The "bosses" have fled, but the mob is adapting. Despite the flight of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's inner circle, which was known for its close ties to the criminal underworld, the criminal underworld continues to run for parliament.
Back in 2011, renowned political figure Gennady Moskal claimed that all former crime bosses were his colleagues at work. However, Gennady Moskal refused to reveal their names. 2014 was no exception in terms of the number of people willing to trade their pistols for parliamentary portfolios. ORD presents the top five most influential figures in the criminal world who have announced their candidacies in the snap elections to the Verkhovna Rada.
Party: “Communal Movement of Ukraine”
Connection to the criminal world: known in narrow circles as "Vova MordaIn the 90s, Morda collected tribute from businessmen, and his group was involved in organizing a number of murders in Lviv and other regions of Ukraine. He became famous nationwide in 2005, when then-President Yushchenko angrily asked at a meeting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: "Who is this Morda that's making everyone in Lviv cry? That's the specific nickname of one of the thugs. How many divisions should we give you to eliminate this Morda?"
2. Nikolai Danevich
Party: "People's Front"
Connection to the criminal underworld: he was a "foreman" for the well-known crime boss "Stas." Locals in the area of the "Palace Ukraine" metro station claimed that this group was protecting the Vladimirsky Market at the time.
3. Vyacheslav Konstantinovsky
Party: "People's Front"
(Read more about it in the article Vyacheslav and Alexander Konstantinovsky: How the "Russian mafia" became "Ukrainian patriots")
Criminal connections: Together with his brother, Alexander, Vyacheslav provided security for the Kyiv-Donbass commercial structure and the Nadra bank. They are known in the criminal underworld as the "Brothers Karamazov," closely associated with the Russian Solntsevskaya criminal group (Moscow). The brothers grew up in Syrets, attended Secondary School No. 24, hung out with street crime bosses nicknamed "Brick" and "Malepa," and practiced Greco-Roman wrestling.
4/5. Vitaly Chudnovsky, Oleg Dmitrenko
Party: Petro Poroshenko Bloc
Criminal connections: Members of the presidential party are no strangers to criminal activity. Vitaly Chudnovsky is the foreman of the Rybki organized crime group (Viktor Rybalko). Chudnovsky gained notoriety for his involvement in a scandal involving the founders of Foxtrot, one of Ukraine's leading home appliance traders. At one time, Foxtrot received protection from crime boss Viktor Rybalko (aka Rybka). Vitaly Chudnovsky represented Rybka, an influential figure in criminal circles, at Foxtrot. In 2007, Oleg Dmitrenko seized land from Sokirinskoye LLC, owned by Alexander Khlebov. At the time, Dmitrenko forged documents to obtain possession of someone else's land. Dmitrenko is also known to have engaged in fraudulent bank loan applications.
Of course, all these people are officially innocent, and from a legal standpoint, no one has the right to cast a stone in their direction. But, in fact, did the Maidan defend the values of the criminal underworld? Did the protesters want to see a person who, during the turbulent 90s, brandished weapons, seized or protected other people's property, as a member of parliament? Regardless of party affiliation, election platform, and other achievements, every voter is obliged to carefully study the candidates' biographies, because the "criminals" of the Party of Regions could be replaced by other unscrupulous individuals. Then, the chance for a "new life" will be lost forever...
ORD
Subscribe to our channels in Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, VC — Only new faces from the section CRYPT!