Sergei Shakhov
Death, poverty, robbery, living in basements, queues for water, no electricity, and no confidence in the future—these are the realities of the Luhansk region, in which eastern Ukrainians either live or recently lived.
Today, the Ukrainian army has managed to recapture a number of districts. With great difficulty, people are beginning to reacquaint themselves with civilian life. Nevertheless, there remain those who are personally responsible for the war that was unleashed, who are on first-name terms with the bloodshed. And now these people are striving for power, using any dirty tricks and methods. They are striving as a team, even if they are in different districts.
The key figure of the Luhansk "war team", who has been stubbornly trying to get into the seat of a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada for several years, is a notorious politician Sergey SHAKHOVThis political weathervane deserves special attention on the eve of the elections. Shakhov is not just a corrupt official and a close friend of the family of fugitive President Yanukovych. He is dangerous because, as it turns out, he was directly and deeply involved in the creation of the LPR. And he is responsible for the rivers of bloodshed in the Luhansk region, for the troubles.
Of course, such statements cannot be left unfounded.
Let's begin with the history of Sergei Shakhov's recent "political" activities. In the spring of 2012, a vote-buying network of unprecedented scale and audacity was launched in the Luhansk region, and later in part of Donetsk. Some called this structure a financial pyramid, but Shakhov himself affectionately preferred to call it "the system."
The system didn't bother with any particular secrecy. It was simple, and therefore unique. For those who haven't heard much about this political scam in the press, we'll describe its algorithm.
First, the future voter received a "membership card." This was done practically officially—the recipient had to fill out a form, providing almost all of their personal information. Afterward, they were given a booklet containing 30 tear-off barcodes, each of which entitled them to 50 hryvnia. The distributions themselves were carried out in stages—waves of sorts, reaching the electorate every two to three weeks. This gradual process kept the "benefactor's" fickle target audience in a state of mild suspense. The electorate was "fed" and increasingly aligned with the candidate.
The psychological maneuver of Shakhov's technologists proved foolproof in the realities of the impoverished cities. For the recipients, the fact that the fifty-kopeck piece was not a one-time distribution played a particularly important role. Seeing the number of barcodes and doing some simple arithmetic, they realized they were holding the coveted sum, the fulfillment of quite tangible desires—a whole fifteen hundred hryvnia! Consequently, the ratings of the previously unknown candidates from Shakhov's team (and Sergei Vladimirovich himself) soared like yeast dough.
The management of the "system" was built on the same principles as the once-infamous MMM: those responsible for the "bribes" were appointed—twenty-man, hundreds, top managers, and so on. It was this similarity that first gave rise to the comparison, and then the persistent label of a financial pyramid, thanks to which people were deceived.
So, the staff recruited people for a "non-binding" 50 hryvnia. They claimed it was financial assistance, almost charity. Therefore, they didn't skimp on brazenness in their work. The money was handed out openly, and the police preferred to play the three Chinese monkeys: "See nothing, hear nothing, say nothing." And this despite the fact that some of "Sergey Shakhov's offices" were located in close proximity, and sometimes literally across from, police stations in various cities.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, the "system" had at least 30 recruits in each district. The mastermind and de facto leader of this scheme was a man named Sergei FIL. And now, pay attention. This man is now running for the 112th district as if nothing had happened! Of course, he's playing the role of a technical candidate, but can there be any doubt whose interests he and his cronies represent on the precinct commissions?
FIL discovered his talents as a "bribe-taker" and recruiter while still on the team of former Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi. With Shakhov, he managed to refine, improve, and develop it somewhat. But even with this unique scheme, these political swindlers still failed to gain entry into parliament.
Incidentally, we'll discuss how Sergei Shakhov acquired such enormous funds for such a massive bribery a little later. For now, let's mention that he has more than just business ties to the Yanukovych family. He's a distant relative.
