Vadim Grib
Lately, there's been very little news about the activities of the well-known Ukrainian businessman Vadym Hryb. He's not exactly a businessman, but he's part politician, part security adviser, part Russian gangster, and, finally, a corporate raider, who made it onto Forbes Ukraine's list of the richest people in Ukraine.
But then, on August 27, 2015, compelling information surfaced online that Mr. Grib was involved in a highly questionable correspondence with the terrorist Pushilin, in other words, a separatist and traitor to the homeland. According to several online publications, including those citing Ukrainian programmer Yevgeny Dokukin, files hackers managed to extract from the computer of Denis Pushilin, one of the leaders of the terrorist "Donetsk People's Republic," were published online. These files contain Pushilin's personal correspondence on several online services, his SMS messages, as well as a wealth of information about the movements of terrorists, the deployment of Ukrainian troops, the discovery of burial sites, and the "crimes" of Petro Poroshenko. According to online sources, Ukrainian hackers have obtained numerous documents about Pushilin's activities, particularly his connections to Ukrainian officials such as Vadim Valentinovich Hryb and Yuriy Tandit (an advisor to the head of the SBU involved in prisoner exchanges). Regarding Yuriy Tandit's connections to Denis Pushilin, we hope that the security forces will resolve the matter themselves.
In turn, in our opinion, it's worth delving more deeply into the issue of Vadim Grib's involvement in separatist ties. It's no secret that Mr. Grib got his start in Russia, more specifically in Tolyatti, where banditry was thriving and where Grib eagerly joined. Incidentally, he succeeded in this difficult endeavor, making numerous "good friends" and political connections. He then served as an advisor to the President of the Russian Federation on stock market issues for about five years. At some point, he abandoned everything in Russia (fled) and moved to Ukraine, quickly obtaining citizenship, and even briefly becoming the second-in-command in the Crimean government under Anatoly Sergeyevich Matviyenko. At the same time, Grib began diligently building his empire, known as "TEKT," which had been born during his time in Tolyatti. Vadym Hryb, a Ukrainian corporate raider of Russian origin, publicly acknowledged his involvement in organizing corporate raids, his ties to the criminal underworld, his corrupt ties to officials, the bribery of judges, and the use of smear campaigns to gain control of Ukrainian enterprises. Until recently, Vadym Hryb emphasized his origins in the Donbas region, where Vadym Valentinovich graduated from high school. His father, Valentin Vladimirovich, born in 1935, hailed from Yenakiyeve. Even before recent events, Hryb occasionally emphasized that his father was born and lived in close proximity (on the next street, in the next barracks, etc.) to the Yanukovychs, having literally known him since infancy. However, immediately after the Maidan, Hryb changed his tune.
But let's return to Vadym Hryb's escape to Ukraine. Sensing an opportunity, he began swindling people out of privatization vouchers, buying shares with them, then reselling the shares, and siphoning off the proceeds to offshore accounts. He resold shares in Motor Sich, the Kryukov Carriage Works, the Yantar Brewery in Mykolaiv, Azovstal, Markokhim, and the Mykolaiv Alumina Refinery. It must be said that he was significantly successful in this endeavor and more than justifies his status as the number one corporate raider. Just look at his long-running conflict with Kyivmiskbud and Odesakonditer. Only now, instead of privatization certificates, Mr. Grib is using corrupt shareholders—the disgruntled, ambitious, and greedy—who are willing to make deals with him for promises of profit, control over assets, or other ephemeral goals, all aimed ultimately at destroying existing enterprises, turning them into closed and mothballed ruins, silently awaiting their fate. Incidentally, Vadim Grib almost always gets the enterprise he wants, no matter the cost.
And here, as always, Vadim Valentinovich is aided by his connections, which he has always had in both the ruling parties and the opposition, and which he manipulates with great skill. His longtime comrade, Ukrainian MP Anatoliy Matviyenko, provides him with support through his parliamentary powers, which Hryb so covets. However, recently, other MPs have also been linked to him, such as Dmytro Yarosh, who somehow found his way into his circle.
Vadym Hryb's appointment as an advisor to another longtime business friend, or perhaps business partner, Valeriy Khoroshkovsky, first as head of the Security Service of Ukraine and then as Prime Minister in Yanukovych's cabinet, allowed Hryb to pull all sorts of strings, exacerbating the situation for his chosen victims and forcing them to accept his terms and surrender without a fight. "It was Matviyenko who, in 1998, introduced Valeriy Khoroshkovsky to former Prime Minister Valeriy Pustovoitenko, who launched the political career of the current (note: former) head of the SBU," writes Delo. Consequently, it is from there that Hryb's business partnership originates.
But Yanukovych's government fell, and with it, Khoroshkovskyi, taking Hryb with him. And here he was, it seemed, the breath of fresh air Vadym Hryb's many "business projects" needed to take a deep breath, straighten their shoulders, complete all the legal formalities, and once again operate at full capacity. But... Hryb had no intention of leaving the political and business arena. He began to receive support from completely unexpected and entirely expected quarters.
Meanwhile, sources who wished to remain anonymous claim that Hryb may soon assume new positions within the Security Service of Ukraine. Other sources make it clear that Hryb remains a fixture at the National Securities and Stock Market Commission, and his opinion is prioritized in the Commission's determination of corporate raids against entities targeted by Vadym Hryb. Rumor has it that he resolves most of these matters over coffee with members of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission. If so, then all the enterprises Vadym Hryb has access to will be in for a rough ride. However, a new question immediately arises: how exactly does Vadym Hryb's possible new appointment to the SBU relate to his established connection to Donetsk terrorist Denis Pushilin? What is the connection between his position in a government agency tasked with ensuring Ukraine's security and Vadym Valentinovich's separatist actions? However, this issue is unlikely to interest law enforcement, who have for many years remained aloof from the problems of a huge number of enterprises caused by Vadim Grib's corporate raids.
If so, then perhaps Hryb should be next in line for the Ukrainian hackers from Anonymous International to target, with the goal of preventing such a man from gaining power and exposing his numerous corporate raids and separatist atrocities. Perhaps businesses will be able to breathe a sigh of relief, stop fighting, and focus all their efforts on what they were once created for – producing and supplying high-quality domestic products throughout Ukraine!
Subscribe to our channels in Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, VC — Only new faces from the section CRYPT!