Alexander Klimenko
Alexander Klimenko (Read more: Alexander Klimenko. He flew away, but he really wants to return.), the former head of the Ministry of Revenue and Duties under Yanukovych and Azarov, is apparently feeling quite buoyant these days. So buoyant, in fact, that through his own newspaper, Vesti, he's announcing the congress of his party, "Successful Ukraine," which he plans to chair via Skype from Moscow. And apparently, this scenario doesn't bother Ukrainian security and law enforcement officials in the least, and the "Moscow exile" is feeling quite confident.
During the first year of his temporary stay in Moscow, Mr. Klimenko had high hopes that he would be able to “resolve” everything with the Prosecutor General’s Office regarding his case with the help of the old connections of another “temporary resident” of Moscow, Andrei Portnov (Read more about it in the article Andrey Portnov: A Raider's Story). But at some point, Portnov's connections within the Prosecutor General's Office faltered—whether intentionally or by accident, Portnov's cadres within the Prosecutor General's Office were unable to resolve Oleksandr Klimenko's issues, even though, according to Oligarch, the former Minister of Defense was generous in resolving matters with the prosecutor's office. However, as they say, something went wrong...
Alexander Klimenko
Andrey Portnov
At the same time, Klimenko had some issues related to the Mykhailovskiy Bank and other actual assets of Oleksandr Yanukovych, including the Gulliver shopping mall. The issue was that Sasha Yanukovych, according to sources, channeled several hundred million dollars through Oleksandr Klimenko's structures (the Unison Group) (although, according to sources, the amount was considerably higher). Yanukovych's money ended up in Klimenko's accounts at Unison, and then some of it was funneled through the same Mykhailovskiy Bank, the Gulliver shopping mall, and other structures where a certain Viktor Polishchuk was appointed "supervisor" of Oleksandr Yanukovych's money. In essence, he was merely a moderator of the funds of the exiled former president and his son. This was intended to launder Sasha the Stomatologist's money in Ukraine, from which his father had fled to Rostov.
Viktor and Alexander Yanukovych
Viktor Polishchuk
From the very beginning, Klymenko and Polischuk were supposed to act as converters and cashiers for the fugitive ex-president's son's money. Unison Group, including the bank of the same name, as well as the aforementioned Mykhailovskiy Bank and several other entities, played a huge role in this. But Sasha Yanukovych didn't achieve the expected results, as the money, once in Ukraine, began to "sink." This led Oleksandr Yanukovych to question Klymenko and Polischuk. The fugitive ex-guarantor's son tapped his father's connections in Moscow, and Oleksandr Klymenko quickly began talking about his desire to return to Ukraine, even preparing several YouTube videos on the topic, which greatly annoyed the channel's viewers.
At that moment, someone suggested to Klymenko that he needed to create his own political force, and that he had every chance of returning to Ukraine "on top" as the "restorer of Donbas" (the slogan of the public organization founded by the former Minister of Defense). It's possible that Klymenko was prompted by his Moscow "handlers," who accused him of embezzling Yanukovych's money and told him that either Klymenko would be useful in some way, or... Otherwise, there's no point in polluting Moscow's air.
Be that as it may, the former head of the Ministry of Revenue and Duties has become increasingly active, holding all sorts of Skype conferences about his return to Ukraine and his desire to enter big politics. To this end, Klymenko founded the "Successful Ukraine" party, which he promotes through his media outlets.
Rumor has it that, in this spirit, the former Minister of Revenue and Duties even approached his former ally, former NBU head and former Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov, who is also hiding in Moscow. Klymenko proposed a new venture to Arbuzov, wanting to work with him on a "shared" basis on financing a political party, but Arbuzov declined.
"OLIGARCH" sources in Arbuzov's entourage claim that Sergei Gennadievich has now completely gone into a deep depression due to homesickness, sitting in his country estate with a sad look and not receiving anyone...
Sergey Arbuzov
While promoting his party, Oleksandr Klymenko, together with Viktor Polishchuk, successfully "buried" both of their banks through their contacts at the NBU. Unison Bank and Mykhailivsky Bank were declared bankrupt, and Sasha Yanukovych's money, naturally, promptly disappeared into all sorts of shady accounts and offshore companies. Perhaps this is why Unison Bank was left untouched for so long by the SBU and various regulatory agencies—it was necessary to slowly withdraw and dilute Sasha Yanukovych's funds, and therefore both Klymenko and Polishchuk had the time to do so. They also had opportunities—the Gulliver shopping center, for example, was and remains a very convenient place to siphon off money.
