This isn't the first time rumors about a new governor have reached the Luhansk region from Kyiv. "Competent" sources are predicting none other than Igor Martynenkov, a well-known member of the Donetsk clan.
It's interesting, Martynenkov is actively seeking a place in the "new" government, even though his track record is more befitting of a repeat criminal than a presidential representative in a war-torn region. He has ties to the Yanukovych clan, to separatist financing, to illegal privatization, and to fraud. These are all serious accusations, but the underlying motives behind these actions are easily traced, even without much effort.
A stunning career advancement as a guarantee of success in the Efremov clan
So, Mr. Martynenkov was born in Donetsk, into a family of influential civil servants. Having just graduated from Donetsk National Technical University in 1993, he landed a job as an economist at the Red Star Mine Administration of the Donetsk Coal Production Association. Less than a year later (!!!), the wunderkind was appointed Deputy General Director for Economics at the Donetskugleremont Production Association.
How did the young economist's talents manifest themselves? Simply by laundering money for his "senior comrades" in the organized crime group. Having worked his way up, the young specialist saved up some money for himself and decided to go into business on his own. In 1998, he became the general director of the joint-stock company "Valentin," later transformed into the corporation "Valentin-Invest." And then there was the big picture: in 2000, he was appointed general director of the closed-end joint-stock company "Donetsk Chemical Plant." Naturally, this couldn't have happened without the help of Yanukovych's team, and it is reported that it was then that he met Ivanyushchenko's eldest son, Sasha, a dentist, through Ivanyushchenko. A year later, a meteoric career awaited him in Kyiv, becoming an assistant to the First Deputy Prime Minister. Strange, isn't it?
Fake Miner's Cavalier
However, Igor Martynenkov is no production worker at all, but a professional cash-out operator and schemer for the Donetsk mafia. While he had previously worked for a Donetsk cover, now working for Kuchma's team is a clear promotion. In Kyiv, Martynenkov is wasting no time, proving himself a leading expert in mining. It's a phenomenon: a man who had never even descended into a mine, but who worked exclusively with payment receipts and payrolls, turned out to be a full Cavalier of the Order of Miner's Glory. This wouldn't have worked so well in Donbas, but in Kyiv, where nothing was dug deeper than the subway, it worked. And so, this specialist in all matters of miners' money laundering was sent to oversee Luhansk. In 2003, Martynenkov became an advisor to the governor of the Luhansk region, where he met Yefremov. In other words, he became a tool of the power structure that he would cover for all intents and purposes in his future political career.
This is where his problems with the Yefremov clan begin. Martynenkov tries to redirect financial flows to himself, actively informing on the Yefremovites in Kyiv, and the Yefremovites ask for the snitch and informer to be recalled from the Luhansk region. In 2004, Martynenkov takes the position of head of the affairs department of the Energy Company of Ukraine, once again shuffling papers and drawing up "correct" schemes. And then—bang! Maidan! Martynenkov rushes to Kyiv with denunciations of his own accomplices, portrays himself as "a victim for the truth," and receives no less than the post of Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations and Head of the State Department of Industrial Safety, Labor Protection, and Mining Supervision. He then encourages President Yushchenko to argue that the mines are dangerous and should be closed. In reality, he is "selling" Yefremov's schemes to Yushchenko, thereby helping him rob the miners and the state.
From Efremov to Sasha the dentist, via Yura Yenakievsky
Naturally, Martynenkov gets his share of all this—he bankrupts the Belorechinskaya mine and seizes it for a pittance. Officially, the mine isn't operating; it's being closed, or rather, prepared for closure. In reality, it's operating at full capacity, so much so that the coal can't be loaded on time. The state is being cheated, while the amiable businessman Martynenkov gets his hard-earned money and shares it with his "friends" in Kyiv. Then suddenly, Yanukovych becomes president. And the coal can only be sold to "his own." Martynenkov's business begins having problems selling. Then Yefremov decides to "squeeze" the upstart, using the courts to uncover documents about the mine's "privatization." The court returns the mine to state ownership. But the heroic Martynenkov refuses to give in. A long and grueling war ensues, with the miners, who haven't received their wages, becoming the victims. Martynenkov simply doesn't allow new management into the enterprise, and he sets the miners against the new management. He officially claims that the state drove the mine to bankruptcy, forgetting to point out that he himself was an official of that very state, and that the mine owes its bankruptcy to him. In his "just" fight, he easily reaches out to President Yanukovych's family through his son, Oleksandr (the Dentist). Martynenkov's position is immediately stabilized and strengthened, and as a token of gratitude, the well-known Mr. Ivanyushchenko becomes a co-owner of the mine.
