Yuriy Artemenko – a Kremlin agent at the head of the Ukrainian ideological machine
Ukrainian society is no longer surprised by the presence of Kremlin agents in the highest government positions. For many years, they have been carrying out a carefully planned and coordinated campaign to advance Russia's geopolitical interests in Ukraine. Some conduits of Russian influence are doing everything possible to cede territory to their aggressive northern neighbor, while others are simultaneously promoting a pro-Russian orientation in the minds of Ukrainians, reports ZhPKiP.
This article is dedicated to the personality of a high-ranking Ukrainian official responsible for the second pillar. Thanks to his Russian masters, he acquired connections, influence, and, quite possibly, a Ukrainian passport with a double-headed eagle on the title page. Today, we'll discuss Yuriy Artemenko, the head of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting.
Yuri Artemenko: Love for Moscow as a Result of Domestic Spanking
Yuriy Anatolyevich Artemenko was a native of Zaporizhzhia. Judging by his relatives' accounts, he was far from ordinary. At just four and a half years old, "the little boy managed to read the entire history of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union," and "by six, he was already registered in every (!) library in Zaporizhzhia," according to one of his biographies. While at school, he "displayed his extraordinary abilities": "a B in his report card was a rare occurrence and, as a rule, was punished with a belt."
This, by the way, is an interesting nuance that sheds light on such character traits of Yuri Artemenko as his quarrelsomeness with colleagues, his contempt for subordinates, and his almost slavish servility to his superiors.
It's no secret that comparisons with other children underlie parental scolding for grades. It's always unpleasant for a child to be compared to someone else, a classmate, a brother, or a sister. Such adults always continue to compare themselves to others, and always to their disadvantage. They first begin to hate those with whom they were previously compared. Subsequently, this hatred transfers to everyone in general.
As for corporal punishment and spanking with a belt, children who have experienced physical abuse often have difficult relationships with their superiors, as the parental figure becomes fused with the superior's. As adults, the child begins to fear the superior and at the same time wants to please him or her to avoid punishment. However, management typically senses this attitude and responds by bullying the subordinate.
However, if a subordinate responsibly fulfills all the assigned tasks, they develop into excellent careerists, valued for their incredible flexibility. And they climb the career ladder.
Young Yuri Artemenko, after graduating from high school with a gold medal, was unable to immediately establish a career. Ambition—either personal or his parents'—got in the way.
Zaporizhzhia's longtime residents say that after school, Yuriy Artemenko went to Moscow, hoping to enroll at the Institute of International Relations. But either he didn't qualify, or the spots were filled by the children of high-ranking officials... Ultimately, this simple Zaporizhzhia boy failed to make it. But the dream of establishing himself in Moscow has since become his cherished goal.
Ultimately, as stated in his official biography on the website of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Administration (of which he became chairman in adulthood), Yuri decided to "learn all the intricacies of his future profession from the ground up" and enrolled in a vocational school. One can only imagine how severely his parents "beat" their child after he failed to get into a prestigious Moscow university, if he ended up in a vocational school so soon after failing to enroll.
The liaison between Poroshenko and Russian billions
In 1983, after completing his military service, Yuriy Artemenko was hired as an intern at the regional newspaper "Komsomolets Zaporizhzhya." It eventually became known as "MIG," and he (Artemenko) became editor-in-chief, having previously completed a correspondence course at the Faculty of Journalism at KSU. His thirst for knowledge was then satisfied by a correspondence course at the Faculty of Law at the International Academy of Personnel Management, based in Zaporizhzhya.
He had to combine his studies with serving as a member of the regional council and, to some extent, in the Verkhovna Rada. Yuriy Artemenko's patron was none other than the renowned Russian businessman Konstantin Grigorishin.
The relationship between these two famous figures boiled down to the businessman's simple desire to acquire a deputy in his pocket. As a result, in 2002, Mr. Artemenko received 15,99% of the vote (incidentally, the lowest result compared to the other eight Zaporizhzhia single-mandate candidates) and became the people's deputy.
