Fyodor Khristenko: Where does this poor "oppositionist" get his money? Part 1
When the Opposition Platform split from the Opposition Bloc, it had a good chance to shed the Party of Regions' most significant legacy—the corrupt and criminal image of Yanukovych's former allies. To do this, it was necessary to abandon its reliance on "authorities" and avoid recruiting people with dubious pasts and scandalous presents. But the Opposition Platform—For Life leaders decided voters would swallow their lies anyway. So they brought into parliament both seasoned corrupt officials and young freeloaders—like Fedir Khristenko, who quickly became notorious throughout the country.
A chic party in MoscowA million-dollar party at the expensive Four Seasons Hotel, right across from the Kremlin, featuring Russian showbiz stars (Kirkorov, Baskov, Leps, and others)—that's what Opposition Platform — For Life parliamentary faction member Fyodor Khristenko pulled off on December 14, 2019. But what was the Ukrainian politician celebrating there? Perhaps some new developments on the Minsk agreements? No, it was the birthday of his wife, Marina Khristenko, who loves such lavish celebrations!
But it's not just that a Verkhovna Rada deputy went to celebrate his wife's birthday in the capital of a country with which Ukraine has had a conflictual relationship for several years and which has seized part of Ukrainian territory. And it's not that not every MP, not even every oligarch, can afford to spend that much on his wife's birthday! Journalists also had other, far more pressing questions for Khristenko about his ties to the criminal underworld and his business negotiations with the leaders of the separatist "republics" regarding his personal business.
Fyodor Khristenko. "Authorities" and "Old Donetsk"
Fedor Khristenko is among the least known members of parliament of the 9th convocation of the Verkhovna Rada. His biography is unknown; he spoke briefly about himself in a short interview, without naming specific dates or names. He attracted media attention only twice: first during the 2019 elections, and now during coverage of his wife's scandalous birthday celebration. Therefore, no one could answer the question: who is Fedor Khristenko and where did he come from? Unable to find information about him, journalists learned a little about his circle: for example, that a close friend of Marina Khristenko, who enjoys such lavish celebrations, is Anastasia Malovichko, the wife of a well-known crime boss. Alexandra Baturina (Batury). Known as one of the close associates Yuri Ivanyushchenko, who was appointed by him as the "overseer" of Gorlovka about twenty years ago. About him Skelet.Org I have mentioned in my materials more than once such odious celebrities of Gorlovka as Armen Sargsyan and his "buddy" Igor Shkyria.
Marina Khristenko (right) and Anastasia Malovichko
This led to logical assumptions that Fedor Khristenko was a protégé of the Donbas criminal underworld, perhaps even Baturin himself, who is currently actively reasserting his influence in Horlivka. This, for example, is the opinion of journalist Denis Kazansky, who initiated his own investigation. In his opinion, the "Yenakiyevites" (Baturin, Ivanyushchenko) decided to install in the new Rada a man previously uninvolved, with a nearly perfect and completely unremarkable biography—which, we repeat, simply doesn't exist; it was erased. A rather dull, unremarkable individual, one of many "young businessmen." And if not for this story about his wife's birthday, hardly anyone would have remembered Khristenko.
Without dismissing the possibility of Khristenko's "criminal trail," let's try to learn a little more about him. Fedor Vladimirovich Khristenko was born on October 11, 1983, in the village of Starognatovka, Telmanovsky District, Donetsk Oblast, to Vladimir Fedorovich and Vera Alexandrovna Khristenko. He has a younger brother, Alexander, whose occupation is currently unknown. Judging by his parents' patronymics, the brothers were named after their grandfathers.
According to Fyodor Khristenko, his parents were ordinary people: his father worked on a state farm, and his mother was a teacher at the local school, housed in a small, two-story red brick building. It seems she helped her son graduate with honors. But where he trained in freestyle wrestling (which he bragged about to journalists) is anyone's guess.
In 2000, Fedor Khristenko enrolled in Donetsk State University, majoring in marketing. While there, he continued practicing freestyle wrestling, which may have brought him into contact with the right people. After all, as is well known, power sports in Ukraine have long been under criminal control, and it's not uncommon for "authorities" to hold the positions of presidents of boxing, judo, wrestling, and other federations.
Marina Kondaurova (Khristenko), 2013
But another explanation for Fedor Khristenko's sudden rise seems more likely. In 2005, after defending his diploma, he remained at the university for his postgraduate studies—at least until 2008, when he defended his dissertation. It was then that Marina Kondaurova, Khristenko's future wife, was admitted to the university's Faculty of Economics and Law. The affair between the young postgraduate student and the young student explains everything exhaustively: the sudden career advancement of a modest village native, the origin of Fedor Khristenko's capital (effectively a dowry), and the lavish celebrations thrown for his wife—after all, the young slut had been accustomed to them since childhood. Well, such miracles are rare, but they do happen: just like the successful marriage of the elephant dung cleaner at the Kyiv Zoo created an oligarch. Valery Khoroshkovsky.
