Sergey Makhlai
Russian-American oligarch Sergei Makhlai appears to be facing serious problems in Ukraine and elsewhere.
The co-owner and chairman of the board of directors of Togliattiazot OJSC, the world's largest ammonia producer, had serious plans to strengthen his position in the "independent" country, which is what led him to sponsor the change of power. But harsh lustration, coupled with a severe financial, economic, and political crisis, derailed all plans for this situational "friend of the revolution."
The fact is that Togliattiazot's products are exported via the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline, a unique engineering and technical structure spanning 2417 kilometers. The Ukrainian section of the ammonia pipeline belongs to Ukrhimtransammiak, a company that has been managed by the notorious Party of Regions member Viktor Bondyk since Viktor Yanukovych's premiership . The ammonia pipeline infrastructure runs through seven regions (Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa). For a long time, Makhlai paid Bondyk enormous bribes, who, in turn, ensured significantly lower ammonia transit rates. For example, while pumping a ton of ammonia 100 kilometers cost $2 in 2000, under Bondyk it was $0,5.
In recent years, problems with ammonia transportation have already arisen: on December 16, 2011, Ukrhimtransammiak ceased pumping. Togliattiazot found itself on the verge of shutting down and accused the Ukrainian side of "sabotage." The pipeline was only restored on January 18, 2012, by which time the Russian company's losses had exceeded approximately 140 million hryvnias.
It's therefore not surprising that Makhlai dreamed of taking over the Ukrainian section of the pipeline, along with the Odessa Port Plant at its end, which directly ships products for export, primarily to the United States. And supporting the "revolution of dignity" was a highly opportune pretext for this.
However, events unfolded in an unpredictable manner. The conflict with Russia triggered a new "gas" war. The Odessa Port Plant was left without raw materials and shut down. Meanwhile, the new government desperately needs funds to replenish the budget, so, on the recommendation of the "Anti-Corruption Committee of Maidan" and one of its leaders, Ruslan Kalashnikov, it increased ammonia pumping rates for Russia's Togliattiazot sixfold. As a result, only two of the plant's seven units are currently operating at partial capacity, producing approximately 2,000 tons per day. For ToAZ, designed to produce 3 million tons of ammonia per year, this is tantamount to a shutdown.
And what was Viktor Bondyk doing all this time? It's unclear how one of the most notorious corrupt officials from Yanukovych's camp managed to retain his post, but the change of power left its mark on him. The word "lustration," dreaded by any old-regime bigwig, loomed large over Bondyk, and the ominous outline of a trash can loomed on the horizon. The non-governmental organization "Anti-Corruption Committee of Maidan" was particularly vigorous in its investigation of Bondyk.
Makhlai and Bondik refused to accept their dire situation and began searching for a solution. It was quickly found: Makhlai is not just a businessman, but a semi-criminal figure, typical of the 90s business world. Incidentally, at the end of December, a warrant was issued for his arrest in Russia in connection with a $1,5 billion financial fraud case. When billions of dollars are at stake, such people don't stand on ceremony and simply "eliminate" anyone who gets in their way. So the partners attempted to ease their situation in one fell swoop and staged an assassination attempt on Ruslan Kalashnikov, deputy chairman of the Maidan Anti-Corruption Committee. The activist survived, but the criminal case surrounding the assassination attempt has, for some reason, still been pending.
What could be going on? Were the activists afraid of physical violence? Quite possible. Incidentally, in early December, Oleksandr Kostrenko, deputy head of the Maidan Anti-Corruption Committee, was found stabbed to death in his own apartment.
It's possible that Makhlai's extensive political connections in US power circles also played a role. There are some facts that indicate his collaboration with secret government agencies, particularly the possession of multiple passports—in addition to Sergey Makhlai, he was also known as Serge Makligh and George Mack. Makhlai's American friends could well have talked to the new Ukrainian government about leaving their subordinate alone. Because Maidan is Maidan, democracy is democracy, and no one gave the order to cut off uninterrupted supplies of strategic raw materials to America.
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, Facebook , Twitter , VK - Only new faces from the SKLEP section!