Maksym Yefimov: The Kramatorsk Werewolf in the Petro Poroshenko Bloc. Part 1

Maksym Yefimov: The Kramatorsk Werewolf in the Petro Poroshenko Bloc. Part 1

Membership in the presidential Solidarity party, and especially in its parliamentary faction, the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, will soon be viewed as grounds for a thorough investigation into corruption and criminal pasts. This trend is fueled by the ongoing scandalous revelations of members of Poroshenko's "guard," who were allegedly selected based on the principle of "who stole the most from the state." But this is far from the only, or even the most serious, charge that could be brought against Maksym Yefimov, a member of parliament from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction.

From the life of "inventors"

Before his election as a people's deputy, Maksym Yefimov was virtually unknown outside the Donetsk region. But in his native KramatorskSkelet.Org Many interesting details have been revealed about him that he would like to conceal—which is why his past today appears as a continuous gray spot. After all, Efimov has no interest in his name being associated with anything other than the odious Artem Pshonka, but also together with the infamous Kramatorsk organized crime group "17th Precinct", involved in the murder of journalist Igor Alexandrov.

Maxim Viktorovich Efimov was born on November 1, 1974, in the remote Kazakh city of Petropavlovsk, where his father, Viktor Nikolaevich Efimov, worked as an engineer at a heavy engineering plant after graduating from the Bauman Moscow Higher Technical School (now Moscow State Technical University). Maxim owes literally everything he has ever received to him.

Viktor Nikolaevich Efimov

Viktor Yefimov was a native of Kramatorsk (born in 1950), and so, after "working off" his assignment, he returned with his family to his hometown in 1977, where he enrolled in graduate school at the Kramatorsk Industrial Institute (now the Donbass State Machine-Building Academy, DSMA). After graduating, he worked in the Department of Metal Forming. Although DSMA chronicles mention Viktor Yefimov as a talented researcher (he received his PhD in 1987 and his professorship in 1989), his former colleagues at the institute characterized him more as an energetic organizer, someone skilled at networking and procuring scarce resources. His main achievement at the institute was the creation of a research laboratory, for which he secured permits, funds, and other resources from higher up. He also had a knack for co-authoring projects with both established scientists and emerging young talents.

In 1989, Viktor Efimov created his own "cooperative" at the institute: the Center for Scientific and Technical Creativity of Youth, which focused on the implementation of patents. As well as a similar "inventors' cooperative," PinchukovHe effectively pocketed all the profits from these implementations, which went into Efimov's pocket, while the patent authors received only modest royalties. Viktor Efimov invested the resulting income in commerce. Using his connections, he developed a very profitable business at the time: he sold office equipment and computers to businesses and institutions, imported scarce consumer goods into the city, and exported metal. This quickly elevated Viktor Efimov to the ranks of "first-guild merchants," and his firms, Vasin-Kraft and Fistag-Viktoria, were well-known names in Kramatorsk. This was especially true since, in the mid-90s, Viktor Efimov built an impressive office building for his companies (41 Kramatorsky Boulevard), the size of which spoke volumes about the scale of his income. It is no wonder that today middle-aged and older residents of Kramatorsk recall that in the 90s, the companies of Efimov Sr. “sucked the city dry.”

The former office of Vasin-Kraft

He also began privatization, beginning with buying up vouchers and shares from the public for next to nothing. Thus, Yefimov and his associates took over the Energomashspetsstal (EMSS) plant, which was converted into an open joint-stock company. Incidentally, these associates included Anatoly Bliznyuk, then deputy chairman of the Kramatorsk executive committee, who, with Viktor Yefimov's help, became chairman of the board of the Kramatorsk Metallurgical Plant. The future governor of the Donetsk region and Minister of Housing and Public Utilities began his distinguished career as a "protégé" (according to the residents of Kramatorsk) of Viktor Yefimov.

Anatoly Bliznyuk

Among Yefimov Sr.'s other associates was Shishmarev, chief engineer of Energomashspetsstal, whose daughter Yana was sent to study at Zollikofen College in Switzerland. Yefimov Jr. also received one of his higher education degrees there, acquiring several diplomas in the 90s—fortunately, with a father like him, that wasn't difficult. However, in his biography, Maksym Yefimov writes that he graduated from the University of Bern, which is not true: Zollikofen College is merely a sort of "associated branch" of the university, and they train... agronomists. How so? It turns out, it all stems from the company "Fistag-Victoria," a Ukrainian-Swiss joint venture. This company primarily dealt with the export of metal, often stolen from enterprises (formally written off), cleared through customs through shady schemes, and simultaneously smuggled the resulting foreign currency abroad. From this money, Yefimov Sr. allocated some funding to Zollikofen College, which allowed him to send his son and the children of his colleagues there. The fact that neither Zollikofen College nor even the University of Bern taught engineering or economics didn't particularly bother anyone—in Ukraine, the very phrase "studied in Switzerland" had a magical effect.

