Vladimir Perederiy
Volodymyr Perederiy is one of those Ukrainian customs officers who never feels bad for the country. People like him don't just take bribes; they extort them under the threat of delaying or blocking clearance, or even seizing the cargo. Moreover, corrupt customs officers are also thieves! After all, by clearing cargo at reduced rates in exchange for bribes, they are essentially robbing the state, costing it hundreds of millions in lost revenue. Furthermore, Perederiy is involved in schemes that give some importers an illegal economic advantage over others.
It would seem that such a seasoned corrupt official should have been, if not jailed, then at least expelled from office long ago. And believe me, they tried, more than once! But each time, Perederiy evaded responsibility with the help of his patrons, only to return to lucrative customs posts and return to his old ways. Will he succeed again, after journalistic investigations clearly revealed Perederiy's role in the smuggling schemes of the notorious Odessa businessman Vadim Alperin ? Especially considering that Alperin lobbied for Perederiy's appointment, and in the spring of 2019 even paid former acting head of the State Fiscal Service, Oleksandr Vlasov, $100 to have Perederiy return to acting head of the Odessa Customs Service. Why is he so indispensable to them?
Vladimir Perederiy. Forgotten Criminal Cases
Vladimir Vsevolodovich Perederiy was born on February 3, 1969, in Kyiv. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (now the National Technical University), majoring in automated electrical installations. However, things didn't work out for him there, so from 1987 to 89, Perederiy was forced to serve in the army before continuing his studies. He only graduated in 1994, earning a degree in electrical engineering. However, he was unable to work in his field, as Ukraine's industrial sector was rapidly declining. It would seem that the failed young engineer's only options were to go into business, become a gangster, or become a migrant worker. But Perederiy was extremely lucky: after a year of tossing and turning, in May 1995, someone landed him a job as an inspector at the Kyiv customs office. According to rumors, he was helped either by his wife’s relatives (Oksana Alekseevna Perederiy, née Borovik), or by his friends from the institute.
It seemed he wouldn't stay there long, but it became his life's work. All these years, he actively climbed the career ladder, using the support of patrons and stopping at nothing. This is how Perederiy the customs officer emerged, a skilled schemer and cunning schemer. His main characteristic was that he always worked for someone, trying to be someone's "insider at customs." And for the past five years, Perederiy has been Vadim Alperin's man, the one he installed in the leadership of the Odessa Customs Office. But what did Perederiy do before that? After all, until 2015, there were no mentions of him in the media at all—or perhaps they simply didn't survive.
His career history seems rather dull: it contains only two dozen entries. But it's still worth our attention, as along with his meteoric rise, Perederiy also experienced sharp declines, including criminal cases, after which someone had to rescue him.
• May 1995 – September 1996: Inspector of the Kyiv Customs
• October 1996 – March 1997: Senior Inspector of the Kyiv Customs
• April 1997 – April 2000: Senior Inspector of the Kyiv Regional Customs Office
• May – October 2000: Chief Inspector of the Transit Department No. 3 of the Kyiv Regional Customs
• October 2000 – April 2002: Deputy Head of the Transit Department of the Kyiv Regional Customs Office
• April 2002 – February 2003: Deputy Head of the Gostomel customs post of the Kyiv regional customs office
• February – April 2003: Deputy Head of Cargo Department No. 7 of the Kyiv Regional Customs Office
• April 2003 – April 2004: Head of Cargo Department No. 7 of the Kyiv Regional Customs Office
• April 2004 – March 2005: Acting Chief, Chief of Boryspil Customs
After the first Maidan and the formation of the new "orange" government, Volodymyr Perederiy suffered his first downfall: he was removed from his position as chief and demoted to chief inspector. Apparently, Perederiy's patrons also left power along with Kuchma and Yanukovych. However, he quickly found new ones, and his career took off again:
• March – April 2005: Chief Inspector of the Customs Control Department of the Kyiv Regional Customs Office
• March 2005 – May 2008: Head of the Department for the Organization of Customs Control of the Kyiv Regional Customs Office
