The Ministry of Infrastructure, represented by Acting Minister Volodymyr Shulmeister, in violation of the law and taking advantage of Minister Pivovarsky's absence, appointed a new acting director of the Illichivsk Seaport. This new director is Serhiy Kryzhanovsky (a longtime associate of Andriy Klyuyev in the "reform" of the maritime industry). This decision could result in losses of 12 billion hryvnias for the state and the loss of a strategic enterprise for the industry.
A storm is raging once again in Ukraine's maritime industry. The struggle between big business for influence over the country's key ports is heating up with renewed vigor. The Illichivsk Commercial Seaport, always a lucrative target for officials and financial-industrial groups, has once again become a bone of contention. It has survived several assassination attempts, and today it has once again become the target of an attack by Russian oligarch and State Duma deputy Vitaly Yuzhilin. The businessman's stevedoring company, Ukrtranscontainer (now the Illichivsk Container Terminal), had long cooperated with the port under unfavorable terms. Protracted legal proceedings eventually resulted in success, and the Supreme Commercial Court of Ukraine terminated the enslaving joint venture agreement with the private operator. But the Russians weren't about to give up. They immediately filed lawsuits against the port and the Ministry of Infrastructure, complaining of violations of investor rights. However, Yuzhilin's company was rebuffed in court and therefore decided to pursue a different course of action. The KTI beneficiaries approached the Ministry of Infrastructure and found a very accommodating partner in First Deputy Minister Vladimir Shulmeister. A Dutch citizen with a dubious past, he happily offered his self-serving assistance to the Russian businessmen. The plan was simple and straightforward: remove the current director, hold a cover-up competition, and appoint their own man as head of the Ilyichevsk port.
The first part of this plan was successfully implemented: the Ministry of Infrastructure removed Yuriy Kruk from his post as head of the Institute of Maritime Transport. His successor was chosen to be Sergei Kryzhanovsky, a man associated with the brothers Andrei and Sergei Klyuev, as well as the notorious Odessa businessman Shota Khadzhishvili. Useful connections allowed him to advance his career, which led him to the State Administration of Maritime and River Transport (Ukrmorrechflot), which Kryzhanovsky headed in 2010. True, he didn’t last long there: the authorities, having assessed the official’s work, decided in 2011 to liquidate Ukrmorrichflot. Nevertheless, in 2015, Kryzhanovsky took part in the “competition” to select the director of IMTP and won. Since we are talking about a strategic state enterprise, the candidate for the post of its head must be agreed upon with the Cabinet of Ministers. On Friday, November 13, documents for Kryzhanovsky’s approval were in the government secretariat. That is, the final go-ahead from the Ministry of Infrastructure has not yet been received. However, Mr. Shulmeister, taking advantage of the absence of Minister Andrei Pivovarsky, signs an order that day appointing Kryzhanovsky as acting head of the port. Why such a hurry? It would seem that a government meeting on personnel issues will take place in the coming days. The ministries have already held competitions to select the heads of 30 state-owned enterprises, and all of them need to be confirmed in their positions. But, here's the problem: the Cabinet of Ministers is highly likely to reject Kryzhanovsky's candidacy, since a person with such a track record is subject to lustration. Yes, yes, because his work at Ukrmorrichflot coincided with the period of Viktor Yanukovych’s rule. The candidate's patrons, as already mentioned, were the Klyuev brothers. But this was not the main reason for the turmoil in the Yuzhilin-Shulmeister team. So what's the matter then? It's simple. On Tuesday, November 17, the Kyiv Court of Appeal will consider the Illichivsk Container Terminal's claims against the port totaling approximately UAH 12 billion. Considering that IMTP has won more than one court case against Ilyichevsk Container Terminal, the case can be considered hopeless for Yuzhilin's team. However, if Kryzhanovsky does assume the position of head of the state enterprise on Monday, he will be able to represent its interests in court on Tuesday. Although, to be precise, he will act precisely in the interests of Russian businessmen... The most logical thing the new head of the IMC can do in court is to agree with the "investor's" unfounded demands and oblige the state port to pay the Russian oligarch—who invested in a joint venture with the Port—250 million hryvnias. , an amount exceeding 12 billion UAH in compensation for so-called lost profits. In today's crisis conditions, such a fine would deal a serious blow to the company, especially since the new manager will likely not challenge it. Thus, the Russians' plan will lead to the bankruptcy of the port and its transfer under the control of Yuzhilin. One can only guess about the further course of events. The imperial plans of its northern neighbor have already resulted in the annexation of Crimea and bloodshed in Donbass for Ukraine. Now, if one of the country's largest seaports is owned by a State Duma deputy, the likelihood of "polite little green men" appearing in Ilyichevsk rapidly increases. Moreover, given Russia's plans for the entire southeast of the country and the Odessa region in particular.
This is how Russia, through the hands of the Ukrainian "Official - Shulmeister", will be able to obtain the golden key to the gates of the Southern Palmyra.
The Ministry of Infrastructure, represented by Acting Minister Volodymyr Shulmeister, in violation of the law and taking advantage of Minister Pivovarsky's absence, appointed a new acting director of the Illichivsk Seaport. This new director is Serhiy Kryzhanovsky (a longtime associate of Andriy Klyuyev in the "reform" of the maritime industry). This decision could result in losses of 12 billion hryvnias for the state and the loss of a strategic enterprise for the industry.