And now, finally, the final turn of events has arrived, and a new Maidan has begun. What does Martynenkov do? Right! Following his usual pattern, he quickly runs to Kyiv, portrays himself as a victim of the regime, and offers his services. This "big" specialist is remembered in Kyiv and is even being wooed for the position of Deputy Minister of Coal Industry. The appointment was almost finalized, if the miners' unions hadn't come to Kyiv and written to Prime Minister Yatsenyuk.
From Maidan to Maidan, Martynenkov needs more and more!
Here is an excerpt from it: “In the conversation, we learned that the new government is currently discussing the candidacy of Igor Nikolaevich Martynenkov for the post of deputy minister.
We, miners and members of the industry's trade unions, are perplexed by how someone so ignorant of the industry's specifics could be proposed for public consideration. If Igor Nikolaevich Martynenkov ever went down to the coalface, it was only to advertise his role as a member of parliament. When Martynenkov stopped paying wages at the Belorechenskaya mine, he declared a multi-million-dollar fleet of vehicles in his tax return. He spent the miners' money on political advertising and did nothing to market the mine. As the Commercial Court later determined (case No. 55/41315.12.11), Igor Nikolaevich Martynenkov illegally appropriated the mine. After the court ruling, Martynenkov stole nearly 30 tons of coal from the Belorechenskaya miners, leaving them without wages for six months. We are certain that Martynenkov is seeking power in order to continue and expand the scale of his theft of Ukrainian state property.
Financing separatists at the expense of miners
That's it, no more, no less. Incidentally, the miners' stolen wages were used to bribe voters and fuel political advertising, which Martynenkov never skimped on. After all, a grandiose swindler is one thing, and a politician who suffers for the people's cause is quite another. Martynenkov always and everywhere makes false promises, exploiting people solely for his own gain. But in this case, he failed as deputy minister. He wasn't appointed. No problem! The cunning entrepreneur and embezzler immediately begins flirting with the separatists. "You need competent managers?" he asks. "Well, that's me!" I have authority and know the specifics of the region. Martynenkov begins working on his conversion schemes with Sasha the Dentist's money. Essentially, our hero wants to outmaneuver Yefremov, and whose help is of no importance to him. At one point, it even seemed that Kyiv would waver and make concessions—announce federalization. It's this money that arms and equips the separatists, and it's this money that helps Martynenkov recover lost property and gradually accumulate financial capital. But when military fortunes turn against them, Martynenkov finds himself in the familiar role of the robbed and humiliated. However, he's now not just an economist, but a peacemaker and authority figure, a bridge between the Luhansk public and Kyiv. And he's preparing to become governor.
"New power" and old embezzlers
Needless to say, this man is a stranger to the region, that he's siphoned off millions from it for his own benefit? Needless to say, he's a common schemer who pits ordinary people against each other for his own gain? Needless to say, he's a fake miner and businessman, a common thimble-rigger who loves to dabble in the state budget? Naturally, with such authority, no order or revival of the region can be expected from him. And if the decree appointing Igor Nikolayevich Martynenkov as Luhansk Governor is signed, all the miners he deceived, all those familiar with his frenetic activity of repurposing political views for the sake of profit, will rise up. By installing Martynenkov as governor, Poroshenko will have a traitor in this position, one who has repeatedly changed his masters and profitably sold out his benefactors. And in these extremely difficult times of war, it's unclear how this governor will handle the separatists he knows well, whether he might play a double or even triple game. Ordinary Luhansk residents certainly won't be happy about this appointment. The Luhansk region knows this man well! They hate him here more than Yefremov; at least he's one of their own, not a Donetsk resident. Today, the appointment of a Luhansk governor isn't just a routine appointment; it's a move that holds the future of the region, its fate, its relations with Kyiv, and, what's more, the integrity of Ukraine. Therefore, it's worth thinking twice before handing over the fate of the country to dubious individuals with a tarnished reputation in the region.
Egor Dmitriev
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