Shakhov lost the election for one simple reason. In the fall of 2012, Yanukovych Sr. arrived in Luhansk Oblast, and the region's "overseers" complained that the police were inactive, and that Yanukovych Jr., Shakhov's godfather (the godfather of his son, Sergei Vladimirovich), was preventing them from getting active. They explained to "Papa" that if Shakhov wasn't "locked up," he would outshine all the venerable regional leaders, and the Verkhovna Rada wouldn't have the necessary number of single-member candidates. Yanukovych Sr. was "offended" that Shakhov hadn't coordinated his large-scale campaign with him and ordered the security forces to unleash their "hounds" at full speed.
A criminal case was opened against Shakhov, several top officials of the "pyramid" were jailed, and regional media outlets unanimously convinced the electorate that every fifty rubles taken from Shakhov meant a long prison sentence. The ploy succeeded – many feared the pressure and simply did not show up at the polling stations on election day.
Now let's move on to the main news item. Here's evidence that it was precisely the structure built by Shakhov that was used by the separatists in the early stages and allowed the nightmare of war to escalate with unstoppable speed and ferocity.
As a reminder, Sergei Shakhov's "system" covered five electoral districts: 106, 107, 109, 111, and 112. Geographically, these are the cities of Luhansk, Krasnodon, Pervomaysk, Alchevsk, Antratsyt, Kirovsk, Bryanka, Stakhanov, Severodonetsk, Lisichansk, Rubizhne, and the Antratsyt and Lutuhinsky districts. This clearly demonstrates the boundaries of Shakhov's "system." Incidentally, in 2014, the "hilling" districts not only remained unchanged, but actually expanded—from 106 to 114 inclusive.
Now let's look at the boundaries of the original epicenter of the LPR. Does this ring a bell?
This is practically a replica of Sergei Shakhov's "system," which simply used its existing resources to sow chaos in the Luhansk region and drown it in blood. Meanwhile, he cynically traveled across the country and appeared on dozens of live broadcasts, extolling what a peace-loving person he was and how he supported peace. Yet, the only difference between the borders of the "system" and the LPR at that time was the Rovenki-Sverdlovsk region. But this section of the Luhansk region had no chance of surviving, as it was literally squeezed between the LPR, DPR, and the Russian border.
This factual evidence alone should have prompted the current government to open a criminal case against Shakhov for infringing on Ukraine's territorial integrity. But apparently, the current government is already in on it, and no one is prosecuting the political fraudster.
Let's dig deeper. The executive staff of the "system" carried out a titanic effort, which consisted of "combing" all the low-income segments of the Luhansk region's population. It was these people, identified by the managers in March-April 2014, who became the backbone of the embittered segment of the population. These people either took up arms or decided to act as human shields. As for the newly emerged popular leaders of the resistance, no one really knew them because they were lost in the general human mass.
Let's continue hammering nails into Sergei Shakhov's "coffin of indictment." Do you know who headed the security service for one of Sergei Shakhov's key candidates in Horlivka during the 2012 elections? Igor Bezler. Do you know him? That's right – the very same Demon. The very same terrorist who earned his nickname for being particularly sadistic and cruel as an evil spirit. And not only toward Ukrainian soldiers but also toward his fellow countrymen.
After just a few months of working for one of the candidates, he moved directly to Stakhanov, where Shakhov's central headquarters was located, and took charge of security for the entire "system." Officially, his job was to ensure the candidates' safety. It was the future "Bes" who escorted his boss to Moscow immediately after the criminal case against him was opened.
Bezler is even credited with plotting the assassination of Sergei Dunayev, who was unwilling to compromise with Shakhov's men in Lisichansk (where he won the election). Shakhov ultimately lost. Moreover, Bes worked within Shakhov's system until he became an influential figure in the LPR. Only then did he go freelance.
