Vitaly Khomutynnik
People's Deputy Vitaly Khomutynnik He is the co-chair of the Vidrodzhennya parliamentary group and, concurrently, one of the wealthiest members of parliament of the 5th convocation. He is 39 years old and has already been elected to parliament five times. In the upcoming local elections, Khomutynnik will lead Vidrodzhennya, and the group's future development will likely depend on their results, as it includes only single-member deputies. In the near future, parliament plans to abolish the single-member electoral system in Ukraine, which, in turn, makes the group's members concerned about their future in big politics.
15-year-old businessman
Vitaly Khomutynnik was born into a "common" family in 1976 in Makeyevka, Donetsk Oblast. His mother worked as a seamstress, and his father worked in a home appliance repair shop (until recently, he was deputy technical director at a joint-stock company in Makeyevka). Khomutynnik began working quite early, his first official position being the state-owned enterprise "Specialized Management of Reclamation and Construction Mechanisms." According to his official biography, this is where his business career begins. He tells journalists that while working at this enterprise, he established a supply chain from Turkey and, by the age of 15 (!), was already traveling to Turkey to buy goods. However, everyone understands this seems far-fetched; according to a source, his "friend" Vladimir Lemeshko (now the owner of the investment company "Intime" and co-founder of JSC "Cascade") ran the business for him. And cover for his business was provided by his father's connections in the criminal world, as well as friends from youth gangs.
Khomutynnik and Shcherban
In the early "wild 90s," Vitaly Yuryevich began to assemble a team of fighters around him who helped him "get things done," as everyone knows. Around this time, the young Khomutynnik met Vladimir Shcherban, the future governor of the Donetsk region.
Vladimir Shcherban
After serving for just a year as head of the Donetsk regional council and head of the regional state administration, Shcherban was ousted by Pavlo Lazarenko and moved to parliament. In 1999, he became governor of the Sumy region, where he transferred his Donetsk methods and brought in his own people, including Vitaliy Khomutynnik.
In 1994, the company "Cascade" was registered, where Vitaly Khomutynnik was initially listed as a commercial agent and later as the director of foreign economic activity. His lack of a higher education didn't stop him from becoming chairman of the board of directors at ZAO "Cascade" in 1998, co-founded by his friends Vladimir Lemeshko and Vladimir Logvinov. This company began to engage in tax fraud, tinkering with promissory notes, and generally operating as if someone reputable was behind it. This someone, in fact, was Vladimir Shcherban, who assisted the "young talent" in every way possible.
In 1999, Vladimir Shcherban was appointed governor of the Sumy region, and Donetsk entrepreneurs, police officers, and gangsters began to migrate there at an accelerated pace. Shcherban began actively infiltrating the region's governance structure. The next stage was racketeering against local entrepreneurs and directors. Vitaly Khomutynnik was involved in these racketeering schemes, playing the role of a "good cop" who would come and ask businessmen to hand over their shares for free. If they refused, then "evil gangsters" would come and simply "squeeze" their property. Vitaly Yuryevich then gained control of enterprises in the instrument-making, woodworking, and ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy industries. Among them are Nefteprommash, Svessky Pump Plant, Belopolsky Machine-Building Plant, Lebedinsky Piston Ring Plant, Sumy Porcelain Plant, as well as a number of other regional enterprises in instrument making, woodworking, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy.
In 2000, Shcherban and Khomutynnik registered the North-East Industrial Group corporation, in which Kaskad CJSC owned 49% of the shares, and the remaining 51% belonged to the corporation itself. Before Viktor Yushchenko came to power, this joint venture of Shcherban and Khomutynnik controlled the activities of Krolevetspromarmatura CJSC, Svesky Pump Plant OJSC, Nefteprommash OJSC, Sumy Porcelain Plant CJSC, Romensky Printing Machines Plant OJSC, Sumy Rubber Products Plant OJSC, Satel Chemical Current Sources LLC, Sumy Sewing Factory Spetsodezhda CJSC, Akhtyrskaya Sewing Factory OJSC, Akhtyrselmash JSC, and several other enterprises. The structure existed until 2005.
