Ukraine has made another breakthrough in the global arms market: Algeria has purchased Skif anti-tank missile systems from us, they write [high-profile cases].
The signing of the corresponding contract was reported by the Algerian military blog MENADefense. It is noted that the Algerian military recently acquired a batch of the systems, but the delivery volumes were not disclosed. According to the authoritative Russian military blog bmpd, the contract with Algeria marks another export success for the system's manufacturer, the Kyiv-based Luch Design Bureau.
It's noteworthy that foreign specialized publications, not Ukroboronprom, were the first to trumpet this success of domestic arms manufacturers. This may be because our arms exporters maintain secrecy. However, it's not certain that this is due to contract terms or any defense-related nuances. There's a strong possibility that the silence on this matter is due to the secrecy of the investigation, as NABU detectives are possibly investigating the details of the Algerian deal.
This article continues a series of investigative journalism on corruption at Ukroboronprom.
Grom.a analysts reached this conclusion based on insider information received from a source within the state-owned arms concern. According to our sources, the contract with Algeria for the supply of ATGMs was overseen by the former director of Ukrinmash, now an inconspicuous clerk, Stanislav Khosh. He was also overseen by Yevhen Trishnovskiy, head of Contracts Department No. 4 at the state-owned company Spetstekhnoexport, who was recently fired for his insatiable appetite for luxury. (Both aforementioned companies are part of the state-owned concern Ukroboronprom – editor's note.) If this is true, then at least 10% of the deal is guaranteed to have been siphoned off to some offshore shell company under the guise of consulting fees or some other pretext. This has always been the case. Our arms barons are neither able nor willing to do otherwise, as we have written repeatedly. The irony is that, in all likelihood, part of the kickback will not end up in the pockets of our corrupt businessmen, but in the accounts of people connected to the intelligence services of the aggressor country.
Let's go back a bit. In our previous publication on this topic, we recalled an episode in case No. 52016000000000081, which we previously covered in detail. This involved the laundering of approximately two million dollars through the supply of ammunition to the UAE, which may also involve "personnel" from Spetstekhnoexport, in particular, the aforementioned Evgeny Trishnovskiy.
As a reminder, the money went to the account of a Scottish offshore company, Fuerteventura Inter LP. We easily discovered that Fuerteventura Inter LP was founded by Japan Intergroup SA and Kyoto Holdings SA.
Despite their seemingly grand names, there are no mentions of these "Japanese" companies online. In fact, there are practically none. In the UK's Companies House register of legal entities, we found a document stating that Japan Intergroup SA and Kyoto Holdings S.A. founded Akkord Welt LP in Scotland in 2014.
We decided to dig deeper under this office.
Akkord Welt LP is referred to in public sources as the "European office" of the PAYEER payment system. Further research revealed that Russian mafia and security officials are likely behind this company. We won't go into detail, but if you're interested, click here. We'll move on to the new facts we've uncovered.
It turned out that in mid-June of this year, the share of Kyoto Holdings SA in Akkord Welt LP was transferred to a certain Elena Kulbikova.
Elena Kulbikova is the first vice president of the Russian Premier group of companies, which is involved in construction, real estate trading, and the like.
Elena Kulbikova
To understand the true nature of this rather shady Moscow construction company, one must understand its partners and clients. Among them are the Moscow Region Government, the Moscow City Construction Department, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the State Duma Committee on Housing Policy and Housing and Public Utilities, Gazprom, and others.
The fact that a Russian construction holding company with a secret service connection has been implicated in Ukroboronprom's schemes is no coincidence, but rather a pattern. At the origin of these schemes lies the largest developer in occupied Sevastopol, with ties to the Russian secret services. This is former Ukrainian Defense Minister Pavlo Lebedev. It's possible that the country's once-richest defense minister also has a small stake in this construction holding company run by Russian security forces (or rather, judging by certain indications, a "laundromat" for money stolen from construction contracts).
Pavel Lebedev
It's no secret that Stanislav Khosh and Yevgeny Trishnovskiy are Lebedev's protégés. It was Pavel Valentinovich who infiltrated these talented young men into the defense industry, landing himself as Defense Minister with Viktor Yanukovych's help.
Lebedev's choice of Stanislav Khosh and his "buddy," Zhenya Trishnovsky, was no accident. Khosh's father, Mikhail Yefimovich, is an old friend and business partner of Lebedev's. Incidentally, Stanislav's father is currently actively trying to revive the wine industry in occupied Crimea.
As previously reported and noted above, on July 1, under pressure from the National Security and Defense Council, Yevhen Tryshnovsky was dismissed from his position as head of Contracts Department No. 4 at the state-owned company Spetstekhnoexport. First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleh Gladkovsky (formerly Svinarchuk), personally insisted on Tryshnovsky's dismissal. The main complaint leveled against Tryshnovsky was that he was drawing undue media attention to Ukroboronprom's schemes.
Igor Sichkar has taken Trishnovsky's place. This means that Trishnovsky and Khosh remain in the scheme, as Sichkar is a member of Lebedev's ranks. It was under Lebedev that Sichkar was transferred from the Ministry of Defense to Spetstekhnoexport, where he had previously worked under Trishnovsky and Khosh. Before his appointment as Trishnovsky's replacement, he served as a "transfer link" between the Ministry of Defense and Spetstekhnoexport.
Despite our predictions, Spetstekhnoexport Director Pavel Barbul managed to hold his ground. And there's a logical explanation for this.
Pavel Barbul's father, Alexey, is an old acquaintance. Alexandra Presman - now a people's deputy from the Vidrodzhennya party Vitaliy KhomutynnikPeople associated with this political force have had interests in the arms trade since the Yanukovych era. And they haven't been forced out of these schemes only because without the votes of "Vidrodzhennia," the pro-government coalition in parliament simply won't have the votes to make decisions.
While Yevgeny Trishnovskiy immediately hurriedly left for abroad after his dismissal to rest and wait out the storm, his fellow sufferer, Vladimir Mutsinov, deputy director of Spetstekhnoeksport, continues to occupy his office even after his dismissal, using the company car and telephone. "He justifies his behavior by saying that his issue will soon be resolved, and there's no point in taking things out only to bring them back in again," a source at the company reported.
Let us recall: Mutsinov was fired for immoral behavior, namely, rudeness towards NABU detectives investigating fraud at Spetstekhnoexport.
Interestingly, Vladimir Mutsinov is a freelance adviser to MP Presman. Sources familiar with the situation claim that Mutsinov is acting as Alexander Presman's "overseer" and is confident that his "boss" will use his parliamentary connections to save his life.
The only one who feels confident in the storm raging around Ukroboronprom structures is Pavel Lebedev's family friend, Stanislav Khosh. Following a major scandal in 2013, when the Greek Coast Guard intercepted a ship carrying Ukrainian ammunition destined for African hot spots (Khosh was a key organizer of the smuggling), this arms baron prefers to keep a low profile and not hold official positions of responsibility, instead managing the "process" from the shadows.
"He lives in Novopecherskie Lipki, drives a Land Cruiser 200 with a 'trump' license plate and a security guard/driver," says our source. "He doesn't aspire to any positions, preferring to run things through others."
To be continued.
Yaroslav Garmash, especially for [high-profile cases] и CRiME`a
Subscribe to our channels in Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, VC — Only new faces from the section CRYPT!