Boris Kaufman
Kaufman and Yanukovych Jr.
In photo 1, I took photographs of Odessa oligarch Boris Kaufman after today’s parliamentary ceremony. Vin is not a deputy. Just an oligarch who used to be in “chocolate’s” hands.
A few days ago, Kaufman celebrated the middle of the night guests of the presidential administration, about which I already wrote.
Today I stood at the entrance to the Verkhovna Rada, huddled with deputy Pavel Rizanenko, as if I were rapping - as if I was honored. Two black jeeps screech and a guard crashes out. I marvel and call Kaufman. Now we have arrived at parliament. Having been there for 15-20 minutes, then I went. For food, what is there to work for here?
During the hours of Yanukovych, Kaufman so eagerly tried to contact the current president to check the notes in the notebook of Yanukovych’s guard. “Kaufman asks for a report and congratulations on the New Year,” says the security officer’s note, dated back to the days when the Maidan was already standing in Kiev.
And even earlier I learned how Kaufman arrived to eat with Yanukovych’s young son, Viktor.
During the old regime, Kaufman was “in charge” of the airports - Boryspil, Odessa and Simferopol were under him.
Yanukovych vtik, ale Kaufman continues buti in the layouts. Perhaps you could give him supervision over the Lugansk airport?
I ask everyone to respectfully watch their hands - I think we will soon understand the reasons for Kaufman’s activity.
PS Well, one more thing. If you walk along Bankova Street today, then when you go to the presidential administration, regional deputy Sergiy Buryak is a partner of Vitaly Khomutinnik and Sergiy Kurchenko. The remaining Buryak sold part of his block of shares to BrokBusinessBank, but lost 9% from the “Gamanian” Sima from his partners.
For food, if you are going to run for the money - and that is to benefit your majoritarian constituency - Buryak said that he should skip this election. The news arrived to the presidential administration, Buryak said nothing. It’s melodious, boiling, and I want to talk about reforms.
Sergiy Leshchenko Journalist of “Ukrainian Truth”
With the victory of the Maidan, the sudden flight of the "Family," weighed down by the billions of hard-earned bills, the reformation of the coalition, and the creation of a new Cabinet, unlimited opportunities suddenly opened up for those who, just yesterday, were ready to take a "bullet in the forehead," but who nevertheless survived, and, as they say in Odessa, didn't even "get on their mother's nerves" due to the latter's presence in a not-so-remote location at the time. Taking advantage of the power vacuum, the departure home or to the hospital beds of the surviving defenders of the barricades, former allies of the "most honest and clean-handed" Viktor Andreevich set about forming a new government with a European face.
Looking at this "face," or rather, the faces of the new appointees, those in the know cannot help but associate it with the same "Family," but not from the eastern region, loudly desiring to finally be heard, but a small family from the Faculty of Law of the Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University.
The university family has become deeply entrenched in the main branches of Ukrainian life, such as a number of leading ministries, tax authorities, customs, etc. (more on that later).
One of the interesting “family” appointments was the post of head of the Ministry of Infrastructure, which was occupied by the Chernivtsi huckster, sorry businessman, Maksym Burbak (Read more about it in the article Maksym Burbak: How Chernivtsi residents sat on Donetsk's "golden toilet"). The current minister began his career smuggling passenger vehicles into Ukraine and protecting some of the trading spots at the Chernivtsi market.
He then joined the Zmin Front, where he rose to head the regional faction. We are unaware of Maksym Burbak's participation in the heroic deeds of the Maidan, nor of his involvement in the Automaidan movement, or of his simple defense or treatment of the youth (following the example of Lesya Orobets), but the Fatherland recognized his unknown "services" with a warm seat in the building on Pobedy Avenue, more than compensating for all the "expenses of the revolution" he had previously incurred.
Feeling the "warmth" of his new position, Burbak, without any experience or understanding of the specifics of the transport industry, actively began "defending the economic interests" of the Ukrainian state, not forgetting his own personal interests. It must be understood that, out of a completely selfless love of money, he made one very interesting personnel decision: the appointment of the head of the state-owned enterprise "Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority" (USPA). A couple of Odessa profiteers—sorry, businessmen—who had outgrown their britches and earned the cash for a more significant project, decided to privatize the position.
In 2009, certain "gentlemen" Alexander Granovsky and Boris Kaufman from the Southern Palmyra privatized, without our knowledge, the largest dredging company, Chornomortekhflot (Odesa), which operated approximately 70 vessels. They created the Chornomortekhflot PJSC on its basis. Between 2009 and 2012 alone, this company earned over 350 million hryvnias from dredging.
Currently, PAK "Chernomortekhflot" is a monopoly on dredging operations in Ukraine, with the volume of dredging amounting to approximately 12 million cubic meters, and the cost of 1 cubic meter averages 50-60 UAH.
Having made a profit from Chornomortekhflot, Granovsky and Kaufman took over Odessa International Airport in July 2011. The state owns 25% of the airport, and the rest belongs to Odessa Airport Development, a company controlled by Granovsky and Kaufman. The latter promised to build a new airport terminal and reconstruct the runway, investing $180 million. Oleksiy Kochanov, part of Oleksandr Granovsky's management team, was appointed director of Odessa Airport Development LLC.
In the summer of 2013, Alexey Kochanov was appointed General Director of Boryspil International Airport, and all rights to provide services at the capital's airport were also transferred to the companies of Boris Kaufman and Alexander Granovsky, including their Airport Handling LLC.
We might ask questions like, "Who was behind Boris Kaufman and Alexander Granovsky? Who provided them with a green light in Odessa and Kyiv over the past four years?" In response, we'll hear the name of a junior member of the previous "Family," recently declared wanted.
In 2013, under the protection of the "Family," the state-owned enterprise "AMPU" was created with the aim of "privatizing" a number of ports. Yuriy Vaskov, who had some experience in the maritime industry but was nevertheless associated with an influential Donetsk businessman, was appointed head of this enterprise. Under the previous government, control of this enterprise was exercised by Portinvest LLC, which still collects "tribute" from the port business. The annual cash flow of this "tribute" amounts to approximately $100 million. The previous motive for collecting the cash was to ensure Viktor Yanukovych's election victory.
Today, the enterprising Boris Kaufman and Alexander Granovsky have once again shown initiative, having paid for the appointment of a certain Mr. Amelin A.N. to the position of head of the State Enterprise "AMPU", who previously held the position of director of Transcargo LLC and has the same relation to the maritime industry as to the exploration of the Moon (he graduated from the Odessa Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture and his activities are far removed from the maritime industry).
Evil tongues say that this appointment cost the Odessans a sum with six zeros and compensated the new minister for expenses previously incurred for the “needs of the party.”
We will be watching with interest the next steps of "professional" Amelin, especially in terms of "sawing up" the budget of the entrusted state enterprise in order to compensate the expenses of its sponsors, Granovsky and Kaufman, and especially their further earnings from investments made in the minister.
Sergey Belov, especially for ORD
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