As for BEZLER's unofficial work, under the watchful eye of Sergei SHAKHOV, he personally created lists and conducted preliminary interviews with future militants. These were the ones who were prepared to kill and torture not only "enemies" but also their neighbors, friends, and acquaintances. We doubt whether Bes himself knew about the upcoming events, but he accomplished his mission brilliantly – the LPR erupted in a matter of days, and all the recruited militants fulfilled their assigned duties. The LPR erupted on its own, igniting the land with a fiery fire.
Can you imagine what will happen if "Shakhov and company" gets into parliament and gains immunity? They'll instantly bring bloodshed and murder back to the Luhansk region. After all, family ties are choking Shakhov. And Sergei Vladimirovich's past "business dealings" are enough to warrant several life sentences.
Recently, renowned journalist Tatyana Chornovol focused her investigation on this figure specifically for his ties to the "Family" and the previous government. These ties are so close that there's no doubt Shakhov still represents Yanukovych's interests and his business model.
Here's what she writes: "I first heard the name Shakhova from my husband in 2011. He advised me to take an interest in this guy, as he'd heard that Shakhov was a money launderer. At the time, Shakhov had a reputation for doing so, and my husband also saw his photo in Donetsk media, where, during Yanukovych's visit to Yenakiyevo, Party of Regions deputies and influential people from the region were expelled for their ribbons, and Shakhova was standing next to the President and his son."
Moreover, a detailed analysis of documents found in Shakhov's Kyiv office at 35 Gonchar Street unequivocally indicated to the journalist that Serhiy Shakhov was in constant contact with the Yanukovych family, Pshonka, and Azarov. He helped them launder huge sums of stolen state funds. And here's the answer to the question posed above. In fact, it was precisely with the interest from these "launderings" that Shakhov carried out his unique campaign of voter bribery!
Incidentally, Tatyana Chornovol also found evidence that voters weren't the only ones being bribed en masse. The relevant folder contained documents whose contents would shock any sane person:
"To the investigator for cooperation" - 2000 dollars", "through Polikarp in the criminal case of S.V., the court on the measure of restraint" - 5000 USD", "through Polikarp in 2 criminal cases, the issue was resolved in court, the case was suspended for 1 month - 30,000 USD", "forgery of the drawing of lots in district 107 - 120,000 UAH", "covering up from the cops - 16,000", "OVK (Gratitude) - 2 million 168 UAH" (for 9 districts), "DVK (gratitude) - 6 million UAH" (for 9 districts), "fighters during the election campaign" - 72,000 UAH)", "athletes on election day - 395,000", "weapons - 32,000".
And so this "honest" politician is trying to get into parliament in the 106th district, again using every possible dirty trick and even securing the support of the new government, which is quite pleased with a political weathervane like Sergei Shakhov. But Shakhov himself only wants war and chaos in the Luhansk region. That same murky water in which he can pan for as much gold as possible. And do you know who will give him the most money? The European Union, which is ready to donate billions of euros for the reconstruction of Donbas. Whether a single kopeck will reach Donbas or everything will end up in the pockets of Shakhov and company is a rhetorical question, and the answer is obvious.
But Shakhov, while a key player in the current government's political team, is far from the only one. For example, Vladimir Guslavsky, known throughout the district, is running in the 112th district and is now trying his best to prove a fantastical claim: he didn't surrender the Luhansk region to terrorists. It's ridiculous to hear this coming from a man who personally gave orders to escort armed groups, create safe passages for their transport, and equipped the so-called titushki with not only bladed weapons but also firearms.
Yes, he personally gave the order to surrender the Luhansk police department to armed separatists. When terrorists came to his department, instead of protecting his fellow countrymen, Guslavsky fled his post and handed over law enforcement to the bandits. He allowed the blood of civilians to be spilled.
