Maxim Lutsky
There's no doubt that after Maksym Lutskyi's victory in the NAU rector's election, Ukrainian science, education, and aviation will be in even deeper trouble! After all, the head of this strategic university is a man with a monstrously corrupt and even criminal past. For Lutskyi, NAU is merely real estate and government funding, another source of enrichment—something he demonstrated for many years during his tenure as its vice-rector. And now, having returned to the university, he will bring it to complete ruin...
Lutsky spent his entire life stepping over others, succeeding only in hypocrisy, meanness, and fraud. Moreover, not only is he unashamed of this, but he even sometimes boasts of it as one of his own achievements—alongside his academic credentials and scholarly works of dubious provenance. Here's just one small example: once in his interview Lutskyy explained how he "saved $99." He fell in love with a painting by Pavel Korin (1992-1965) at an auction. Any normal person would have simply bought the original or ordered a reproduction, but Maxim Lutskyy did it his own way, resorting to yet another fraudulent scheme:
The question arises: why such an elaborate scheme? Why deceive the auction organizers, asking for a still-unpaid painting "for two weeks"? As usual, Lutsky concealed most of the details. But overall, this strongly resembles a typical fraudulent scheme of substituting a copy for an original. So the current owners of this painting should have its identity verified by specialists. It's no coincidence that in his youth, Lutsky was nicknamed "Lucy the Freemason," and, as we know, in the slang of the criminal underworld, "to freemason" means to sell counterfeit jewelry and forgeries. And now such a man has become the sole owner of the Ukrainian Aviation University!
Maxim Lutsky: Stole, sold – to graduate school!
Maxim Georgievich Lutsky was born on June 4, 1976, in Kyiv, to Georgiy Mikhailovich Lutsky, an associate professor at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI). By the time Maxim graduated from Secondary School No. 79, his father had already earned his doctorate and become head of his department. Therefore, there were no problems with his slacker son's admission. Thus, in 1993, Maxim Lutsky enrolled in the Faculty of Computer and Intelligent Systems and Networks at KPI. The university's military department also allowed him to avoid military service.
Georgy Mikhailovich Lutsky
Why a slacker? Even in his senior year, Maxim Lutsky became a completely spoiled young man, interested only in entertainment, money, and clothes. He was spiraling downward, so Georgiy Mikhailovich took him to KPI primarily to keep an eye on him. But, as they say, he couldn't keep an eye on him. As a student, Maxim Lutsky dove headfirst into the life of the capital's "golden youth," but miscalculated his father's financial resources. Of course, Maxim tried to "make a buck" in a variety of ways. How? He tells journalists that from the age of 16, he sold sausage sandwiches to some foreigners in a cafe at the Zagreb cinema, and that he later used the proceeds to open a computer business. But in reality, it was his father who started the computer "cooperative," while young Maxim, instead of running an honest business, was only successful in petty scams and various frauds. And this is not surprising if you remember that "Zagreb" was controlled at the time by the Kisel organized crime group and was known for its arcade (one of the first in Kyiv), confidently turning into a criminal cesspool (according to Kiev residents), where thieves, drug addicts, and swindlers gathered.
Soon, in 1995, Maxim Lutsky was in deep trouble. According to one version, he lost big, according to another, he tried unsuccessfully to scam someone, but either way, he ended up owing a large sum to serious people. And those were the days when debtors weren't treated kindly. So, Maxim couldn't think of anything more clever than to persuade a fellow student to join him in stealing computers from his beloved Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. That is, right from his beloved father's department! Moreover, these were the very same computers that Georgy Mikhailovich sold to his university through his "cooperative." It seems this story is rather murky, and much remains unsaid.
Whether Georgy Mikhailovich himself had anything to do with this case is also unknown. But in any case, he had to report the loss—after all, the department head was responsible for expensive equipment (PCs cost several thousand dollars at the time). And the police, who got involved, found both the computers and the thieves in just a few days. That's how Maxim Lutsky ended up in pretrial detention, where he earned the nickname "Lucy the Freemason" from his fellow inmates, a nickname that stuck with him for the rest of his life. Well, the "Freemason" part is clear, but why also "Lucy"? As reported. Skelet.OrgMaxim didn’t object to this at all, since talk about his bisexuality had been circulating around the city for a long time (perhaps it all started with that very cafe?).
