Anatoly Shkriblyak: A Small Giant of Big Corruption. Part 1

Anatoly Shkriblyak: A Small Giant of Big Corruption. Part 1

Residents of Kyiv's Darnytskyi district, as well as Sumy, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv, who spend their last hard-earned money on heating and hot water, had no idea where their money was actually going! It turns out that the main profits from the local thermal power plants are being funneled into offshore accounts, ending up in the pockets of "supervisors" and high-ranking officials. These schemes, centered on businessman Anatoly Shkriblyak, were created with the help of Poroshenko's inner circle, but they're still going strong! Why? Who's now covering for the corrupt coal miners, allowing them to continue robbing the people and defrauding the state?

Today, Anatoly Shkriblyak is surely glad about the coronavirus pandemic, as the panic it caused has diverted public and law enforcement attention from his case. Nevertheless, journalists continue to target him with their investigations, revealing new details of his fraudulent activities.

Tall blonde lover Anatoly Shkriblyak

Short and balding, Shkriblyak today somewhat resembles British actor Toby Jones (The Mist, Wayward Pines), especially when he wears glasses. He first gained fame in 2006-2007, when he was a member of the Verkhovna Rada (Our Ukraine faction), earning the nickname "the little people's representative." Back then, he was often featured in tabloids as a regular at nightclubs and all sorts of social events, where he spent money lavishly. For example, at another charity auction organized by Elena Gubskaya (his wife) Bogdan Gubsky) he paid 16 thousand dollars for the doll Leonid Chernovetsky.

Little Shkriblyak was always drawn to big people – in every sense of the word. His business partners, friends, and party companions included tall politicians and businessmen, some of whom he barely reached the shoulders of. Shkriblyak was also known for his fondness for long-legged women, who had to bend down to kiss him on the forehead – yet they nonetheless became his common-law or official wives. In 2011, he celebrated his wedding in Monaco, where he brought not only actors Vera Brezhneva, Valery Meladze, and Sergey Svetlakov, but also waiters from the Kyiv restaurant "Byblos." Shkriblyak was never stingy, as his energy companies and other firms regularly brought him large sums of money – taking it from the pockets of Ukrainian consumers. So, one might say, we all paid for his wild and wild life! But how did he manage it?

Anatoly Vasilyevich Shkriblyak was born on October 3, 1973—that's all that can be learned from his extremely scant biography. For some reason, Shkriblyak "cleaned up" his past in the media, so now we have to reconstruct it from scratch, using the scraps of information that remain. He even decided to conceal his birthplace—perhaps to hide his family ties. So, let's uncover this forgotten chapter.

Anatoly Shkriblyak. The Legacy of a Murdered Uncle

There aren't many Shkriblyaks in Ukraine; one could even say they're a single, sprawling clan, tracing their origins to the Hutsul village of Yavoriv (Kosiv district, Ivano-Frankivsk region). And Anatoliy Shkriblyak was born, if not in Yavoriv itself, then in one of the neighboring villages. He is a pure-blooded Hutsul (there are officially just over 21 remaining members of this ethnic group), a fact evident even in his face—so unlike the dark-browed "Mamai" (Mamai) figures from the western regions, who proclaim themselves "titular Ukrainians." What does this have to do with his career? It has everything to do with it!

In the late Soviet era (70s-80s), folk culture flourished. "Pochvenniki" (soil-loving folk artists) made films about the village, and Khokhloma (a traditional Russian folk art) hung on the wall in every Soviet kitchen. The Hutsuls weren't left out either. The Shkriblyak family from Yavoriv, ​​along with their neighbors the Korpanyuk and Yurchyshyn families, rose to prominence in folk crafts. As hereditary woodcarvers (since the 19th century), they crafted various souvenirs from wood in their "Hutsulshchyna" artel—a far better alternative to toiling on a collective farm.

Among the members of this family are many famous figures: for example, the ethnographer Mykola Mykolayovych Shkriblyak, or Mykola Vasyliovych Shkriblyak, head of the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies at Chernivtsi University. However, their relationship with our hero is unclear, while another Mykola Vasyliovych Shkriblyak played a key role in his life – the one who served as deputy chairman of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration from 1997 until he was assassinated in the spring of 2002. According to media reports, he was Anatoliy Shkriblyak's uncle, a fact confirmed by the fact that the latter inherited a significant portion of the deceased's business and connections.

