Semyon Semenchenko - Konstantin Grishin
A deputy from the Samopomich faction, also a commander of the Donbas volunteer battalion, has stood as a candidate in the long-suffering local elections in Kryvyi Rih. His alleged name is Semyon Igorevich Semenchenko. This is allegedly because that's the name that was recently added to his passport; previously, his name was Konstantin Grishin. He has a chance of winning in Kryvyi Rih.
Because it was he who started the regional war in the last elections. As a result of this war, the winner was Yuri Vilkul, the father of Alexander Vilkul (Read more about Alexander Vilkul in the article: Oleksandr Vilkul: The Forgotten Past of a Dnipropetrovsk Mayoral Candidate ) was not recognized as mayor and re-elections were announced. It was at these re-elections Semyon Igorevich put forward his candidacySamopomich's previous candidate, Yuriy Mylobog, was clearly weak, so the victory of Vilkul, who has long been cultivating Kryvyi Rih and considers it his fiefdom, looked quite convincing. Now, the "democratic" forces are campaigning under the slogan: "If Semenchenko doesn't win, it's fraud and rigging," but if he does, it's a "fair election." No one cares that Semen Semenchenko has the same connection to Kryvyi Rih as Vilkul has to, say, ballet. But apparently, those in the know are telling the truth—the mayor's seat, even in a small city, brings more benefits than a parliamentary seat. Let's recall who Semen Igorevich Semenchenko is and where he came from in Ukrainian politics. Let's be clear right away that our article contains many unverified facts and rumors, but that's not our fault. The fact is that Mr. Grishin-Semenchenko really likes to “cover his tracks,” obfuscate, and tell deliberate lies, which he has already been caught in more than once.
Semyon Semenchenko. Loser businessman
Before the start of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) in eastern Ukraine, Semyon Semenchenko, then known as Konstantin Igorevich Grishin, was nothing special. Born into a military family, he graduated from high school in Sevastopol. According to his classmates, they loved to beat this "runt of a boy" for his constant misbehavior and the fact that he was a "sneak," meaning he not only refused to accept his classmates but also constantly reported them to teachers.
By his own admission, he attempted to obtain higher education at several different universities, from military to creative arts, but failed in any of them. He tried his hand at business. In Donetsk, he opened a courier company, "Regional Courier Delivery," which he later reorganized into a satellite dish installation company, "New Satellite Television." Donetsk residents don't particularly remember either company. So, he can hardly be called a successful businessman. Like most unsuccessful businessmen, he tried to get into politics. In Sevastopol, he allegedly published the newspapers "Sevastopol Herald" and "Our Sevastopol Truth." No one remembers these newspapers either. He headed some unknown public organizations that dealt with obscure matters. Moreover, most of these organizations were openly pro-Russian. However, Semenchenko himself claims that when he was in business, he was successful and wealthy. The facts indicate that in 2014, he closed his company—not sold it, but closed it—and moved to Kyiv. Furthermore, he carries a trail of debts and unpaid loans, which we'll discuss later. In fact, his fate is not unique in this regard, echoing that of, for example, the leaders of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), such as Pavel Gubarev or Alexander Zakharchenko, or the leader of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), Igor Plotnitsky. His business—a public organization—was not particularly successful, and, with the outbreak of hostilities, command of a combat unit—was a foray into politics. They simply found themselves on opposite sides of the barricades. There's a video showing Semenchenko seizing the administration and treasury buildings in Donetsk alongside Gubarev. It's logical to assume that something went wrong later, and Semen Igorevich defected to Ukraine.
Donbass Battalion. Beginning
This battalion played a huge role in the fight against the separatists. We would not like to diminish its status, nor the personal exploits of its fighters, nor the number of civilians killed and raped by this battalion, which has already been documented even by international organizations (and we're talking hundreds). We're not talking about the battalion itself, but about its then-commander, Semyon Semenchenko. Let's start at the beginning, with the battalion's organization. It was formed in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the domain of oligarch Igor Kolomoisky, who was then appointed head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration. This meant he became the master of the region not only de facto but also de jure. The region needed to be defended, and Igor Valerievich understood this. He understood perfectly well that other Ukrainian oligarchs, and others, would gladly subjugate his domain by force of arms. Therefore, he created a number of territorial battalions, "Donbas" being one of them. Semenchenko claims he took no money from Kolomoisky or other oligarchs, claiming his battalion was formed solely through donations from ordinary Ukrainians. Well, let's do the math. One soldier's equipment costs around 10.000 hryvnias. That's the bare minimum—a helmet, body armor, clothing, combat boots, and a combat vest—no frills or first aid kit. At the beginning of the summer of 2014, the battalion had 630 men. So, six million three hundred thousand hryvnias were spent on equipment alone. And then there were food, medicine, fuel, lubricants, and some kind of allowance (at least for cigarettes).
