Odessa has long been a hotbed of business and criminal showdowns. Not long ago, we wrote about the "exploits" of Igor Markov, a criminal and a separatist, as well as about the "king" of Odessa smuggling, Vadim AlperinToday we'll tell you about one of the most influential clans in Odessa and the surrounding region—the Kruk family. This family is a prime example of nepotism, heavily entangled in the fusion of business and government.
Yuri Kruk Jr.
So, Yuriy Borisovich Kruk's father had three sons: Vyacheslav Yulievych, Boris Yulievych, and Yuriy Yulievych. This youngest has been embroiled in high-profile scandals lately, so we'll start with him. Yuriy Kruk Jr., who held lucrative positions as head of the Yuzhny port and then head of the Ilyichevsk port in the Odessa region from 2007 until recently, was known in certain circles as "the man of conflict" and "Yura the barrier." His father, MP Yuriy Borisovich Kruk, pushed him into these positions, then a young man. He went to extraordinary lengths to help his son find work. As a member of parliament for the BYuT, he constantly blackmailed his boss by withdrawing her signature from the coalition agreement. And in 2007, he finally got his way: his son was appointed to the Yuzhny port (an appointment marked by various scandals and corporate raids). In 2012, Kruk Sr. defected to the Party of Regions. The following year, his son was appointed head of the Ilyichevsk port.
As both port directors, Kruk Jr. took a kickback of approximately three dollars per ton of cargo. In return, the port didn't harass the shipowner with long delays or overlooked the lack of certain documents. Moreover, some port fees—canal, pilotage, sanitary, and so on—could be paid through the cashier's office or through Kruk Jr.'s offices. Naturally, the latter was cheaper and faster. Both Ilyichevsk and Yuzhny are large ports, so the director pocketed a hefty sum of $64 million annually. But there were some companies that only wanted or could operate legally. These companies were subjected to as much pressure as possible at these ports. Loading and unloading were delayed, inspections were lengthy and meticulous—in short, they did everything they could to extract a kickback. As a result, Yuzhny port's cargo turnover fell by 40 percent during Kruk's tenure there. The situation is the same with Ilyichevsk. Before its arrival, the port handled almost one hundred thousand cars a year, but since its arrival, that number has dropped to thirty thousand. Respected automakers such as Renault, Hyundai, Nissan and Infiniti, Honda and Acura, Mazda, Suzuki, BYD, Lifan, Geely, Toyota and Lexus, Subaru, Peugeot, and Citroen have all abandoned Ilyichevsk. Until recently, the Krukov clan member got away with all this, and only this year, thanks to the efforts of Governor Saakashvili, with the support of President Poroshenko, was he… no, not jailed, but merely suspended from his duties pending an internal investigation.
Vyacheslav Yulievich Kruk
What about the other family members? Yuriy's older brother, Vyacheslav Yulievych, is quite interesting. He's also a civil servant. He was once deputy mayor of Odesa, then first deputy minister of ecology from 2003 to 2005. Ecology, as we've already written, is a very profitable business. Odesans eager to solve "environmental" problems would bring suitcases full of money to Vyacheslav Yulievych at the Otrada Hotel. As the song goes, everyone in Odesa knew about this. But these are just rumors. In 2014, Vyacheslav Kruk was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The case concerned the illegal takeover of the Ukrainian National Stevedoring Company (UNSC) in the interests of the State Food and Grain Company of Ukraine (SFGCU). The deal was clearly corrupt, and Vyacheslav Yulievych oversaw it. However, he didn't serve long. At first he was released on bail, but now the case is being dragged out and, apparently, there are no plans to bring it to court.
Boris Yulievich Kruk
The "average" one is Boris Yulievych Kruk, the least publicized of the family. According to some reports, he runs currency conversion centers in his native Odessa, as well as VAT refund scams. This is a business that doesn't like noise and fuss. He is reportedly involved in thirty or so companies and the "Planet of Good People" charitable foundation; foundations are always convenient for tax "optimization" and money laundering. Furthermore, he and Denis Novatsky, the son of the mayor of Yuzhny, control the transshipment of chemical products through the port. Apparently, this business is a holdover from the days when his "younger" brother was the port's director.
Yuri (Julius) Borisovich Kruk
And finally, the father of the family, Yuriy (Yuliy) Borisovich Kruk. A former member of parliament, he served on the Committee on Transport and the Subcommittee on Maritime and River Transport. He is also president of the Association of Ukrainian Ports. In short, he's, as they say, in the know. As a politician, he personally hasn't been involved in any scandals, except those related to the family business, but we'll get to that below. But when parliamentary candidate Vyacheslav Strashilin was running in his constituency, despite being a member of the then-ruling Party of Regions, he received a call "from the Kruks" promising that the ground would "burn under his feet." He also had another scandal with the son of the Odessa governor, Mykola Pundik. The disagreement arose over the sale of Izmail city property.
As for the Kruk clan's joint property, there have been scandals as well. The most high-profile of these involved the Maristella residential and entertainment center on Bolshoi Fontan. To build this complex, the family seized a boat dock from the city. It was built in violation of all environmental regulations, on landslide-prone land. Initially, local authorities strongly opposed the construction, but eventually reached an agreement. Furthermore, their interests include companies beginning with the word "Into," such as the Into Sana clinic, whose inaction once led to the death of the famous actor Krasko. However, according to recent reports, this business is being sold to the Americans.
Lilia Tomashevskaya's sex scandal
But the Kruk family isn't limited to those who proudly bear that name. It also includes such figures as Lilia Tomashevskaya, head of the Odessa KRU, a figure in a sex scandal and a fan of strippers.
And also such characters as Gennady Kazachenko, the brother-in-law of Vyacheslav Kruk, who was caught taking a bribe of 100 thousand hryvnia, deputy Pavel Unguryan, and, of course, minor ones, Baptist priests, heads of district administrations, and heads of companies associated with Yuzhny and Ilichevsk.
Wikipedia says that a "kruk" is a type of raven. Coincidence? And despite the new times, the Kruks circle over Odessa, snatching ever more tasty morsels. And they are especially dangerous because of their clannishness and family organization. Incidentally, Yuriy Borisovich has fourteen grandchildren growing up. If they continue the family tradition, Odessa won't be able to feed them.
Denis Ivanov, for SKELET-info
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