Vitaliy Khomutynnik had managed to skewer himself not only in racketeering but also in dirty politics. It was he who organized squads from Sumy Oblast youth gangs to carry out violent actions during elections. After Viktor Yushchenko came to power, four criminal cases were opened against Shcherban. Khomutynnik, however, escaped with only a slap on the wrist. Shcherban fled the country, and Khomutynnik set about returning assets to their former owners.
Khomutynnik's "family" schemes
In 2003, he got married and bought a penthouse in Kyiv at 17 Kovpaka Street, and a year later, he gave his wife a brand-new 2004 Toyota RAV4. There's nothing surprising about this, except for one detail: Vitaly Khomutynnik, who owned a luxurious apartment on Kovpaka Street, registered it in his wife's name and registered as an out-of-town "homeless" deputy. This allowed him to secure a three-room apartment in Pozniaky—at 24 Sribnokilska Street, apt. 168.
To increase the apartment's square footage, he also registered his mother and brother, Yuriy, who was once known for stealing expensive cars, there. Furthermore, almost all of Vitaly's Kyiv businesses are registered in Yuriy's name, including Globus-Invest and Concord-Trade.
The company "Globus-Invest" was founded by Khomutynnik in partnership with a certain Mr. German Volga. It was this company, using gangster methods, that purchased a house in the Pechersky District, at 6 Redutny Lane, in 2005. On February 20, 2005, residents of the building saw a photocopy of the purchase and sale agreement, which stated that the owners of the house were Yuri Yuryevich Khomutynnik and German Nikolaevich Volga.
Vitaly Khomutynnik with his wife
What can Ukraine's richest MPs afford?
According to his income declaration, Vitaliy Khomutynnik earned over UAH 293 million in 2014 (second among all Ukrainian politicians). In one of his interviews, Vitaliy said he can afford literally anything. He collects paintings and figurines, enjoys extreme sports, and enjoys scuba diving and tennis.
According to the MP, his favorite vacation spots are the Dominican Republic, the Maldives, and the Seychelles. He often shares stunning photos on social media. The politician enjoys scuba diving and spearfishing. Besides exotic vacations, Khomutynnik also loves expensive watches. According to media reports, the MP owns a watch for every occasion, including a Franck Muller "Long Island" worth $27, an A. Lange and Sohne worth almost $62, and a Breguet Classique "Grande Complication" worth $126. He pairs his expensive watches with suits from renowned brands such as Cavalli and Zegna.
Vitaliy Khomutynnik's connection to Igor Kolomoisky
On March 6, a new parliamentary group, "Vidrodzhennya," was created in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. It included 17 MPs who had previously been part of the "Economic Development" alliance, led by Vitaliy Khomutynnik. Three other parliamentarians who joined "Vidrodzhennya" were single-member constituency candidates from the Kharkiv region: Valeriy Pisarenko (an associate of the fugitive Andriy Portnov, Read more about it in the article Andrey Portnov: A Raider's Story), Dmitry Svyatash (co-owner of the automobile company AIS) and Vladimir (father of the former head of Naftogaz-Ukraine, Alexander).
Previously, the Economic Development group was linked and associated with the oligarch Igor Kolomoisky And if previously only a few key deputies fell under his sphere of interest, now it looks like Igor Valerievich is creating the backbone of his future party in the Verkhovna Rada.
Conversation between Khomutynnik and Kolomoisky during a session of the Verkhovna Rada:
Political scientist Vadim Karasev believes: "Kolomoisky is banking on a new opposition that will be able to form an alternative government and claim power when the current government is forced to resign. Currently, the Cabinet lacks sufficient influence. This is also preparation for local and parliamentary elections. Moreover, if the current government collapses along with the economy, someone will need to pick it up. The fact that the group is primarily composed of former Party of Regions members won't hinder the process. Battalion commanders will soon join them."
Experts also say that for the deputies who joined "Vidrodzhennia," this political project is likely their last chance to remain in politics. They were elected under the majoritarian system, which the ruling coalition promises will be abolished. This means they will only be able to enter the 9th convocation of parliament on the lists of one of the parties. Given the group's controversial reputation, it's unlikely anyone other than Ihor Kolomoisky will agree to take them under their wing.
Dmitry Samofalov, for SKELET-info
Subscribe to our channels in Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, VC — Only new faces from the section CRYPT!