But Lyusya didn't have to appease the "brothers" for long: Georgy Mikhailovich brought in all his connections, and Maxim also found other supporters from the "non-traditional sexual community." His charges were reclassified under Article 213-3 of the Criminal Code (acquisition and possession with intent to sell property known to have been obtained by criminal means). This meant that the theft itself and the main culpability were pinned on an accomplice, another student, while Maxim was given a three-year suspended sentence for allegedly merely holding and helping sell the stolen computers. Naturally, Maxim claimed he had no idea where exactly the computers were stolen and that he had been "duped into it." This saved his father's reputation, and allowed Maxim himself to be reinstated at KPI (in the same year), after which his father sent him out of sight... for an internship in Germany. To achieve this, he had to once again strain his connections and secure his son a "competition win" from the Association of Technical Universities. Maxim Lutskyi stayed put there, continuing to enroll as a student at KPI, and in 1998, his father helped him get his diploma corrected.
And then Georgy Mikhailovich enrolled his son in graduate school. Yes, at the very same university he had not only robbed like a petty burglar, but had even gotten caught doing it! Perhaps nothing like this had happened within the walls of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute since its founding! However, times were different, and previously convicted individuals became governors, ministers, and prime ministers...
Of course, Maksim Lutsky then hid his criminal past for a long time and carefully, but information about his criminal record was dug up and published BYuT faction deputies—following a high-profile scandal in the Verkhovna Rada, which we'll discuss below. However, by that time, the scandal had long since been extinguished (as had Yanukovych's). Moreover, on August 30, 2005, Maksym Lutskyi received a permit for a Bretton hunting rifle (No. 48269) and a Benelli (No. 294791/S305289), as well as a gas pistol, from the Solomyansky District Department of Internal Affairs in Kyiv. Two years later, he received a permit for an AKMS-MF carbine from the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kyiv, and in 2010, a Fort-12PM traumatic pistol.
Maksym Lutsky: NAU as a family cash cow
Maxim Lutsky talks very little about his wife Elena Vladimirovna Savitskaya. Only once, pulling the wool over journalists' eyes In addition to the fact that in 1995 he "opened his first company, specializing in the supply of computer equipment," Lutsky added that his wife "had by then begun developing a network of internet cafes at universities in Kyiv, Kirovohrad, and Kremenchuk." However, in fact, Cyber opened its very first internet cafe in Kyiv in 1997. Anatoly Chegusov, and they only appeared in universities at the very end of the 90s. And also Skelet.Org It was possible to find out that Maxim Lutsky and Elena Savitskaya were the same age, that they had lived and grown up in the same house on Potekhina Street since childhood, that his parents really liked the neighbor's daughter, and they really hoped that a quick marriage to her would bring their son to his senses.
And so, after spending time in Germany, Maxim Lutskyi returned to Kyiv to be with his young wife. He received his diploma from his father, enrolled in his graduate program, and together with his wife, began developing the computer business his father had started. It's worth noting that the computer equipment from the company owned by the head of the KPI Computer Engineering Department was selling like hot cakes, especially at other universities and government agencies. This business was primarily developed by Georgy Mikhailovich himself and his diligent assistant/daughter-in-law, while Maxim Lutskyi remained a born scoundrel. There is a type of person who performs even the most mundane tasks in a unique, cunning way. Maxim Lutskyi is precisely such a person; he is interested in acting contrary to the rules and the law, turning everything he undertakes into a scheme and a scam.
Thus, Georgy Mikhailovich helped the young couple secure several contracts to supply computer equipment to a number of universities, including the National Aviation Academy (NAU) and its branches in various cities across the country. Maxim Lutsky nearly ruined this well-established business by "forgetting" to pay taxes and failing to file reports with the tax authorities at all—and one day, the accounts were frozen. Once again, Lutsky had to intervene and rescue the family business. Lutsky later told journalists about this incident with his unfailing humor. For him, everything he did was funny! Conning the auctioneers was funny, but not paying taxes was even funnier!