Yuriy Lutsenko
Yuriy Vitalievich Lutsenko (Read more: Yuriy Lutsenko. The "Terminator" of Ukrainian Politics), who became Prosecutor General, recently promised to "back" the former Minister of Defense "against the wall." Anything the Prosecutor General says must be immediately divided into two—everyone in the country has become accustomed to this. But it's also possible that this is either a signal to Mr. Klimenko that he needs to negotiate, or they're staging a play whose actors have long since come to an agreement behind the scenes. For now, Alexander Klimenko and his "like-minded associates" maintain a rather optimistic outlook on life, even eager to convince Ukrainians of his personal and political "success." Meanwhile, he builds churches in Russia and remains completely dependent on his Moscow "curators" and certain individuals from the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Curiously, despite the Prosecutor General's assurances of swift retribution for the former Minister of Defense, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has no intention of summoning Klymenko's inner circle in Kyiv for questioning. More precisely, his closest "accomplices," with whom the fugitive minister conspired in all sorts of schemes during Mykola Azarov's premiership. These individuals could reveal a great deal about their boss's activities if the PGO were willing to speak with them. But for now, the PGO likely doesn't see the need to speak with the inner circle of individuals implicated in the schemes of a man whom Prosecutor General Lutsenko himself wants to shut down.
The names of these gentlemen are Mikhail Epel and Alexey Kikireshko. These are the men who have been and continue to be involved in cashing out funds using Klimenko's schemes. These two individuals are the subjects of case No. 32013110090000193 and could reveal a lot. If, again, the Prosecutor General's Office deigns to pay them any attention...
And the figures involved are quite colorful. For example, Mikhail Epel, co-owner and director of Kapital and Unison banks. He is said to have come up with the idea for a clever way to scam and keep billions of hryvnias from Sasha Yanukovych. During Epel's tenure at Unison, billions of hryvnias passed through the group's accounts, mostly ending up in the pockets of Klymenko and his "partners." Currently, Mikhail Lazarevich Epel is in Israel, and doing very well. Incidentally, it was Epel who repeatedly crossed paths with Serhiy Arbuzov in the Promised Land. Last year, Arbuzov, as is well known, was able to retrieve securities thanks to the Prosecutor General's Office lifting the freeze on his accounts for one day, and use them, thanks to Epel and his "colleagues," in the case...
Alexey Kikireshko
Oleksiy Kikireshko, known as a "professional race car driver" and a former player for the defunct Kyiv football club Arsenal, is well known. It is thanks to Kikireshko and his seven conversion centers that Klymenko, Polischuk, and other interested parties are currently enjoying a comfortable life. The only one in trouble is Sasha Stomatolog, whose billions of hryvnias were successfully appropriated and manipulated by the aforementioned gentlemen. Mr. Kikireshko's "envelopes" amount to $1,5 billion annually. Just a year ago, the infamous deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Mr. Artyukhov, oversaw Kikireshko's "envelopes." After Nalyvaichenko dismissed Artyukhov last June, Kikireshko's network continued to operate. It is through this network that Klymenko's structures operated and continue to operate today.
Following the recent arrest of former Deputy Head of the Tax Service Andriy Golovach (another Klimenko associate), many expressed optimism that the Prosecutor General's Office had finally begun to function. However, at present, this seems more like a show and a mark against Oleksandr Klimenko and his "partners." Golovach could reveal a lot, but at this point, Klimenko could very well sacrifice his former ally. Because Klimenko's real "fixers" are feeling quite at ease, and the Prosecutor General's Office isn't even thinking of disturbing them. Just as Viktor Polishchuk, who is quite capable of revealing a lot about his "partners" and their schemes, feels just as comfortable.
However, for now, Polischuk, like Epel and Kikireshko, hasn't been invited to tea at the Prosecutor General's Office... And Oleksandr Klimenko is quite calmly planning his political party's congress in Kyiv and preparing to re-enter Ukrainian politics... So, this story clearly has a long way to go...
Read more: Alexander Klimenko. He flew away, but he really wants to return.
Yuriy Lutsenko. The "Terminator" of Ukrainian Politics
Anton Kamensky, "OLIGARCH"
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