And after several months of "fighting," supermarkets in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia, and even restaurants, were simply delighted by the "return" of soldiers from the front, because their Privat bank cards held such sums that the average resident of these cities hadn't seen successful and sought-after work for several years.
Our volunteers are certainly great. But they'd hardly have been able to raise such a sum quickly, and back then, they'd have had to act quickly. For Igor Kolomoisky, however, such a sum wasn't even that burdensome. However, it wouldn't have been convenient for the oligarch to personally run some volunteer battalion; Kolomoisky's allies were handling it. Boris Filatov and Gennady Korban. So Semyon Semenchenko is simply lying. But then, he always lies.
Anton Gerashchenko and Semyon Semenchenko
Semyon Semenchenko. Lies
In an interview with The Guardian, Semenchenko said he was a film director by training, and in an interview with Forbes, he claimed to be a captain in the Ukrainian Navy. Both of his statements are false. In fact, he never completed his higher education. He also claimed to have been awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel. This is also untrue; an officer's rank is not conferred without a higher military education. That is, he could have worn any epaulettes he wanted, even field marshal's, but this is illegal, and the prosecutor's office has opened a case regarding this. Regarding the joint He stated that Gubarev was taking over DonODAThat he acted like Stirlitz, deliberately infiltrating enemy lines. This is nonsense, if only because in those days no one knew what these captures would lead to. The balaclava story also sounds very much like a lie. From the beginning of the ATO until the spring of 2014, Semyon Semenchenko concealed his face and real name. Although this was an open secret, hackers from CyberBerkut quickly identified him.
He himself said that he hid and then changed his name because there was a threat to the lives and health of his relatives. But everyone said he was "some clown walking around with his underwear on his head," since only the most inadequate individuals took him seriously. After all, his relatives in Crimea are pro-Russian, and their lives are not in danger then or now. However, there is information that, when Semenchenko was still Grishin, he served time in prison for fraud. Naturally, such a record in his biography would have prevented him from becoming not only a battalion commander of the National Guard of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, with a criminal record, even expunged, but he would also have been unable to become even a rank-and-file cop. Therefore, on the advice of Anton Gerashchenko, which is on behalf of Arsen Avakov (Read more about it in the article Arsen Avakov: The criminal past of the Minister of Internal Affairs) then began overseeing the Donbass Battalion, he changed his last name. The Ministry of Internal Affairs' central database stated that Semyon Semenchenko had no criminal record, and he assumed the battalion commander's position legally. In fact, this veil of lies surrounding Semyon Igorevich has given rise to numerous rumors. For example, they say he and his wife were wanted for non-payment of their mobile phone bills by MTS. Even the scar on his face is often interpreted as a punishment he received in prison for stealing from his own people, since in prison the expression "I'll tear your mouth apart" is far from figurative. In other words, as they say, "he answered to the boys." But let's return to the Donbass Battalion.
Donbass Battalion. Continued
The Donbas Battalion, along with other battalions and forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, participated in the heroic battles for Popasna, Karlovka, Ilovaisk, and many others. As for Semyon Igorevich's command, many of his fighters openly and publicly call him a "rear rat," an "incompetent commander," and a "PR man." For example, former battalion chief of staff Sergei Eremin claimed that Semenchenko is pure populism, staging photo shoots and using the battalion as much as possible to promote himself. But when it comes to combat, he simply withdraws.
Company commander Vladimir Shilov claimed that near Karlovka, Semyon Semenchenko simply posted the battalion's route online two days in advance. As a result, the Donbass unit was ambushed by the militia's Vostok Battalion. Twenty fighters were wounded, according to various sources, between five and eleven were killed, and many more were captured (according to other sources). Skelet.Org(Each figure must be multiplied by 10, since the dead and captured were recorded as deserters.) He himself did not participate in the battle, as he was busy, writing about it on Facebook. Around 200 fighters defected from the Donbass Battalion to the Ukrainian Armed Forces—a record among volunteer battalions (again, this is only according to official data; in reality, experts recommend multiplying by ten). Relatives of the battalion's fighters even created a special Facebook page to combat Semyon Semenchenko's PR campaign.
