Projects to formalize land leases on Trukhanov Island for companies belonging to Yevhen Sarnatsky, Deputy Head of the State Property Management Department, have been submitted for consideration by the Kyiv City Council's Standing Committee on Urban Development, Architecture, and Land Use. The projects were registered on December 15, 2015. They concern two plots on Trukhanov Island, totaling over three-quarters of a hectare.
One plot of 0,26 hectares (Parkovaya Road 6-B, cadastral number 8000000000: 66: 438: +0121) is seeking a 25-year lease from Ukrainian Scientific and Production Commercial Enterprise Atika LLC. A boathouse with a total area of 391 square meters is located on this plot.
The second plot, 0,50 hectares (Parkovaya Doroha 3-M, 8000000000: 66: 438: 0151), is being offered to Stroyinvest-Management LLC, also on a long-term lease for 25 years. A house with an area of 81 square meters has been built on this land.
The formal reason for the land allocation was the fact that a sports complex belonging to a private company was already located on the specified site.
Both projects indicate that the specified areas are classified as water fund lands and are being designated for the purpose of “operation and maintenance of a sports and recreation complex.”
These lands are planned to be assigned to Yevgeny Sarnatsky's companies under the pretext of servicing a sports and fitness complex.
"We were at that base. It houses a small residential building, a room with a pool table, and a swimming pool that can in no way be considered a sports facility. The only sports-related facilities on the property are mini-football and tennis courts. But all of this is fenced off, like someone's private dacha. Ordinary Kyiv residents have no access to the property," said Oleksiy Gritsenko, head of the temporary commission for inspecting land allocations on Trukhanov Island. The fence blocks access to the water, which is a violation of the Water Code of Ukraine.
"This plot of land almost touches the river, despite the fact that the law prohibits the allocation of land within 100 meters of the shoreline," says Kyiv City Council member Tatyana Melikhova.
The total estimated value of the two plots, according to the project's explanatory note, is UAH 13,23 million. Rent will be 3%, or UAH 396, per year.
The permanent owner of Attika since its founding in the 90s is now the deputy head of the State Administration of Affairs, Evgeny Sarnatsky (the same Atika with the co-owner of Stroyinvest-management – half with Anna Pavlova).
As a reminder, in July of this year, the Kyiv City Council already decided to allocate a plot of land to the company "Stroyinvest-Management." According to the transcript of the plenary session, several deputies opposed the decision, citing violations of the Water and Land Codes, inconsistencies in the development's intended use (a private mansion instead of a sports and fitness complex), a violation of Kyiv residents' right to free access to the Dnieper River, and general problems with the island's development. Despite these concerns, the decision was adopted. A vote on the land allocation for "Attika" was also scheduled for the same session, but it never happened.
Public discontent prompted Mayor Vitali Klitschko to veto the land allocation for Stroyinvest-Management. Klitschko stated that the Kyiv City Council had established a temporary parliamentary oversight committee to review the legality of the structures on Trukhanov Island: "This is a recreational area and a place of rest for all Kyiv residents. There can be no separate 'principalities' there."
In September, the Kyiv City Council wanted to lift this veto, but there weren't enough votes: to override the veto, in a repeat vote, the project must receive 80 votes (2/3 of the council's membership), but only 10 deputies supported the controversial land allocation.
Another vote on these sites is planned soon. Sources in the Kyiv City Council claim that the issue of land plots for Yevhen Sarnatskyi's companies has been practically resolved, and the upcoming vote is merely a formality.
It is worth noting that in addition to the two sections that will soon be voted on (Parkovaya Road 6-B, Parkovaya Road 3-M), Attika also operates a neighboring section (located at Parkovaya Road 3).
Who is this mysterious Evgeny Sarnatsky?
Meet Evgeny Vladimirovich Sarnatsky, born on August 29, 1962, in Polonne, Khmelnytsky Oblast. He is married but has no known children.
The State Administration's website lists Yevhen Sarnatsky's 2014 asset declaration, but the "Application" link opens to a blank page. This means there's no documentary evidence of this official's employment. This is likely due to the fact that this is Mr. Sarnatsky's second stint in the Presidential Administration, having previously served within these same walls during Viktor Yushchenko's presidency.
Yevhen Sarnatsky graduated from the Kyiv Automobile and Road Construction Institute in 1984, specializing in Bridges and Tunnels. Remarkably, Ihor Kononenko, Serhiy Berezenko's patron and an influential friend of Petro Poroshenko and the "grey cardinal" of Ukrainian politics, also attended the same university. Kononenko entered the institute in 1982 and was drafted into the army in 1984. Thus, the future president's partner and patron of the young Berezenko may have had contacts with Sarnatsky from 1982 to 1984. Incidentally, after returning from the army, Kononenko became secretary of the Komsomol cell at the institute.
Interestingly, just two weeks after Sergei Berezenko's appointment as head of the State Administration, Yevgeny Sarnatsky, who had supposedly known Igor Kononenko since his university days, was appointed his deputy (both appointments took place in June 2014). But is this hypothetical student acquaintance really that significant?
To understand this, let's return to the moment Yevhen Sarnatsky ascended to the highest offices of the country's top officials. Since May 2000, he served as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian State Joint-Stock Holding Company Ukrpapire (the company controlled the entire production cycle of paper and pulp products, from logging to the production of paper, cardboard, and other products). A few months later, by a decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated October 24, 2000, he was appointed advisor to Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko (it should be noted that Prime Minister Yushchenko was then completely loyal to President Leonid Kuchma), a position he held until May 2001.
In May 2005, already under Yushchenko as President, Yevgeny Sarnatsky became the head of the Main Directorate for Interaction with Law Enforcement and Regulatory Agencies of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the head of the department for interaction with central executive authorities and law enforcement agencies in the regions of the Main Service for Regional and Personnel Policy, and the deputy head of the Main Service for the Activities of Military Formations and Law Enforcement Agencies of the Presidential Secretariat.
It is also interesting that, while serving as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Crimea (from April to September 2005), Anatoly Matviyenko appointed Yevgeny Sarnatsky to the position of Head of the Main Directorate for Interaction with Law Enforcement and Regulatory Agencies of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and later took his protégé to the Presidential Secretariat.
Today, despite holding a high-ranking government position, Yevhen Sarnatsky continues to successfully pursue business interests. He hasn't abandoned his construction background (he is a bridge and tunnel builder by trade). He runs a joint construction business with the family of MP Matviyenko. According to the Ministry of Justice, he, along with Serhiy Berezenko's cousin, Pavlo Anatolyevich Matviyenko (son of Anatoly Matviyenko), along with Beinars Vladislav Kraslatovich and three other individuals, have been co-founders of Ukrainian Construction Investments LLC (EDRPOU 33779688) for many years and continue to do so. More details can be found in the article "NABU and US Law Enforcement Agencies Interested in Serhiy Berezenko."
Currently, Yevgeny Sarnatsky remains in his position as deputy head of the Department of State Security and likely continues to be friends with his college friend Igor Kononenko, conduct business with the Matvienko family, and maintain relations with his young (albeit former) boss, Sergei Berezenko.
Source: unofficial website Sergey Berezenko based on open sources: "Business Capital", "Zagorodna", "Censor.NET"
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