Yes, yes, today he really doesn’t like to remember this, but earlier Stepan Dmitrievich was a communist! However, he was not ideological, but was only listed as being under Kaletnik.

Therefore, subsequent political storms did not disturb Derivolkov’s position: he once again confirmed his ability to negotiate with the right people, regardless of their affiliation with parties or corrupt clans. Interestingly, from September 2005 to December 2007, the GTS was headed by the scandalous Alexander Egorov, who also knew how to find a common language with one or the other ruling political force. Under him, Derivolkov began acting as deputy head of the Belgorod-Dniester customs from January 2006 (after the division of the Black Sea customs at the end of 2005), retaining it under the next head of the State Customs Service Valeria Khoroshkovsky, whose customs schemes were legendary.