During the Ilovaisk Cauldron, according to Navy SEAL Commander Eduard Shevchenko, the Donbas Battalion commander was in Kyiv, picketing the Ministry of Defense, which can only be described as desertion. He also claims that during the tragic battle for Vuhlehirsk, Semenchenko was five kilometers from the front lines at a railroad crossing. He sent his own soldiers there, though. He sent them without reconnaissance and almost without ammunition. In fact, Eduard Shevchenko was the one who pulled these Donbas and Svityaz fighters out. Meanwhile, Semen Semenchenko got into a car and drove off in an unknown direction. The next day, he wrote on Facebook that he had suffered a concussion. And this is another lie; he never even made it to Vuhlehirsk and there was no concussion. He simply fled the battlefield so quickly that he crashed into an armored personnel carrier (APC) that was rushing to Vuhlehirsk to help Ukrainian soldiers. For this "heroic act," he was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky. In September 2014, fifteen fighters from his battalion held a press conference at which they revealed the truth about Semyon Semenchenko. Representatives from twenty-nine media outlets attended the press conference, but not a single television channel or newspaper reported the information. However, intimidation, bribery, and outright attacks on his critics and competitors are part of Semenchenko's life.
Semyon Semenchenko. Criminal offense
On the "Black Mirror" program on the Inter TV channel, Radical Party deputy Mark Gres made the mistake of accusing Semyon Semenchenko personally of sending his fighters to their deaths. A few hours later, Gres was beaten and stabbed several times in the entryway of his own home. On October 1, 2014, Alexander Kalashnik, deputy chief of staff of the Donbass Battalion, went missing. He was investigating abuses and embezzlement within the battalion. Kalashnik was later found, and it turned out he had been kidnapped by Semyon Semenchenko's deputy, codename "Professor," after which he was taken to the Donetsk region, territory controlled by Ukraine, and held in a basement. Battalion fighters believe Semenchenko himself was behind the kidnapping, and only intense public outrage and organized rallies in support of Alexander Kalashnik saved his life. This is very likely true. Because Kalashnik established that the battalion had neither its own bank account nor any other bank details. Nevertheless, donations were regularly transferred to Donbas, which apparently ended up in the battalion commander's pockets. And the money was considerable. Semenchenko wasn't just campaigning for Ukrainians. He traveled to the United States, where he received donations there, too. Where this money went remains unknown.
Criminal proceedings
Against Semyon Semenchenko a number of criminal proceedings have been opened, but parliamentary immunity is saving him for now. One of these proceedings is about illegal receiving a military rankIn 2015, Semenchenko illegally obtained a reserve officer's ID from the Vyshgorod military registration and enlistment office, although he is not one—a fact confirmed by the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense. The SBU is investigating the case of Alexander Kalashnik; little is being said about it now, but sooner or later the truth will come out. Both the truth about the theft of money and the truth about the kidnapping. Moreover, military prosecutor Anatoly Matios (which Stanislav Rechinsky, the owner of the ORD website and former press secretary of the SBU, unexpectedly took up - ANataliy Matios. The Odessa Period. Elegy ) reported that criminal proceedings have been opened against Semenchenko under four counts: unlawful imprisonment, abuse of office, forgery, and use of forged documents. He has also been summoned to the Prosecutor General's Office for questioning in connection with the seizure of buildings in Donetsk and the organization of a terrorist group, the DPR. Semyon Igorevich, as we have previously noted, is directly involved in all of this. The most interesting thing is that this lying con man has nowhere to run. A case has also been opened against him in the DPR, and a similar case has been opened in the Russian Federation. And in Europe and the United States, organizations such as Amnesty International, which suspects him of war crimes, are seriously interested in his misdeeds. So, perhaps the post of mayor of Kryvyi Rih is a matter of life or death for Semyon Semenchenko.
So, Semenchenko has a chance to win in Kryvyi Rih. Some political experts claim the city is being "sold out" to the Vilkuls, but that's not true. A public meeting has already taken place in the city, and although, judging by the photos below, it was quite small and speaks volumes about his level of support among the local population, Semen Ihorovych was declared the popular candidate. Semenchenko himself announced that he will bring observers from Ternopil, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv to the elections. This means he will have both his own observers and his own thugs. As for the process, as we've already discussed, it's simple: everything short of Semenchenko's victory is fraudulent. If, despite all this, he still doesn't win, there's another loophole: re-elections in a year and a half due to constitutional amendments.
Well, from our perspective and on the advice of friends, we can only say: Semyon Igorevich! The Earth is round ;)
It's time to start understanding this.
Denis Ivanov, with deep editing by Olga Obashidze, for Skelet.Org
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