Maxim Efimov. The Story of One Photograph

The then prosecutor of Kramatorsk also had a share in Viktor Efimov's business. Victor Pshonka, who was also connected to city businessmen through his wife Olga Pshonka's relatives, who worked in the city executive committee. This is how the close-knit family triumvirate of the Yefimovs, Bliznyuks, and Pshonkas was formed in the early 90s. However, the Yefimov businessmen also had other close friends – the leaders of Kramatorsk organized crime groups.

In particular, Viktor Efimov was protected by a group called "Old City." According to sources Skelet.OrgYefimov Sr. wasn't their "tributary," like other "ordinary" Kramatorsk entrepreneurs; he was their partner in the shadow economy. In particular, Viktor Yefimov was linked to criminal "authorities" nicknamed "Sasha Pazik" and "Igor Ponomarev." Efimov's companies were used to launder and invest the gangster money of the "Stary Gorodskie" gang, and in return, they provided him with specific services. Furthermore, through the "Stary Gorod" organized crime group, Yefimov had some connections to the Donetsk organized crime group of Akhat Bragin (Alik Grek). And back then, in the 90s, in a region terrified by gangsters, even a personal acquaintance with these "authorities" carried far more weight in the eyes of ordinary people than a Swiss or even a Harvard diploma.

However, despite Viktor Yefimov's numerous connections in government, law enforcement, and the criminal underworld, a storm struck in the second half of the 1990s, forcing him to leave Ukraine forever. All details of this story have long been carefully redacted. According to fragmentary information from sources, Yefimov's fortunes ran out after the murders of Akhat Bragin and Volodymyr Shcherban, which triggered a major reorganization in the Donetsk region. Yefimov's business faltered; he got into some unfortunate venture, incurred large debts, and faced criminal charges at the Kyiv level. All Kramatorsk prosecutor Viktor Pshonka could do for him was help him safely escape abroad with his wife, Lyubov Borisovna Yefimova, who, according to rumors, was already actively involved in the family business (perhaps her role was underestimated). Interestingly, Viktor Yefimov fled not to Europe or the United States—as is typical for corrupt Ukrainian officials—but to Argentina! From there, as they say, he stayed out of sight for a long time, only moving to the United States in the 2000s. Today, one can only guess what prompted Viktor Yefimov to hide so far from Ukrainian justice... or was it only from justice?

Signs of the Efimov family's changing fortunes can be found in the biography of Maxim Viktorovich, who did not emigrate with his parents. While in 1996-97 he held the positions of general director first of the Kramatorsk Metallurgical Engineering Company and then of Kramatorsk Multi-Industry Marketing Company (possibly a shell company), in 1998 he suddenly retrained as director of the Kramatorsk School of Aeronautics (Aviation Club). It was only in 1999 that he received a position at his father's plant, Energomashspetsstal, and then only as deputy director for commercial affairs.

Nevertheless, left to oversee the wreckage of the family business, Maxim Efimov began to play his own game, as evidenced by his close relationship with the Kramatorsk organized crime group "17th Precinct." Well, close is putting it mildly! After all, judging by the leaked online personal photographs of the leaders of this groupMaxim Efimov was their “buddy” (or even accomplice), with whom they, in particular, went on vacation abroad.

In the scandalous photo, the future MP and member of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction, then still young and with a curly head, appears in the company of four "brothers," three of whom were immediately recognized by residents of Kramatorsk. They were:

• Sergei Dubovoy (nicknamed Dubik), one of the leaders of the 17th Precinct, managed to avoid being caught in the bloody criminal trials, thus surviving the turbulent 90s and becoming a "respected businessman." Currently, Sergei Dubovoy, one of Max Efimov's few old friends, heads Kramatorsk ATP-11410 CJSC (Efimov owns some of its shares) and is a member of the Board of Directors of Kramatorsk enterprises, lobbying for the interests of Efimov's team in the city.
• Dmitry German, one of the most feared and brutal members of the organized crime group, led a "killer squad." In late 1998, he fled to Germany, was extradited to Ukraine in 2000, and sentenced to life imprisonment. In addition to the crimes proven in court, German is accused of numerous other crimes, including the murders of other leaders of the 17th Precinct during their internecine war.
• Dmitry Zykov (nicknamed "Sedoy"), a member of the 17th Precinct organized crime group, was very close to Maxim Efimov and became the godfather of his child. He worked as the head of security at Energomashspetsstal, according to sources. Skelet.Org, along with Efimov, participated in the theft of metal from State Reserve warehouses. He was later "ditched" by his godfather, who chose the Pshonka and Bliznyuk families over the criminal friends of his youth.

Sergei Dubovoy in our time
And twenty years later, he retained his commitment to the crimson color and lush moustache.

It's worth noting that these aren't the only scandalous photos of famous people posing with their friends from the 17th Precinct. In 2005, an Interior Ministry official claimed that there were other photos from the 90s that featured another of their "buddies" alongside the gangsters. Artem Pshonka, the son of Kramatorsk prosecutor Viktor Pshonka at the time and a law student. His close ties to the 17th Precinct were traced until 2003 (and partially continued afterward), as was the case with Maxim Efimov.

