Ukraine's recent history is rich in crimes and mysterious deaths of politicians, public figures, and other figures that remain unsolved. Vyacheslav Chornovol, Yevhen Shcherban, Akhat Bragin, Georgiy Gongadze, Yuriy Kravchenko, Maksym Kurochkin, and other crimes remain shrouded in mystery. In some cases, the perpetrators are known, but those who ordered the killings remain undisclosed; in others, the crime was disguised as suicide or accident. However, the events of the past year in the country have eclipsed all previous high-profile crimes—the mass murders in central Kyiv in February, terrorism, genocide, and the war in eastern Ukraine have eclipsed earlier, unsolved crimes in Ukraine's recent history due to their sheer scale. Perhaps this was precisely what those who decided to assassinate Valentyna Semenyuk-Samsonenko this summer were counting on. The clients understood that when the country is at war, no one will really investigate the death of the former head of the State Property Fund—they have no time. It's fashionable these days to blame everything on the war and use it as a cover. So far, that's exactly what's happening. While the investigation initially chose the "premeditated murder" version of Semenyuk-Samosonenko's death, forensic experts are now leaning toward suicide. Which, in fact, was expected.
Naturally, the suicide theory is plausible. History has seen many things, and suicides have varied. For example, the death of former Interior Minister Kravchenko is generally considered a murder, but there are well-founded theories that suggest it was suicide. That a person is capable of shooting themselves in the head twice in a row while in a state of emotional distress, and so on... And that Kravchenko committed suicide because, had he otherwise spoken out about the Gongadze case (for which he was summoned for questioning by the Prosecutor General's Office before his death), his children would have been in danger. You can read about this here... Perhaps something similar happened to Semenyuk. Either she was forced to commit suicide, again due to threats to the lives of her loved ones, or it was a well-planned and concealed murder...
Forensic experts say there was only one person in the house at the time of Semenyuk-Samsonenko's death… Photo source: www.eastkorr.net
Semenyuk-Samsonenko's relatives have different accounts. She said she was "targeted" and that she feared for her life. The only question is—why did they keep quiet? Only one thing comes to mind: Valentina Semenyuk knew who was posing the threat and hoped everything would work out. And she knew the target of the threat very well. That is, she thought the person would come to their senses. Or she negotiated some conditions that proved too much for the target. In any case, the former head of the State Property Fund knew a great deal. And about many people in this country. And it's possible that this information killed her... Especially considering that Semenyuk's death occurred in the midst of all sorts of haggling and battling for a place in the new parliament.
The former head of the State Property Fund had many enemies…. Photo source: ru.tsn.ua
Most murders are for money. That's if we're talking about high-profile crimes like these. Fear of losing power, fear of exposure, and the sidelining of competitors can all be factored into this equation. But the principle is the same: money. Money that comes from that same power. But killing an official of Semenyuk's caliber, even a former one, is only a last resort. Initially, they try to "resolve the matter" another way. Again, they offer money. And if the person refuses, then other methods are sought...
Perhaps the author of these lines is exaggerating. And it's possible that this was a classic suicide due to depression and some personal reasons—for example, an incurable illness, etc. But the author has no such information. There is another. That Semenyuk was deeply troubled by something in recent days; she constantly sought advice from her fellow SPU party members, constantly attended meetings. According to some reports, she was preparing to go to parliament and was conducting negotiations. One gets the feeling that either Semenyuk knew something that could hinder someone, or she was trying to hinder someone's actions herself. As the former head of the State Property Fund, she couldn't influence anything, but she could hinder someone, and she knew something... And she could have spread information that could have caused great harm to someone...
The author of these lines was acquainted with Valentina Semenyuk-Samosonenko. It should be noted that the former head of the State Property Fund, despite her apparent sociability and openness, was a person of her own and, as they say, "knew her own mind." This was palpable in personal conversations. Valentina Semenyuk was a very reserved, if not downright private, person, and very intelligent. She knew how to listen, assess situations, and quickly draw the right conclusions. Her vast experience in politics taught her to trust no one and to remain silent rather than speak. But she was also an emotional person and, in the heat of an argument or anger, could make very harsh remarks, and, if necessary, threaten someone... Many who surrounded her knew this. Valentina Semenyuk had many enemies. Many knew that she was capable of sticking to her principles and causing trouble. And that reaching an amicable agreement with her was often impossible.
Konstantin Hrygoryshyn
Semenyuk could easily mess up someone's plans and deprive them of fabulous profits, or even enterprises promising billions in revenue. In particular, as she told the author of these lines, during her tenure as head of the State Property Fund, there was a time when she came under intense pressure due to her refusal to hand over Turboatom to private hands, that is, to allow it to be privatized. In this sense, Valentina Semenyuk was heavily courted by the communists, whom she detested. The "fledglings of Symonenko's nest" were well aware of this, but they were forced to repeatedly approach Semenyuk with proposals because they themselves were under intense pressure from their sponsor, the Russian oligarch Konstantin Grigorishin, who sincerely desired to take over Turboatom.
Evgeny Marmazov
"They (the communists – A.K.) had been harassing me this way and that. Finally, I was sitting in my office, when Yevhen Marmazov from the Communist Party of Ukraine faction walked in with some nondescript little man who had taken a modest position against the wall. He said, 'Valentina Petrovna, I've decided to introduce you personally. We need to resolve a matter. Konstantin really wants Turboatom. We need to help this man.' He nodded toward this nondescript little man. And I'd never even seen this Grigorishin. They stood there for a while, made some requests, and left empty-handed. Then they started plotting against me and threatening me," Semenyuk told the author of these lines. She considered the communists her main enemies, and they reciprocated. Incidentally, Valentina Semenyuk had been talking about Russian expansionism for three years, before the annexation of Crimea and Russia's aggression in the southeast. According to her, Russia always wanted to get its hands on important strategic Ukrainian enterprises. "I was in their way, of course. But I couldn't allow it. That's why they always tried to remove me from my position—they needed someone in my position who wouldn't interfere," said Valentyna Semenyuk.
A month before Valentina Semenyuk's death, this author attempted to contact her for an interview. I wanted to discuss the properties that had recently been transferred or were about to be transferred to Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs. Semenyuk asked me to wait a bit. As this author understands, many people, and not just journalists, were interested in this topic at the time. In wartime, anything can be quietly stolen or bought for next to nothing. This is certainly what many took advantage of. Valentina Semenyuk-Samsonenko was someone who "knew too much." To her misfortune. If this was suicide, are the causes being investigated and the people who pushed the former head of the State Property Committee to commit this act identified? There's a criminal offense for that, after all. And if this was murder, carefully disguised as suicide, are law enforcement agencies doing everything they can to identify those who ordered the killing? Or at least the perpetrators, who are likely high-ranking and possess specialized skills. Otherwise, the death of Valentina Semenyuk-Samsonenko will join the list of cases that will never be investigated, of which there are already quite a few in modern Ukrainian history...
P.S. We will definitely be monitoring the investigation into Valentina Semenyuk-Samsonenko's death. This story is far from over...
Anton KAMENSKY, SLED.net.ua
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