• May – November 2008: First Deputy Head of the Southern Customs Office
Who helped him rise to prominence under the "orange" regime? Perhaps it was Oleksandr Yegorov, who served as deputy chairman of the State Customs Service from 1996 to 2003 and became its head in 2005? Unlikely, as that was too high a position for Perederiy at the time. According to Skelet.Org , he was assisted by old friends from the Kyiv Regional Customs Office, Oleksandr Olkhovyk and Anatoliy Makarenko . Olkhovyk, who served as its deputy head several times, was dismissed in 2003 under pressure from the "Zhytomyr" faction. After the Maidan, he was reinstated and served as its acting head until the fall of 2005. It was he who welcomed Perederiy back to his native Kyiv Customs Office. Then, Anatoliy Makarenko, who had previously worked there for many years, took over as its head, becoming Perederiy's immediate supervisor. The same Makarenko, who later became head of the GTS in 2009, became infamous for the customs clearance scandal involving Firtash's gas. He was fired in 2010 and even placed under investigation. In 2014, after the second Maidan, he was appointed deputy head of the State Fiscal Service (SFS) at the request of Batkivshchyna. He was then scandalously dismissed in March 2015 following an internal investigation (Makarenko was saved only by high-ranking intercession). In 2019, he unsuccessfully ran for the Verkhovna Rada on the Strength and Honor party list.
Anatoly Makarenko
Makarenko and Perederiy worked together for a year and a half, and then Perederiy went to Odessa to head the Southern Customs Office. But this appointment was already the prerogative of the then-chairman of the State Customs Service, Valeriy Khoroshkovsky , who infamously became notorious for his monstrous corruption in that position: he created entire "duty-free channels" through which convoys of trucks and thousands of containers passed. Khoroshkovsky was adept at orchestrating such schemes, and he knew exactly who to appoint to key positions in these schemes.
As is well known, Khoroshkovsky headed the GTS for just under a year, then left to head the SBU and was replaced by Anatoliy Makarenko. Interestingly, later, in 2010, when Makarenko was under investigation for the Firtash gas case, Khoroshkovsky rescued him. Rumor has it that he offered Makarenko a servant in exchange for his silence regarding Khoroshkovsky's dealings as head of customs.
But here's the most interesting and most mysterious thing: Perederiy served as deputy head of the Southern Customs Office for only a few months, from May to November 2008, and then suddenly returned to Kyiv, supposedly for a promotion. But the promotion was short-lived, and Perederiy spent a full six months as an advisor to the chairman of the State Customs Service (first to Khoroshkovsky, then to Makarenko), before departing for Dnipropetrovsk. It seems that Perederiy's official biography is missing something—and it's absolutely true! Because in November 2008, the deputy head of the Southern Customs Office was caught accepting a large bribe of $333 , and the Odessa Regional Prosecutor's Office also opened a criminal case against him . And although the media has blacked out this "hero"'s name, we know that Vladimir Perederiy was the deputy head of the Southern Customs Office in November 2008—he fled back to Kyiv immediately after the incident.
Khoroshkovsky, who never abandoned his people in trouble, helped him escape to the capital, obtain a new position there, and avoid any punishment. In January 2009, Khoroshkovsky handed over the State Tax Service to Makarenko and became deputy head of the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) – despite the fact that the investigation against Perederiy, the bribe-taker, had been conducted by the SBU (Odesa Oblast Directorate). Thus, it was not difficult for Khoroshkovsky to hush up the case.
• November 2008 – May 2009: Deputy Head and Head of the Department for Control over the Movement of Cargo of the State Customs Service (SCS) of Ukraine
• May – November 2009 – Advisor to the Chairman of the State Customs Service
• November 2009 – March 2010: First Deputy Head of Dnepropetrovsk Customs
Once again, a change of power in Ukraine negatively impacted Volodymyr Perederiy's career. In the spring of 2010, he was expelled from Dnipropetrovsk like a champagne cork, and once again, with his tail between his legs, he returned to the Kyiv Regional Customs Office, where he served as a senior inspector. Unfortunately, the reason for this latest downfall for Perederiy was... Skelet.Org I haven't installed it yet, but I'll definitely find out!