Nikolai Shkriblyak

In the early 80s, after graduating from the Lviv Agricultural Institute, Mykola Shkriblyak first worked as the second secretary of the Kosiv District Committee of the Lviv Komsomol (LKSM), and then received the position of chief construction engineer at the local collective farm. He was essentially just a figurehead there, as in 1988 he took over the family business, streamlining it and creating the Promin production and construction cooperative, which he entrusted with the construction facilities of his collective farm. The business-minded Mykola Shkriblyak expanded the cooperative's operations throughout Ukraine, opening souvenir shops and undertaking renovation and design work (his firm was reported to have renovated the State Tax Administration building in Kyiv). In the early 90s, when the general public's interest in carved pipes and spoons waned, the "Prominya" shops began selling related products: cigarettes, chewing gum, alcohol, etc., which allowed Mykola Shkriblyak to accumulate a substantial start-up capital. His nephew, Anatoly Shkriblyak, also began his career at "Prominya" – not as a carver or painter, but as a commercial manager.

By the mid-90s, the Shkriblyak family was no longer making souvenirs from wood, but furniture and building materials, owning several woodworking enterprises and two of the region's largest timber mills. But Mykola Shkriblyak didn't stop there. Leveraging his status as the "master" of the Kosiv district and his numerous connections among former Komsomol leaders, and later his positions as head of the Main Directorate of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration (June-December 1997) and vice governor (December 1997 – March 2002), he took control of several key enterprises in the region, including the Nadvirna Oil Refinery (OJSC Naftokhimik Prykarpattya). Although he later ceded control to Sentosa (Privat Group), energy became Mykola Shkriblyak's primary business. According to media reports, he also controlled the state-owned energy company Prykarpattyaoblenergo, Prykarpattransgaz, PJSC Ivano-Frankivskgas, the Burshtyn Thermal Power Plant, CJSC Oblpalyvo, PJSC Trading House Halychyna, the regional Center for Standardization, Metrology, and Certification, and the regional Department for Ensuring the State Monopoly on the Production and Circulation of Alcohol, Alcoholic Beverages, and Tobacco Products. He also headed the Carpathian Region Tourism Council, which allowed him to oversee the tourism and hotel industries.

In 1996, he founded the company "TekhNova" (EDRPOU 24100060), whose primary activity was listed as electricity generation and distribution. Although all information about the early years of TekhNova's operations was carefully destroyed, it is known that its initial authorized capital was only 10 hryvnias, and that it was created during the first wave of regional power company privatization. For some reason, Mykola Shkriblyak ceded control to Prykarpattyaoblenergo. to the Surkis brothersAfter which, TekhNova switched to renting out thermal power plants—and in this form, it appeared in Chernihiv in 2000 (more on the Chernihiv scandals below). TekhNova later became the main enterprise of his nephew, Anatoly Shkriblyak.

Was it just Shkriblyak who ceded Prykarpattyaoblenergo to the Surkis brothers? The details of this deal remain under wraps for now. However, it was likely amicable, since the Surkis brothers and Medvedchuk In May 1999, he was made the head of the Ivano-Frankivsk regional organization of the SDPU(o).

In the 2002 parliamentary elections, Shkriblyak intended to ensure a strong vote for the Social Democratic Party in the districts of Ivano-Frankivsk region under his control, and he himself ran under the SDPU(o) banner in Nadvirna electoral district No. 90. However, two days before the vote, on March 29, 2002, Mykola Shkriblyak was shot dead with a machine gun in the entrance to his own home.

The murder of the vice-governor and parliamentary candidate, one of the most influential figures in the region, became a major cause célèbre. Many theories have been put forward as to the motives behind his murder. Economic theories included revenge for blocking the export of round timber (the Shkriblyak family's enterprises exported timber), shady schemes surrounding the Nadvirna Oil Refinery and the Burshtyn Thermal Power Plant, and gas supply schemes to the Oriana company. Political theories led all the way to the American Embassy: according to Medvedchuk and then-Governor Vyshyvanyuk, certain "political advisers" at the US Embassy insisted that Shkriblyak withdraw from the election and not interfere with his main rival in the district—the candidate from the American-backed Our Ukraine party. To Roman Zvarych. Considering that a fierce war had broken out between the Social Democrats and Our Ukraine, and Shkriblyak was pursuing the court's efforts to remove Zvarych from the elections, this version was long considered valid. Remembered And that Zvarych's wife was a classmate of the well-known Kyiv "authority figure" Pryshchik. But when Zvarych was later hauled in, the US Embassy demanded that he not be prosecuted. Incidentally, Zvarych did win the election—after all, his main competitor was dead. Shkriblyak's voters simply didn't show up (in the 90th district, turnout was only 55%, compared to the regional average of 75%), and of those who did show up, 12,5% ​​voted against everyone.