It is no secret that during his time as a member of parliament (2002-2005 and 2006-2007), Yuriy Artemenko very actively defended the interests of a number of Zaporizhzhia enterprises of the billionaire Grigorishin , structurally united under the name “Concern Metallurgy”.
And when he was subsequently appointed Chairman of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration (in 2005), Konstantin Grigorishin himself came to congratulate the new head of the region. Reports were also published at the time that, shortly after Artemenko's appointment as head of the regional state administration, a discussion took place regarding the division of spheres of influence in the region in favor of Konstantin Grigorishin.
The conversation allegedly took place in the latter's office in the presence of the newly appointed governor, then-Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Petro Poroshenko, and Minister of Justice Roman Zvarych. To date, this conversation has neither been confirmed nor denied by any of the participants.
Thus, it can be assumed that at the meeting, Yuriy Artemenko was assigned the role of "liaison" between Konstantin Grigorishin's Russian billions and the then "new" government, represented by Petro Poroshenko. Needless to say, such agreements are made for life and are irrevocable.
Yuriy Artemenko. Party Weather Vane
Having entered parliament in 2002, Yuriy Artemenko was in no hurry to decide on a faction affiliation. Some say he needed to get his bearings, others say he needed to wait for the order. Meanwhile, representatives of the Zaporizhzhia administrative resource, then led by Yevhen Kartashov, managed to report on their "contribution" to the formation of the pro-presidential – Leonid Kuchma – majority.
For a time, he managed to maintain a "non-partisan" appearance, while his patrons in power were confident that Yuriy Artemenko would defend the interests of the pro-presidential team under any circumstances.
But as soon as it became clear that the government was changing, Yuriy Anatolyevich upped and joined the ranks of the Solidarity group of the Our Ukraine faction. A little later, his opposition orientation underwent a slight adjustment, resulting in the suspension of his membership in Our Ukraine for moral reasons. The essence of these, according to the MP, was that he shared "the party's goals and overall strategy," but he "did not like some of the methods used to achieve these goals."
According to the regional newspaper "Litsa," Yuriy Artemenko, who then owned the publishing house "Keramist," defended the interests of the Kuchma-Yanukovych team and repeatedly refused to print campaign materials for activists of the "Orange Revolution" of 2004-2005.
However, when it became clear that Viktor Yanukovych had effectively lost the 2004 elections, Yuriy Artemenko joined Viktor Yushchenko's election campaign. And after his victory, he thus became a party to the aforementioned "agreement between political forces"—Poroshenko and Grigorishin.
Chartergate
In 2005, representatives of the Socialist Party released documents showing that the governor allegedly repeatedly (during his parliamentary term and later as governor) used charter flights to Kyiv and Moscow paid for by Energy Standard Group, a company registered in a European country. According to some print media (Ukrainian Investment Newspaper, etc.), the company is directly connected to the same Russian businessman, Konstantin Grigorishin.
Incidentally, rumor has it that during one of his trips to Moscow, Artemenko allegedly "sat" in an expensive restaurant with Konstantin Grigorishin. They first engaged in a lively discussion of important matters, and then relaxed quite actively (recalling Yuri Artemenko's love for beautiful women).
At that time, a parliamentary inquiry was even sent to regional prosecutor Volodymyr Stetsenko by Iosif Vinsky, a member of the Socialist Party faction in the Verkhovna Rada, in which the MP strongly recommended investigating the use of charter flights for corruption.
Yuriy Artemenko himself preferred to remain silent at the time, and those close to the governor timidly responded to the inquisitive journalists' questions, saying that Artemenko was above the rumors, that it was all the work of his enemies, and that he hadn't even flown anywhere on the days specified in the deputy's inquiry.
The regional state administration chairman's debriefing is also interesting given that Yevhen Kartashov, the mayor of Zaporizhzhia, nearly faced criminal charges for a similar "offense" (a charter flight at someone else's expense). It's not hard to guess that his influential patrons simply prevented a similar criminal case against Yuriy Artemenko from proceeding.
Yuriy Artemenko, a media corruption figure with a significant "business"
Yuriy Artemenko currently serves as the head of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting. At first glance, it seems like an unremarkable position, were it not for two "buts."