Anyone even slightly familiar with this man knows how steeped in corruption he is. He cultivated bribery over decades. Back in the 90s, he accepted literally everything as a bribe. Seeing such "zeal," employees were promoted, and they, in turn, raised the stakes for their own gratitude. Gradually, Guslavsky gained control of several kopankas, acquired substantial plots of land, and expanded his network of scrap metal collection businesses. Sources in the Ministry of Internal Affairs clarified that Guslavsky paid a million dollars a month for his tenure as head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Luhansk region. Now consider how deeply entrenched in corruption a "princely" must be to collect such a monthly tribute.
And today, he works hand in hand with Shakhov only because they also share long-standing business ties. He was happy to help Shakhov engage in illegal business, taking on the cashing out of funds. This involved Shakhov's pits, as well as metal and currency transactions. Overall, Guslavsky received a huge percentage of his assistance, which allowed him to rise through the ranks in a matter of years.
And now the war in the Luhansk region is absolutely essential to him. Because only the destruction of the entire region can help him "put the brakes" on his personal crimes not only against the state but also against humanity. And he will only be able to unleash a new massacre if he has the protection of a parliamentary seat and the immunity that comes with it.
Moving on. Victor TOPOLOV – one of the money men for Shakhov's team in the current political race. He has been friends with Shakhov for a long time, and they have carried out many major financial scams together. Now, Topolov has received the green light to run in the 107th district. Moreover, the green light was conveyed to him through Shakhov, who has "golden-handed" the right people in Kyiv.
TOPOLOV deserves credit for his skillful play as a dark horse throughout his career, preferring to remain behind the scenes and in the shadows of more ambitious, riskier partners. TOPOLOV was a regular visitor to Sergei Shakhov's office in Stakhanov, and negotiations with Sergei Vladimirovich often dragged on until late at night. Businessmen don't drop by so often or for so long just to "chat." Apparently, Viktor TOPOLOV already understood that he was investing not so much in Shakhov's political career as in a new republic of chaos. And, furthermore, in the opportunity to carry out the dirtiest deeds under the cover of weapons and lawlessness.
At the same time, TOPOLOV is a savvy businessman. He understands that investments must work and generate profit. Therefore, sources close to him claim that if he wins the upcoming elections, he will immediately take over the Severodonetsk Thermal Power Plant. Following this acquisition, residents will face immediate and significant tariff increases. After all, both election campaigns have already cost TOPOLOV a significant amount, and he must recoup this money during his term in office.
It wouldn't be difficult for him to do just that, because Shakhov and his cronies had already perfected the scheme for arbitrary housing and utilities abuses back in Stakhanov, where they created the "Vozrozhdenie" enterprise. This enterprise immediately raised tariffs, plundered and completely destroyed the existing infrastructure, organized a campaign of persecution against debtors, and then, essentially, self-liquidated.
However, the scenario with the thermal power plant will be different – the city has a fairly good utility infrastructure, so the power plant won't be scrapped. But jacking up tariffs and dumping protesters in the fields and burying them there is entirely in keeping with the style of Shakhov's team of today.
And no one is clearly planning to abandon the old schemes. It's enough to recall that when TOPOLOV was Minister of the Coal Industry (2005-2006), he laundered money for SHAKHOV and covered up his mining operations. This arrangement worked very successfully until the region's new masters took over.
Another member of the current SHAKHOV team is a well-known character in the Luhansk region. This is – Vladimir LANDIK Running in District 112 and known for his physical abuse. Let's recall just one of the high-profile incidents. When a traffic police officer stopped his car for a serious traffic violation, Landik Sr. responded inappropriately, ordering his security guards to beat up the "insolent inspector." For what? For daring to conscientiously perform his duties.
The situation is further cynical when Vladimir LANDIK later claims that the law enforcement officer wasn't beaten, but that he inflicted the blows on himself! This latest "king" was utterly convinced of the vast idiocy of the public, who can be sold any kind of nonsense. Thankfully, the public outcry proved him wrong, and LANDIK was forced to admit his guilt and apologize to the police officer.