Marina Kondaurova was once known throughout Horlivka, and not just for the white Porsche Panamera she drove around town. For several years, Marina ranked second in the top 10 most eligible bachelors in Horlivka, behind only local TV star Ekaterina Skrypnik of "The Bachelor." Her mother, Irina Kondaurova, owned the travel agency "Vokrug Sveta" and DiKon LLC, was part of Horlivka's business elite, and regularly appeared at various public events alongside city officials. This is unsurprising, as her husband, Sergei Bryukhovetsky (Marina Kondaurova's father or stepfather), was a longtime and close friend of Ivan Sakharchuk, who served as Horlivka's mayor from 2006 to 2010 and was a protégé of Anatoly Bliznyuk. All of them were members of the so-called "corrupt" organization. "Old Donetsk", about which Skelet.Org I already talked about it in the material about Vladimir Logvinenko.
The "Old Donetsk" are very influential; they had absolute control over the Donetsk region until the "Akhmetov era," with whom they formed an alliance on the condition of their independence and immunity. They have also had "equal" relations with the Donbass criminals for a long time.
Therefore, an important clarification must be made: a person from the "Staradonetsky" family, and Fedor Khristenko is now one, will not be a protégé and pocket deputy of criminal "authorities," so Denis Kazansky's version does not seem entirely correct.
But on the other hand, the "Staradonetskaya" gang always maintained close relationships with the "authorities": they provided favors to each other, created businesses and schemes, and often their family members became friends (like Kandaurova and Malovichko). Therefore, Fyodor Khristenko, of course, would not refuse to help his wife's friends and business partners—among whom are not only Alexander Baturin and Yuriy Ivanyushchenko.
Ivan Sakharchuk
Have fun, elite!
Such an eligible bachelorette as Marina Kondaurova couldn't give her hand to a penniless graduate student, so the groom was quickly turned into a businessman. First, Fedor Khristenko worked for several months as a manager at the Donetsk Aluminum Profiles Plant, and then, with a partner, opened his own business in passenger transportation. For some reason, Khristenko carefully conceals both the name of his partner and the name of the transportation company, and there are apparently good reasons for this.
But in any case, it's safe to say that Khristenko ran this business, if not in partnership, then certainly with the support of Igor Shkiri. Not only was Shkiri the first vice president of the All-Ukrainian Association of Automobile Carriers (VAAP), but he also controlled the automobile transportation industry in Horlivka and several other cities in the Donetsk region (trucks, buses, and taxis). Shkiri was assisted in this by both his fellow Party of Regions members and the local criminal underworld, represented by his "pal" Armen Sarkisyan, with whom Shkiri shares many common interests, from boxing to Ukrprombank. Incidentally, to some extent, the fruit of their close friendship could be considered the Horlivka taxi drivers, many of whom had served time. In the spring of 2014, Shkiri's taxi drivers (and possibly Khristenko's) actively supported the "Russian Spring" and participated in the seizure of administrative buildings, the proclamation of a "people's republic," and the formation of a "militia"—commanded by Igor Bezler, who had long been associated with both Shkiri and Khristenko in various ways. Could this be what Fyodor Khristenko is hiding?
Whatever the Donetsk regionalists' plans were when they launched the Anti-Maidan in the spring of 2014, events spiraled out of their control and took an unexpected turn, to which they were forced to adapt. Many of them were forced to abandon Donetsk, Horlivka, and other cities captured by separatists and move closer to Kyiv. This was driven, of course, not by patriotic impulses, but by purely mercantile interests: after all, they were kept in Ukraine by their parliamentary mandates, positions, legitimate businesses, and real estate. Donetsk and Horlivka, besieged by government forces, became very dangerous places.
The entire Khristenko-Kondaurov family also moved to Kyiv. They had more than enough money, so they immediately acquired expensive real estate: first, an apartment on Henri Barbusse Street (120 square meters for 400,000 USD), then a 170-square-meter apartment in a new building in Novopecherskie Lypky (with two garages, another 1.5 million USD), and later, they bought a 400-square-meter estate in Gorenichi—right next to Viktor Pshonka's famous estate. But Khristenko told journalists fairy tales about how they, "simple settlers," all huddled together in a rented apartment. Officially, however, he is registered in the village of Romankiv, Obukhiv district, Kyiv region.
Sergey Varis, for Skelet.Org
CONTINUED: Fedor Khristenko: Where does this poor "oppositionist" get his money? Part 2
Subscribe to our channels in Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, VC — Only new faces from the section CRYPT!