- First, despite being a civil servant, Mr. Artemenko continues to engage in business, as evidenced by his declaration. This, in turn, is illegal, as it contradicts several provisions regarding the status of a civil servant.
- Secondly, Yuri Artemenko has been repeatedly accused of carrying out ideological tasks assigned to him by his Russian masters. It's no joke: while responsible for ideology on TV and radio, Yuri Artemenko, as some claim, is essentially carrying out the orders of his Russian "masters."
But first things first. According to a declaration posted on the website of the National Anti-Corruption Agency, Yuriy Artemenko, head of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting, owns a 133-square-meter apartment, a garage, and cash savings of $42, as well as 112 hryvnias.
At the same time, the official's wife, Elena, owns a 52,6 square meter apartment in Kyiv, as well as two cars: a Lexus RX 350 and a JAC J5, has a bank deposit of $3 in Ukrsotsbank, and keeps $112 in cash.
According to the document, official Yuriy Artemenko also owns corporate rights in three companies, worth a total of UAH 587,6. Specifically, these are the MIG newspaper (1%), Eurointermedia LLC (17,25%), and Golden Inter Media LLC (11,1%). The fact that the head of a television and radio broadcasting agency owns shares in media companies violates current legislation.
Thus, according to lawyer Ivan Liberman, the law prohibits officials from being involved in business and holding corporate rights, regardless of the form of ownership.
"Corporate rights holders receive profits that directly depend on the company's success. Therefore, to eliminate the risks associated with lobbying for the interests of certain companies using one's official position, the law established such a prohibition."
Therefore, according to the lawyer, law enforcement agencies (primarily NABU) should pay attention to those officials who violate this rule.
It's worth recalling here that in July 2014, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko appointed Yuriy Artemenko as a member of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting. Shortly thereafter, Artemenko was elected chairman of this regulatory body. It's hardly a doubt that Poroshenko, who spoke with Artemenko almost 10 years ago, and in the company of billionaire Grigorishin, was unaware of the future official's significant media holdings.
Yuri Artemenko. Kremlin agent
Considering Yuriy Artemenko's long-standing ties to Russian oligarch Konstantin Grigorishin, who enjoyed the patronage of President Petro Poroshenko, it's no surprise that among patriots and real (not armchair) activists, Yuriy Artemenko has acquired the infamous reputation of being a pro-Russian agent. And the "National Council for the Protection of the People's Republic of Belarus and the Radio" is known simply as the "National Council."
Indeed, one need only read the social media pages of the public movement "Vidsih" (a significant part of which, in particular, made up the 16th Hundred of Maidan Self-Defense during the Revolution of Dignity) to see that the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting did not receive its offensive nickname out of nowhere.
A government agency led by Yuriy Artemenko is actively obstructing the implementation of laws aimed at mitigating the influence of Russian media in Ukraine. Recently, Mr. Artemenko called the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture's initiative to introduce a quota for the minimum number of Ukrainian-language songs broadcast on radio stations "idiotic." After the Verkhovna Rada adopted the quota law, the National Council found no other option but to publish an official clarification of the law on its website. As Serhiy Osnach, leader of the public movement, noted on his Facebook page, this clarification is more of an instruction manual on how to circumvent the law and continue broadcasting Russian songs without formally violating it. The activist also clarified that Yuriy Artemenko had exceeded his authority in this case, as the National Council has no authority to issue any clarifications on the law.
Yuriy Artemenko's "protection" of numerous Russian-produced series, which positively portray Russian law enforcement officials, also deserves a separate article (beyond the scope of this text). This, of course, violates Ukrainian law. Industry media and activists have repeatedly drawn attention to numerous violations by Ukrainian television channels broadcasting films, series, and shows praising Russian police, military personnel, and special services.
However, Mr. Artemenko remains steadfast in his desire to strengthen the foundations of pro-Russian ideology. After all, he has served this ideology ever since he became Konstantin Grigorishin's protégé.
Skelet.Org
On topic : Nikolai Knyazhitsky: a TV swindler
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, Facebook , Twitter , VK - Only new faces from the SKLEP section!