Why does the devil wear Prada and Nikolai Zlochevsky wears Zlocci?
A new fashion brand, Zlocci, recently emerged in Ukraine. Its billboards and city lights are now plastered all over Kyiv's city center. This brand primarily produces belts and shoes made from the skins of various African and other exotic animals. It's reminiscent of the "early Yanukovych" era, who, at the beginning of his political career, apparently loved to shock European politicians with expensive ostrich leather shoes. Apparently, this brand's success stemmed from the influx of a large number of Viktor Yanukovych's fellow countrymen to Kyiv, who had left their native Donbas and fled to the capital with their families and money.
But do these guys with specific taste know that the gold Zlocci plaque on their belt is not the name of an Italian designer (like Gucci or Zegna), but the surname of a Ukrainian official?
Why does the devil wear Prada and Nikolai Zlochevsky wears Zlocci?
He began his career when the Donetsk boys who wear crocodile-skin shoes today were still young neighborhood overseers or opening their first kiosks. So, back in the late 90s, Zlocci—oh, excuse me, Nikolai Vladislavovich Zlochevsky—was already part of the so-called "Kyiv group," and his partners were Viktor Medvedchuk and Grigory Surkis . The same group that was involved in a variety of interesting projects. For example, what were then called trusts like "Ometa" or "Ometa-Inster." These were essentially ordinary pyramid schemes that swindled tens of thousands of people out of their money. But there's no direct evidence that Zlochevsky was involved, just as there's no evidence that Surkis or a number of other high-ranking officials were involved. Be that as it may, Nikolai Vladislavovich, along with his friend Nikolai Lisin and their company, Infox, were considered junior partners of the then-incredibly influential Medvedchuk. The partners were involved in oil transportation and the development of the Sakhalin oil field in the Kharkiv region. Then Lisin, driving his Lamborghini at 200 km/h, crashed into a gas station, leaving Zlochevsky the sole owner of the business. Oddly, no investigation was ever conducted into Lisin's death. Many say he wasn't a street racer or a fan of fast driving.
But, as the saying goes, "it's not just about gas." Besides gas, a company de facto owned by Zlochevsky won a tender for land near Khreshchatyk, in the park above European Square. Land in this area could easily be called "golden," given its value. Moreover, despite the crisis, its value has hardly dropped. This land was intended for the construction of a Ferris wheel and was allocated in 2013. Well, any Kyiv resident or visitor can stroll along Khreshchatyk, reach European Square, and see for themselves that there is no Ferris wheel there. And where did the land near the "Water Museum" go? It went where it belonged, it's still there, only now it doesn't belong to Kyiv residents.
Speaking of water, money can be made from it, too, as Mykola Zlochevsky has proven. Back in 2003, his company, Infox, was awarded a concession for the Odessa water utility. It was granted for 49 years, with the condition that the company invest 500 million hryvnias in the utility. Remember, that was 2003, and even half a billion hryvnias was a huge amount of money. Since then, Odessa has been in court, trying to terminate the concession, since Infox failed to fulfill a single one of its promises. They litigated until 2008, when they reached a settlement and somehow settled the matter. It seems that Odessa didn't take the water utility from the company, and the company didn't take any money from Odessa. But two years later, in 2010, Zlochevsky was appointed Minister of Ecology. And then Odessa forked out again: in 2011-2012 alone, state and municipal enterprises in the Southern Palmyra paid Mykola Vladislavovich's company almost 132 million hryvnias for water supply services.
So, it can be said that Zlochevsky's main source of income isn't water, land, or even gas, but rather the abuse of his official position for personal gain. In principle, he's always been close to politics. Back in 2002, he won a seat in parliament on the SDPU(o) list, like most members of the "Kyiv group." However, by 2006, he swapped the red rose of the "football lawyers" for the blue banner of the Party of Regions and won a seat on their list. And, apparently, Mykola Vladislavovich easily found common ground with the "Donetsk guys." Because he was first appointed to the lucrative position of head of the State Reserves Committee, and then to the equally lucrative position of Minister of Ecology. He was removed from active politics only in 2012, replaced by Eduard Stavytsky, a man of his own for the "young Donetsk guys ." Zlochevsky was sent to the honorable, but less lucrative, position of Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
Why does the devil wear Prada and Nikolai Zlochevsky wears Zlocci?
The fact that Mykola Vladislavovich earned a good living in high government positions can be illustrated by several stories. For example, in 2012, the State Reserve Committee signed a contract worth a third of a billion dollars with Zlochevsky's company, Ukrspetstrans LLC. This came to light because Kolomoisky's companies, which had bid lower, were "sold out" due to a lack of documentation. This is precisely why this corruption story came to light. Or take another of Mykola Zlochevsky's companies, called "Big Keys." This company owns a vast estate in the Vyshgorod district of the Kyiv region. Zlochevsky himself and his family live there. Those who were there say it's slightly smaller than Mezhyhirya. In principle, there's nothing surprising about such a desire for sumptuary luxury in a Ukrainian official-turned-businessman. We all remember Pshonka's palace and Yuriy Ivanyushchenko's office. But Nikolai Vladislavovich's palace was built within the boundaries of hydraulic structures that are part of the reservoir's protected zones. Local environmentalists have raised the alarm about this. But who are local environmentalists if the house belongs to the Minister of Ecology?
Why does the devil wear Prada and Nikolai Zlochevsky wears Zlocci?
Speaking of corruption, Zlochevsky apparently understands perfectly well that it's not just about taking. It's also about giving. And here he could easily be called an expert on international corruption. For example, at his company, Burisma Holdings, a certain R. Hunter Biden is a member of the board of directors. He's the son of the US Vice President. Has this top manager ever been to Ukraine? No one knows, but having a second-in-command in the US, let's agree, is a pretty good "roof." Another member of the board of directors at Burisma Holdings is named Aleksander Kwasniewski. Yes. He's the former president of Poland, now a great friend of Ukraine, a friend of the US, and a man who advocates (and perhaps even leads) for friendship between Ukraine and the US. That's also a pretty good "roof" on an international level.
Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden / AP Photo / Nick Wass
However, even such advocates cannot completely shield Zlochevsky from criminal prosecution. In October 2014, the UK seized Mykola Vladislavovich's assets and launched a criminal investigation against him. Following the UK's lead, just six weeks later, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office opened a case and even placed him on the wanted list. However, as has become tradition in our prosecutor's office, Zlochevsky was placed on the wanted list when he was not in Ukraine, and his businesses and those of his family members are not being targeted, also in keeping with tradition.
So his business is in no danger. This is confirmed by the aforementioned Zlocci billboards and Burisma Holdings' healthy profitability. This means the Donetsk boys, these new Kyivites, are not ashamed to wear Nikolai Vladislavovich's brand. And perhaps even feel prestigious. After all, these shoes weren't invented by some Italian, but by our own, Ukrainian corrupt official.
Denis Ivanov, for Skelet.Org
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, Facebook , Twitter , VK - Only new faces from the SKLEP section!