Igor Shprotyuk (Shkrok) with his daughter Violetta

The 17th Precinct organized crime group emerged in the early 90s.Initially, its founder and main "authority" was Igor Shprotyuk (nicknamed Shkrok), who always stood out with his signature "Banderas-esque" style against the crowd of his "ladies," clad in "Adiki" (short-haired) "brothers." Rumor has it that Shprotyuk was connected to the Kyiv "authority" Igor Tkachenko (aka Cherep), allegedly being his godfather. Shkrok had another peculiarity: he was constantly in prison, avoiding very long sentences only thanks to good lawyers and connections in law enforcement.

Shkrok's periodic stints in prison saved him from responsibility for a number of high-profile "wet" cases, as well as from the bullets of his "buddies" during the internecine violence of the 90s, which, incidentally, was largely provoked by his absence. Moreover, Shkrok is now not only alive and well, but even tries to participate in the socio-political life of Kramatorsk—as we'll tell you below.

Maxim Efimov, the Düsseldorf tape, and Zhemov's shares

The history of the 17th Precinct organized crime group is, first and foremost, a story of mutual betrayal among "bros." Powerful in the mid-1990s, this group nearly self-destructed in a struggle for leadership. The most high-profile episode of this struggle was the so-called "Düsseldorf tape," which was blamed for the murder of Igor Alexandrov. Several parties were implicated in that story. First, there was Shkrok, who was in prison, and his successors, Ermakov and Yakovenko, who were free and leading the organized crime group. According to media reports from the early 2000s, they were covered for by Mikhail Serbin and Oleg Solodun, employees of the Kramatorsk Department for Combating Organized Crime (UBOP) (they even supplied Shkrok with a police bulletproof vest and radios). Second, there was criminal businessman Rybak and Dmitry German, head of the organized crime group's "security wing," who orchestrated Ermakov's murder in 1998. After this, German grabbed the "common fund" and fled to Germany (just as Max Efimov suddenly became the director of the flying club). They were covered for by Vladimir Bantush, the head of the Organized Crime Control Department (UBOP), who had fired Serbin and Solodun and was looking for a way to eliminate Shkrok (who was about to be released). Then Serbin and Solodun decided to publicize the story of the infighting within the 17th Precinct and the $11 million the gangsters had smuggled to Europe. They turned to journalist Igor Alexandrov, who provided them with live broadcasts. They claimed they would soon bring a tape from Düsseldorf (a conversation between German and Rybak about Rybak's murder) and would also provide evidence implicating Artem Pshonka and several other "bigwigs" from Kramatorsk and Donetsk in the shady and criminal activities of the 17th Precinct. Igor Alexandrov was subsequently killed.

Oleg Solodun

In this war, according to numerous sources Skelet.OrgMaxim Efimov bet on one side or the other, depending on who was currently in control. Initially, he sided with his "buddy" Herman and his patron, Bantush: at the turn of the 1990s and 2000s, Efimov was even considered a friend of the head of the UBOP. This was unsurprising, since Bantush also protected the interests of the Pshonka family and carried out orders from the "Donetsk gang," with whom the Efimov family was connected through Viktor Pshonka and Anatoly Bliznyuk, who had departed for Donetsk for promotion. The "Donetsk gang," according to rumors, allegedly approved the assassination of Shkrek and his men in order to gain control of the "17th Precinct." An echo of this war was the 2001 assassination of Kyiv "authority figure" Igor Tkachev, Shprotyuk's godfather.

When German was brought to Ukraine and sentenced to life in prison, Efimov disowned his former "brother" and decided to sever his public ties with the organized crime group altogether, as they had become too dangerous. However, they still proved useful, not with the 17th Precinct, but with gangsters from the rival Old Town, who had once protected his father. This was a high-profile case about a gang of kidnappers and murderers operating in Kramatorsk, 2002-2004. The group included Boyko, a member of the "Old Town" organized crime group, and Krivolapov, a former deputy head of the City Police Department. Their victims were the Karpenko brothers and businessman Igor Zhemov, whom the kidnappers brutally murdered after failing to pay the ransom.

Igor Zhemov

According to unconfirmed information from one source, Maxim Efimov and Sergey Bliznyuk (son of Anatoly Bliznyuk) allegedly knew about the whereabouts of the kidnapped Zhemov. This same source claimed that Zhemov owned a stake in Energomashspetsstal, which was then allegedly divided between Efimov and Bliznyuk. It should be noted that the investigation into this case lasted nearly five years, yet many of its details (including the involvement of a third party) remained concealed.

And what a coincidence (is it really?) that a year after Zhemov's kidnapping and murder, Maxim Efimov rose to the position of director of Energomashspetsstal, and a year later to the general director of the enterprise, having begun to actively develop the family business.

Sergey Varis, for Skelet.Org

CONTINUED: Maksym Yefimov: The Kramatorsk Werewolf in the Petro Poroshenko Bloc. Part 2

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