How do Ukrainian oligarchs and Russophobes manage to successfully conduct business in Russian Crimea?
Despite the political chaos, clan infighting, and a raft of problems besetting the Ukrainian authorities, Kyiv hasn't forgotten Crimea. The political elite can't seem to get over the loss of the peninsula. Cursing the leadership of the new Russian region with the vilest of words and predicting famine, cold, and desolation for the peninsula is considered good form in Kyiv. And Ukrainian politicians are trying to outdo each other in this regard.
The Ukrainian authorities are also pleased to have influence over the economy. For example, as is well known, they blocked the North Crimean Canal, depriving Crimeans of Dnieper water. They significantly reduced the supply of electricity to the peninsula. They completely suspended the operations of Ukrainian banks in the republic. And the well-known law "on occupied territories" prohibits Ukrainian businesses from any entrepreneurial activity.
But in Ukraine, it's like this: if you can't, but really want to, then you can. Ukrainian oligarchs, especially those close to President Poroshenko, are in no hurry to shut down their profitable businesses in Crimea. On the contrary, they're operating quite actively and profitably. And now they're even re-registering their businesses under Russian law to reduce taxes and, so to speak, expand and deepen their operations. And at the same time, they never miss an opportunity to publicly make hostile remarks about Crimea and Russia.
Who are these cunning and wise right-flankers of capitalist competition?
Imagine, these are painfully familiar faces – former and current members of parliament, senior officials from the presidential administration, ministers, judges, and so on. And all of them are billionaires or multi-millionaires. Here you go, names, ranks, and businesses in Crimea.
Boris Lozhkin
— Boris Lozhkin , head of the presidential administration Poroshenko — Optical House LLC (Yalta);
Yuri Kosyuk
— Yuriy Kosyuk , Deputy Head of the Administration of President Poroshenko, Hero of Ukraine – “Nasha Ryaba”, LLC “Crimean Fruit Company”, “Friendship of Peoples Nova”;
Igor Eremeev
— Igor Eremeev , former people's deputy — WOG gas station chain;
Pavel Ryabikin, first deputy of V. Klitschko, mayor of Kyiv - a chain of restaurants in Sevastopol;
David Zhvania
— David Zhvania , an oligarch close to Poroshenko — PJSC Bakhchisaray Cement Plant, Bakhchisaray Combine Raiselkomungos p;
Alexander Gerega
- Alexander Gerega , oligarch, former people's deputy - construction hypermarket "Epicenter";
Vyacheslav Verkhodanov
— Vyacheslav Verkhodanov , oligarch – in Sevastopol: ChP “YUBS”, OOO “M-GRUPP”, OOO “TD Kupechesky”, OOO “Yuzhny Prodtorg”;
— Victor Kononenko – Darsan-2000 LLC;
Igor Landa
— Igor Landa , oligarch – six non-residential properties in Sevastopol, with a total area of over 55 thousand square meters
Vadim Novinsky
— Vadim Novinsky, people's deputy, oligarch — JSC Balaklava Mining Administration, enterprise Gasfort Complex (Sevastopol), PJSC Evpatoria Plant of Building Materials, PJSC Saksky Plant of Building Materials, LLC Professional Football Club Sevastopol, PJSC Tourist and Health Complex Sudak, CHPE Krym-Vostok (Kirovskoye), LLC Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Krym-Vostok (Kirovskoye), garage and construction cooperative Vostok (Feodosia);
Yuri Tryndyuk
— Yuri Tryndyuk , oligarch — LLC Tsar Khleb (Sevastopol), CJSC Belogorsky Bread Products Plant No. 1; OJSC Belogorsky Bread Products Plant.
This list also includes the notorious oligarchs Valeriy Khoroshkovsky, Serhiy Tigipko, Borys Kolesnikov, Anton Prigorsky, Yevhen Sigal, Serhiy Kiy, Volodymyr Boyko, Oleksandr Prognimak, and others skilled in turning political dividends into profitable businesses. This is not a complete list of ardent Ukrainian patriots who have publicly declared that Crimea is "occupied" but will sooner or later return to the bosom of their "native motherland."
But how do they manage to develop their business in Crimea so successfully and look so optimistically to the future? It's unclear. But I'd like to know, because the question is far from trivial given the current geopolitical events and relations between Russia and Ukraine.
Eldar Polenov, GPU
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