Roman Zvarych

The murder was then reclassified as a terrorist act and the case was handed over to the SBU. While General Radchenko was in charge, the investigation stalled. However, when Igor Smeshko took over as head of the SBU, it was completed within four months. An Ivano-Frankivsk businessman was declared the mastermind behind the crime. Igor Timchuk He also ran in the 90th single-mandate constituency, although he had no chance of winning. Tymchuk was arrested back in April 2002, accused of pressuring the electoral commission, and was later identified as the prime suspect in Shkriblyak's murder. Finally, in the spring of 2004, the trial took place behind closed doors in Chernivtsi. Tymchuk and another defendant received life sentences, while the two immediate perpetrators (certain Moldovans) were never found.

In short, few believed the court's honest verdict, but after the first Maidan, the topic was carefully hushed up—and the forgotten murder of Mykola Shkriblyak remains shrouded in many questions. Among them is the question of why his enormous inheritance was distributed so strangely.

Judge for yourself: at the time of his death, Nikolai Shkriblyak controlled approximately 90 family businesses, some of which were registered to his relatives (he was also a vice-governor). But for some reason, his only son, Nazariy Shkriblyak (born 1982), inherited nothing from his father—according to property records, he owns only a small stake (2,5%) in TRK 3-Studio LLC (EDRPOU 23797886). Meanwhile, his cousin, Anatoly Shkriblyak, owns fifty businesses he created using TekhNova and the capital he inherited from "Uncle Mykola." Why? It seems to be some kind of Shkriblyak family secret...

Shkriblyak's offshore companies

If you look through the public databases of companies owned by Anatoliy Shkriblyak, you'll always see a Cypriot address next to his name: Limassol, Germasogeia 4040, Apartment 105. However, for some reason, it's impossible to find his Ukrainian address, which leads one to conclude: is Anatoliy Shkriblyak officially a permanent resident of Cyprus? Of course, this is not prohibited. But registering almost his entire business offshore to avoid paying taxes in Ukraine is already perceived as a scam and corruption! Incidentally, according to sources, Skelet.Org, he also has a Cypriot passport.

Indeed, a review of his businesses reveals that the vast majority are registered to Cypriot offshore companies. For example, the Nikolsky shopping center (in Kharkiv) is owned by a Cypriot company. Nikolsky Holdings Limited, his LLC “Solar Factory” is registered to the Cypriot company “Atmasphera Holdings Limited"," and "TekhNova" is registered to two Cypriot companies (see screenshot). Shkriblyak has many such companies in Cyprus; they appear to be offshore shells, "glued" to each of his Ukrainian enterprises. Moreover, most of these companies are registered at the same address: Limassol, Germatogeia 4041, Office 111, which is close to Anatoly Shkriblyak's Cypriot apartment.

The only exception is his agricultural firms, which have exclusively Ukrainian founders. But this is only because Shkriblyak has long been eagerly awaiting the launch of the agricultural land market. He fears that foreign, and especially offshore, founders would prevent his agricultural firms from joining the first wave of land buyers. Judging by the land market law passed by the Verkhovna Rada, Shkriblyak's concerns were well-founded.

Another interesting observation: Until the summer of 2019, Shkriblyak's Cypriot companies were registered to a number of individuals: Pavlina Tsirides, Maria Christina Stefanou, Irina Luchina Skitides, Giorgi Tsagareishvili, and Roman Prikhodko.

But almost all of them are Cypriots from Limassol, some in their 70s, so they are most likely figureheads. Only Prikhodko is a Ukrainian citizen and lives in Kyiv. He is Shkriblyak's partner in agricultural firms, as well as the enterprises Dobrodiya Trade and Dobrodiya Foods, which until mid-2019 were registered to the Cypriot company Speser Holdings Limited, whose legal support for the transactions was provided by the law firmSergey Kozyakov and PartnersIncidentally, it's quite noticeable that after the 2019 elections, Shkriblyak suddenly decided to transfer most of his businesses from Cypriot shell companies directly to himself. Apparently, he decided to cover up his old schemes this way.