At the same time, Maksym Lutskyi invested in the insurance business: first in SK Edinstvo (EDRPOU 31170195), and then in ZAO SK Ukrainskie Rezervy (25289272). This business was essentially run by his father and wife, who, along with computers, also sold various insurance policies to universities. And in the early 2000s, with the help of his father, wife, and Maksym's close connections, he managed to secure a strong foothold in NAU. They initially created NAU Systems LLC (30860000) at the university, now registered to other individuals, which handled computerization and internet connectivity. Maksym Lutskyi served as its director from 2002 to 2004. Considering that NAU comprises several institutes and colleges, a flight academy, and other facilities, it's not hard to imagine that the company, which monopolized the supply and maintenance of computer equipment there, secured itself a very healthy profit for many years. And this was only the beginning of the process of transforming NAU into the Lutsky family's cash cow.
Maxim Lutsky
In 2004, having earned his PhD with his father's help, saved up some money, and cultivated all his connections, Maksym Lutskyi was appointed Vice Rector for Corporate Governance at NAU. The position was obscure, but from that moment on, Lutskyi waged a battle for access to the university's budget and property. And politics helped him achieve this.
Back in 2005, Maksym Lutskyi ran as a majoritarian candidate in the Kyiv City Council by-elections, but was unsuccessful—even a generous distribution of food packages to elderly voters didn't help him gain popularity. Having learned his lesson, Lutskyi simply bought himself the 48th spot on the BYuT list (under the Sobor party quota) for the 2006 parliamentary elections. As is well known, Skelet.Org, Yulia Tymoshenko и Anatoly Matvienko It always accepted any sponsors, as long as they paid. But for this reason, the BYuT faction always led in the number of defectors (or "carcasses"), and Maksym Lutskyi was one of the first. As soon as the "Anti-Crisis Coalition" (PR + CPU + SPU) formed in the Rada, Lutskyi immediately joined it, leaving BYuT.
For his political betrayal, he was generously rewarded: he received the position of chairman of the subcommittee on vocational education in the parliamentary Committee on Science and Education, and, to top it all off, the position of chairman of the control commission on privatization. And then his close friendship with Dmitry Tabachnik, who in 2008 became the godfather of his youngest son Dmitry.
Dmitry Tabachnik
However, the "orange" opposition mounted a hostile response to the "anti-crisis coalition," and a protracted political crisis ensued. Seeking legitimate pretexts for dissolving the Rada, in April 2007, the Tymoshenko Bloc congress decided to resign its faction members. Then, Maksym Lutsky, trying to save his mandate and curry favor with his new patrons, came up with another "Farmazonian" scam, only this time political. In June 2007, he announced that a new BYuT faction would be formed in the Rada from among the BYuT deputies who had disobeyed the congress's decision to resign their mandates (mostly the same defectors), an alternative to the dissolved BYuT faction and operating independently of the Tymoshenko Bloc. And although Yulia Volodymyrivna dismissed Lutskyi's scheme as "clownery," from that moment on, he became one of the most hated enemies of the "pro-Ukrainian forces," not because of his political stance (which Lutskyi never had), but because of his meanness and fraud.
Maksym Lutskyi's scheme with the phony BYuT factions failed, and parliament was sent to re-election, but he still got his due from his friends in the Party of Regions: he was appointed Deputy Minister of Education and Science (under Stanislav Nikolayenko). He held this position only until December 2007, but accomplished a great deal—primarily, strengthening his position at the National Aviation University, where he returned in 2008 as First Vice-Rector. And then the big money grab began!
However, it began even earlier: using his mandate and friendship with the Party of Regions, and then his position as deputy minister, Lutskyi placed NAU under his close "guardianship." This consisted of diverting some of the funds allocated to the university from the state budget to companies owned by Maksym Lutskyi and his associate, Serhiy Klimenko: Ligvis L LLC, Alfa-Capital Group LLC (EDRPOU 36509981), UISK CJSC (33784181), and others.
