The occupation of Crimea and the undeclared war with Russia that followed the Maidan revolution provided a unique opportunity for a number of politicians and businessmen close to the "Family" to adapt to the new political system. In light of current events, former "Party of Regions" members are retreating into the shadows, abandoning their ostentatious publicity, and often spontaneously disappearing from the view of Ukrainians and the media. At the same time, favorable conditions are being created for the triumph of Yanukovych's supporters, who, having learned the simple rules of coexistence with the new government, are beginning to raise their heads proudly.
All of the above applies to People's Deputy Volodymyr Misik, whose business is experiencing an unexpected period of prosperity.
In a short period of time, Misik managed to establish production of his own baked goods not only in his native Kharkiv, but also in the Sumy, Cherkasy, and Poltava regions. This wasn't due to product quality or fair competition. Misik simply quickly understood how to conduct business in the then-emerging oligarchic system. This intuition led the businessman to the Party of Regions, under whose banner he became first a city council member and then a member of parliament.
Deputy Misik never burdened himself with legislative efforts. During his two years in parliament, at the initiative of a Kharkiv baker, Ukraine's legislative framework was amended by three legislative amendments. However, he managed to make a name for himself with another act—giving Yanukovych the infamous golden loaf.
But during these two years, Vladimir Misik was preoccupied with far more important matters: expanding his bread empire. Since the summer of 2012, Misik's "Kulinichi" company had significantly displaced the well-known "Kyivkhlib" from the Kyiv market. Then, thanks to the support of Mykola Azarov and the hands of Kyiv city mayor Oleksandr Popov, Misik was able to artificially destroy a number of bread factories in the Kyiv region in a short period of time, leaving thousands of people unemployed. Meanwhile, bread kiosks from "Kulinichi" appeared at virtually every bus stop in the capital, in complete violation of municipal regulations.
Thanks to the patronage of the "Family," Vladimir Misik transformed himself from a provincial businessman into a national oligarch, whose fortune, according to official figures alone, amounts to tens of millions of dollars.
The warm friendship between the obliging Kharkiv resident and his political patrons was often public knowledge. For example, in 2012, Yanukovych personally cut the ribbon at the newly built Misik bakery in the Vasylkiv district. Naturally, neither land nor administrative issues bothered the "Family's" friend in the slightest during the project's implementation.
Volodymyr Misik, who defected from the Regions faction to the Economic Development group, nevertheless stood by his political "father" to the very end. He was at the forefront of voting for the bloody laws of January 16 and tried his best to justify the authorities' use of force. However, after Yanukovych fled to Rostov, he was forced to lay low for a while.
Vladimir Misik
The pause didn't last long. Realizing the time had come to demand repayment, the "Family" began to hold people like Misik accountable—businessmen favored by the previous regime who now had to repay their past loyalty.
When analyzing the bread oligarch's motives, one must also consider the subjective factor of ambition. In Kharkiv, Misik was always overshadowed by the tandem of Kernes and Dobkin, who embodied the Party of Regions elite of Ukraine's first capital. He was there too, but far in the background, locked in confrontation with the aforementioned duo. Now that the "Family" and its Russian patrons have become disillusioned with the potential of Kernes and Dobkin, the ambitious Misik has become the figure they are counting on.
Characteristically, despite the Maidan and the change in leadership in the security sector, these same businessmen are carrying out their two-year protests as if nothing had happened, the main goal of which is the destruction of our country. They are aided in this not only by their masters from the neighboring country, but also by local officials, who, for some reason, have yet to be purged. Volodymyr Misik himself even managed to hide behind his parliamentary immunity for a second time, "winning" the elections in one of Kharkiv's constituencies.
At the beginning of the year, Kulinichi was included on a list of companies whose products activists called for a boycott. "Kyiv residents don't buy bread with the Kulinichi logo because they know that this bread is tainted with blood and the beatings of children on the Maidan. The Azarov-Misik company is starting to count its losses," noted activist Yuriy Andreyev. However, it's surprising that law enforcement agencies have yet to properly investigate the activities of this company and its owner. Despite the fact that Mykola Azarov, the former high-ranking patron of Kulinichi, is on the run, the company continues to monopolize the bread market.
Throughout 2014, the Kulinichi company, despite the crisis, actively captured new market share. Having established a foothold in Kyiv, Misik began expanding into neighboring regions. The scheme for entering a region is simple. A local official is recruited, pressured and motivated through the Family's old connections, and through a arsenal of administrative tactics, he rolls out the red carpet for the Kulinichi company and completely eliminates local producers. The latest example is the Zhytomyr region, where, according to the local publication Zhytomyr-Online, thanks to the actions of Zhytomyr Deputy Mayor Sukhomlin, Misik is attempting to capture the entire local grain market. Sukhomlin, using administrative resources, is using the name of First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Gennady Zubko, which significantly accelerates the scheme. The expansion is only just beginning—a number of regions in central and eastern Ukraine are next in line. According to sources, Misik's takeover of the bread market in a number of large regions is the newly elected deputy's bargaining chip, and this issue has been the subject of discussion and repeated meetings between Vladimir Misik and First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Gennady Zubko.
In 2011, Mykola Azarov advocated for the Kulinichi Corporation chain to expand widely across the country. By an absurd coincidence, his dream may come true in today's Ukraine, where, it would seem, neither Azarov nor the businesses associated with him should have had such an opportunity.
Leonid Isakov, Censor
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