Now let's review the entire list of businesses currently owned by Anatoly Shkriblyak. It's quite impressive for a businessman known only in narrow social circles:
• TechNova LLC (EDRPOU 24100060), controls the Chernihiv Thermal Power Plant
• PJSC Cherkasskoye Khimvolokno (00204033), controls the Cherkasskaya Thermal Power Plant
• Euro-Reconstruction LLC (37739041), controls the capital’s Darnitskaya Thermal Power Plant
• Sumyteploenergo LLC (33698892), controls the Sumy Thermal Power Plant
• Fabrika Solar LLC (41844384), solar mini-power station
• Agrofirm "Miaterra" (40307206), Rivne region
• Agrofirm "Agrobioz" (34568044), Chernihiv region
• Agrofirm "Ivanovka AG" (36131192), Chernihiv region
• Agrofirm "Krasnoe-invest" (38132837), Chernihiv region
• Agrofirm "Zarya" (25363011), Luhansk region
• Agrofirm "Partner" (30462812), Luhansk region
• Agrofirm "Zakotnenskaya" (30714350), Luhansk region
• Agrofirm "Progress" (30763895), Luhansk region
• Agrofirm "Mi-Agro" (38016106), Luhansk region
• Agrofirm "Kolos" (03743405), Zhytomyr region
• Agrofirm "Lug Polesie-Agro" (39244976), Zhytomyr region
• Agrofirm "Poleskiy Krai" (03568113), Zhytomyr region
• Agrofirm "Andreychikovo" (30697530), Nikolaev region
• LLC “First Agrostandard Plus” (39869216), agricultural firm, Zhytomyr region
• LLC "Dobrodiya Trade" (36424505), wholesale trade of agricultural products
• Dobrodiya Foods LLC (38408485), production of flour and cereals
• Investment and construction company "Igtegral Group" (37560169), construction of residential buildings
• Prominvestgroup LLC (32110865), construction of residential buildings
• OOO Prominvestgroup-1 (32851642), purchase and sale of real estate
• LLC Investoptim (25479446), hotel business
• LLC "Real Estate Services Agency" (36147312)
• JSC Investment Fund Premium (40911852), trust fund
• PJSC Investment Fund Uno (38408333), trust fund
• LLC "TRK 3-Studio" (23797886), television studio
• LLC "Khortitsa-Mall" (43364162), real estate leasing, Zaporozhye
• Alliance Auto LLC (32786909), real estate rental, Zaporozhye
• Eco-Trade-Invest LLC (35450382), real estate rental, Zaporozhye
• Shopping center "Factory" (37541696), Kherson
• Shopping center "Nikolsky" (38160927), Kharkov
• Shopping center "Lyubava-City" (37067359), Cherkassy
• Budhaus-Group LLC (34716042), real estate leasing, creation of sports clubs
• PJSC "Nest-Hanner" (33308159), real estate rental, Kyiv
• Private Enterprise “Firm “Makler” (23855158), vehicle maintenance and repair
• Meteor-Plus LLC (38386968), an ice rink operating in the Kherson shopping center Fabrika
• Lucky Strike LLC (38481220), a bowling club operating in the Kherson shopping center Fabrika
• LLC Lucky Strike-1 (38552929), a bowling club operating in the Cherkasy shopping center Lyubava
• Lucky Strike-2 LLC (43301453), a bowling club operating in the Nikolsky shopping center in Kharkov
• Consulting company "New technologies and investments" (33453245)
• Public organization "Orthodox Ukraine" (37249621)

And that's not counting the companies in which Anatoly Shkriblyak holds a small stake. For example, in Kyiv-based Brokenergia LLC (40050036), an active bidder. This is a rather interesting company: previously known as Pravex-Brok, it belonged to the family of Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky (it was his puppet that Anatoly Shkriblyak paid $16 for). It was then renamed Brok-Energy, and its beneficiary became Stepan Chernovitsky (his son). And in 2015, the current clone of Brokenergia was created, becoming its legal successor—and it is entirely offshore. From 1998 to the present day, all three entities of Brokenergia have successively controlled the Akhtyrskaya Thermal Power Plant, leasing it. So, in the spring of 2019, the main founder of Brokenergia became the offshore company Inter Bio Energy from the Seychelles. It's worth remembering that the main "overseer of the Seychelles" in Ukraine was Poroshenko's scandalous associate. Oleg Gladkovsky (Svinarchuk)Coincidence? Not at all! What's even more interesting is that Brokenergia previously had two other founders: the Cypriot firms LAMEDA HOLDINGS LIMITED and ANDRAT HOLDINGS LIMITED. The founder of the latter is also the Cypriot firm Financial Investments Group A-Zevs, which also owns the Cypriot Azorande Investments Limited—through which Anatoliy Shkriblyak controls his Ukrainian firm Euro-Reconstruction, which in turn controls the Darnitsa Thermal Power Plant. And, by the way, the AMCU is aware of this—it officially approved these offshore schemes.

But his "Real Estate Services Agency" was intricately registered through Shkriblyak's Cypriot offshore grandmothers to the company "VNV Developments Limited," which is already a Virgin Islands offshore company. Thus, one can see the management structure of Anatoly Shkriblyak's business empires: all his Ukrainian enterprises (except for agricultural firms) are registered to Cypriot offshore shell companies, which in turn are registered to several key offshore companies. And at the center of these schemes sits, pulling the strings, our little but insatiable spider. Who needs so much money for his high-society parties!

Sergey Varis, for Skelet.Org

In the subject: Mazurova, the defendant in the $5 million bribe case against the NABU and SAP leadership, has made a deal.

CONTINUED: Anatoly Shkriblyak: The Little Giant of Big Corruption. Part 2

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