Sergey Klimenko
Lutsky didn't limit himself to simply embezzling funds from NAU. To "legally" seize the university's property, he used a scheme typical of the time, "paying for services with property." Thus, in November 2007, the company "Ligvis L" received a contract from NAU to build a parking lot, and as payment, they were supposed to transfer part of the university's motor transport enterprise property on Simirenko Street. Although this scam initially fell through due to yet another change of power in the country, Lutsky eventually registered a portion of the university's property (approximately half a hectare) in the name of "Ligvis L." The company then immediately leased it to the "Sport Life" chain, a Russian developer. Dmitry Ekimov, who built her own fitness center there. But she only began carrying out the promised construction work for NAU Lutskyi... in 2013!
Here's another interesting case. In 2005, a large residential complex was built on university land at Lebedeva-Kumach 5 (now Mykola Golego Street). Apparently, Lutskyi didn't have time to profit from it, so in 2009, his and Klimenko's firm, Alfa Capital Group, signed a contract with NAU for some sort of "reconstruction" at this address. As payment, the company received 0,6 hectares of the residential complex's courtyard, which in 2010 was illegally leased to the same Sport Life, which built a fitness center with a swimming pool there. Why illegal? Because it wasn't until 2012, and only through the courts, that Alfa Capital Group received full ownership of this land—a land the aviation university had lost forever. Moreover, in 2013, Ligvis L and Alfa Capital Group used these areas as a zoologist to carry out scams at Terra Bank...
The story of one "murder"
However, Lutskyi profited handsomely from the construction of the residential complex on Mykhaila Donets Street. The contract for its construction was signed in 2007 by Maksym Lutskyi, then Deputy Minister of Education, and Vitaliy Babak, then Rector of the National Agrarian University. The developers were the Zhitloinvestbud municipal enterprise and the Toloka football club: the former has been headed for many years by a notorious corrupt construction official. Vyacheslav NepopThe second, according to Maksym Lutsky, belonged at the time to Sergei Onishchenko (Babak's brother) and Yuriy Symonenko, NAU's vice-rector for business affairs. Moreover, Toloka was registered at the same address as Lutskyy and Klimenko's businesses: 5 Golego Street, where NAU's management had established a sort of office center for their companies.
The construction, or rather the subsequent distribution of the residential complex area, was accompanied by such flagrant violations and scams that years later NABU took over the matter. The fact is that this residential complex was built on a plot (0,8 hectares) owned by NAU, using the standard "land for apartments" scheme. The university was supposed to receive 10% of the residential space and 7000 square meters of retail and office space in the new building, or monetary compensation equal to their value. In the end, NAU received only 2,2%, five times less than promised! "They only gave 10-20 apartments to someone, mostly to the management, for show," Yevgeny Gayev, one of NAU's faculty members, later recounted.
Nikolay Kulik
Maxim Lutsky got away with this whole affair, as he wasn't officially involved in the distribution of apartments. Unofficially, however, he oversaw the matter, and it's no coincidence that his partner, Sergei Klimenko, owns several real estate agencies (Traektoriya, Strateg, Mimino, M-Omega). However, what's interesting about this story is that a major falling out occurred between the scammers right at the start of the project. Specifically, first, in the fall of 2007, Rector Babak was suddenly accused of large-scale corruption, after which he was fired from NAU. The new rector was Nikolai Kulik, who was very accommodating in his relations with Lutsky (in effect, he was his puppet).
In 2008, Lutsky, with Kulik's help, returned to NAU as First Vice-Rector, and immediately began a war with the Vice-Rector for Economic Affairs (Superintendent), Yuriy Symonenko. Apparently, their dispute was more than just apartments, as the feud was very serious: Lutsky first succeeded in getting Symonenko fired, and then had him jailed for seven years! Moreover, on absurd and falsified charges.
Mikhail Shpolyansky, for Skelet.Org
CONTINUED: Lutskyi Maksym: The new rector of NAU and Tabachnyk's godfather takes revenge. Part 2
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