Incidentally, apparently hitting anyone and everyone is a family trait. Remember how Vladimir LANDIK's son, Roman, decided to show off his ability to beat up a girl with impunity at a restaurant in Luhansk? By coincidence, the victim turned out to be model Maria Korshunova, who suffered a concussion and a brazen "it's her own fault" lie from LANDIK Jr. for no apparent reason.
Perhaps, if there hadn't been video recording of this entire conflict, the scandal would have been hushed up at its inception. Moreover, it was the pugnacious father, Vladimir Landik, who emerged as the young sadist's most ardent defender. Without a second thought, he declared that he would sue all media outlets that dared "slander his son." However, documentary evidence forced the MP to remain silent for a long time. The video clearly showed that the drunken MP's son provoked the girl to defend herself. The evidence of Landik's guilt is clear. Nevertheless, the trials continue to this day, no doubt thanks to the intercession of his powerful father, Roman.
The last person who belongs to the "core" of Shakhov's current team evokes the most mixed feelings. This is Gennady Moskal. As it turns out, Moskal's appointment as governor of the Luhansk region was precisely due to a good word for him from a member of the "Family," Sergei Shakhov. He demonstrated that he could oversee the activities of the new governor and ensure that the ruling party gets the candidates it needs into the Rada. Not those elected by the people. Not those who can improve life in the region, but exclusively puppets under their control who will continue to sow chaos in the region. In a once glorious region that Kyiv has long since written off as junk.
True, Moskal's puppet turned out to be quite cowardly, and even more so, with a bad reputation. Here's an interesting example. As soon as Moskal arrived in the region, he planned to meet with the heads of village councils in the town of Popasnaya. That same day, the town was suddenly bombarded with Grad missiles. So the capital's hero decided that public support couldn't be more valuable than his own skin and simply forgot about the much-needed trip. Not only was the town likely suffering precisely because of the bigwig's impending visit, but he also decided to ignore the victims and take a break.
Moreover, MOSKAL is now also playing the role of a powerful administrative resource in the elections. How? It's very simple. On the spot, he's sending out "petitions" to move district centers from areas where pro-government candidates are unstable. Thus, like a true magician, he managed to pull off a trick called "District 104 turns into District 113."
As Vitaly Belyak, one of the independent candidates in the 104th district, told us, this rotation was done deliberately to undermine the efforts of those candidates who wanted to work for the electorate, not Kyiv. Now, there's virtually no hope left of representing the interests of the people who actually live in these districts. And Gennady Moskal will do everything necessary to ensure the electoral map is dismantled and reassembled like a puzzle at the first sign from the capital.
Shakhov and his company have struck a deal with the ruling party to stifle the hated voice of the East once and for all. After all, it was the residents of Eastern Ukraine who, throughout the years of independence, had a key influence on the voting process. Certainly not in favor of those who have now come to power. So they want to stifle the East, so that it will never again express its unruly will.
P.S. In the 2014 elections, Shakhov and his team once again "won" a whole slew of districts. And in each one, they're trying to ensure victory for their protégés. Remember these people. Shakhov's team is represented by: ALEKSANDR ANATOLIEVICH KOLOMOITSEV and DMITRY YURYEVICH BURKOV in District 109; Vladimir PETROVICH KRIVORUCHKO in District 110; and Nikolai Mikhailovich Gapochka and Valery Zakharovych Moshensky in District 114. These are completely new faces on Shakhov's team, but they're certainly not new to the Luhansk region. We'll tell you about their exploits in future articles.
PSS: It may seem like ordinary people have no choice. This isn't true. The fact is, there are only two most lucrative scenarios for any corrupt official: low turnout and a very small ratings gap between candidates. Therefore, residents of the Luhansk region must gather their courage, make sure to go to the polls, and under no circumstances cast their votes for those who are trying with all their might not only to take away their well-being but also their most precious possession—their lives.
Source: Vlast.no
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