• April – June 2010: Senior Inspector of the Control Activities Sector of the Verification Work Department of the Kyiv Regional Customs
• June-August 2010: Head of the Customs Clearance Department of the Yagorlitsky Customs Office
• September – November 2010: Acting Head of the Customs Clearance Department of the Dniester Customs Office
• November 2010 – January 2012: Deputy Head of the Customs Clearance Department of the Kotovsk post of the Southern Customs.
As you can see, during the "criminal regime," Perederiy never rose above the rank of deputy head of regional customs departments. And in early 2012, he was completely fired from the customs service and spent eight months out of public service. Why? This is also worth investigating—perhaps there's another buried criminal case behind it! And here's something else to consider: from August 2012 to August 2014, Vladimir Perederiy served in the leadership of the State Service for Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship (SSR). From 2010 to 2014, it was headed by the notorious Mikhail Brodsky , who gave Perederiy a safe haven. So what happened? This service became monstrously corrupt, a tool for plundering and blackmailing businessmen—so much so that in the fall of 2014, Brodsky and Perederiy were ousted, and the SRS was reorganized into the State Regulatory Service (SRS). Interestingly, Brodsky was subjected to lustration for his dealings in this position, while Perederiy managed to either "cleanse himself," or documents related to him disappeared again. But Perederiy was directly involved in these criminal activities!
• August 2012 – September 2013: Deputy Director of the Legal Department of the State Service of Ukraine for Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship
• September 2013 – August 2014: Deputy Head of the Department of State Supervision and Management of the State Service of Ukraine on Regulatory Policy and Entrepreneurship
• August-December 2014: Chief Inspector of the Department of Regulation, Customs Value and Classification of Goods of the Kyiv Regional Customs Office
• December 2014 – January 2015: Deputy Head of Dnepropetrovsk Customs
• January-May 2015: Deputy Head, Acting Head of Odessa Customs
• June 2015 – present: Deputy Head of Odessa Customs
• May – August 2019: Acting Head of Odessa Customs
So, having suffered his third fall in 2014, Volodymyr Perederiy, as usual, sat out the turbulent times at his native Kyiv Customs, again as a "simple" chief inspector. Then his old patron, Makarenko, took over the State Fiscal Service, and Perederiy's career took off again – he immediately tried to return as deputy head to Dnipropetrovsk, from where he had been fired in the spring of 2010. But again, it was unsuccessful: after about a month there, Perederiy, for some reason, "didn't get along" with the region's bosses and transferred to Odessa – where he had once nearly been jailed for bribery. In Odessa, having received the position of deputy head of customs, Perederiy also served as acting head – so much so that after just four months, he was suspended from work , and the prosecutor's office opened a criminal case against him under Article 364 of the Criminal Code (abuse of office). Once again, they tried to conceal all the details from the public, and only thanks to publications by "Deputy Control" did it become known that Perederiy, by his order No. 14/01-r of February 5, 2015, forced customs officers to send containers for clearance only after his personal written instructions. This was part of a large-scale corruption scheme that Perederiy approved right at a meeting in... Vadim Alperin's office!
A major scandal erupted, but within a month, Perederiy had fully "rehabilitated" himself and was reinstated at work, tapping into every possible connection in both Odesa and Kyiv. He became so entrenched in his position that he remains in it to this day, having outlived many heads of the Odesa Customs Service who succeeded one another between 2015 and 2019: Yulia Marushevskaya, Nasir's "overseer" Oleksiy Vasilenko, Oleksandr Vlasov, and Igor Reznik (who also nearly went to jail for large-scale corruption ). He also served as acting head of the service again in 2019.
Perhaps he'll even manage to outlive Mykhailo Gribanov, head of the reformed (re-subordinated to the State Customs Service) Odesa Customs Office. And if not, even in the worst-case scenario, Perederiy is always welcome at the Kyiv Regional Customs Office, and his influential friends and patrons will find him another position.
Sergey Varis, for Skelet.Org
CONTINUED: Vladimir Perederiy: The Life of a Thieving Customs Officer. PART 2
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