Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Who Owns Kharkiv Region’s Recreational Lands
Under Ukrainian law, recreational lands are those used for organizing people’s leisure, tourism, and sporting events. In Kharkiv region, according to the Main Directorate of the State Land Agency, such lands total 3915 ha. Of these, 2772 ha are state-owned within a single district — Velykoburlutskyi — and another 1143 ha have been distributed to various enterprises and institutions of both private and state ownership.
Nashi Hroshi analyzed the State Land Committee’s report on the use of state-owned recreational lands in Kharkiv region. The data published below are only the tip of the iceberg, showing how Kharkiv officials, deputies, and prosecutors successfully used their positions.
Valky District
Karina Davtyan
In 2011 the Starmerchytska village council, in one day, leased two plots of 0,85 ha each for organizing tourist and sporting events. The lessees were two private entities with similar names — LLC “Kharkiv-Tur” and LLC TF “Dik Tur.” Both firms were founded by Inessa and Karina Davtyan — the wife and daughter of the head of the Kharkiv city organization of the BPP “Solidarity” party, Oleksandr Davtyan. In the last elections he became a deputy of Kharkiv city council, although previously he had been elected to the regional council.
LLC “Kharkiv-Tur” also holds 3 ha of recreational land in Pechenizkyi district. The firm leased it back in 2003 for a term of 50 years. In 2013 the prosecutor’s office filed a lawsuit claiming the land had been allocated in violation of the law. But due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, the court left the plot with LLC “Kharkiv-Tur.”
Velykoburlutskyi District
In 2008 LLC “Biriuk” leased 0,65 ha of recreational land in the settlement of Velykyi for a holiday base. The company’s founders are Valeriy Vodyanytskyi, Viktor Necheveria, and Inna Vasiishcheva. The latter is known as head of the personnel department at PJSC “Megabank,” which belongs to Turboatom CEO Viktor Subbotin and Olena Zhukova. It is worth noting that the subsidiary enterprise “Biriuk” is one of the largest holders of hunting grounds in Kharkiv region.
Vovchansk District
Alla Dobkina with her grandmother Alla
The servicing cooperative “Dacha Cooperative ‘Veresk’” leased a plot of 3,4 ha in Staryi Saltiv, one of Kharkiv region’s most picturesque settlements. The land was allocated for creating a holiday base.
The cooperative’s current founders are Alla Mykolaivna Dobkina, Alla Mykhailivna, and Anastasia Bozhenko. The first two are the mother and daughter of former Kharkiv governor Mykhailo Dobkin. It appears Anastasia Bozhenko is a relative of Dobkin’s second wife, Alina Bozhenko.
Andriy Shaptala
The cooperative “Veresk” was founded as early as 2009 by Dobkin’s mother together with Hanna Ovcharenko and Andriy Shaptala. The latter is commercial director of the municipal enterprise “Gorky Park,” and also a founder of about ten cooperatives that received land from Kharkiv city council for free during the Dobkin-Kernes era.
In 2012, for a time the founders of “DC ‘Veresk’” were the current cooperative head Lidiia Adam and Serhiy Bezdetko instead of Dobkina and Shaptala. Adam is also head of OK “ZhBK ‘Triumf’,” which owns Dobkin’s mansion in Lisopark. Bezdetko now works as deputy head of the financial-economic department of the Financial Resources Management of the Department of Capital Construction of KhODA. Almost all construction-work tenders in the region fall under this Department’s control, and its officials are currently suspected by law enforcement of corruption and abuse of office.
The building where the cooperative is registered belongs to LLC “Recreation Base-Prophylactorium ‘Khvoine’” of Serhiy Vietkin.
Several recreational plots in Staryi Saltiv are connected to Yurii Piliateiev. As a private entrepreneur he leases 2,06 ha for the “Alyi Parus” camping site. His private enterprise “Parus-Maksi” received a plot of 8,40 ha for the “Alyi Parus” holiday base. Additionally, Piliateiev and Pavlo Kolodnyi are founders of LLC “Artex,” which leases 18,30 ha in the same settlement.
Tetiana Karatumanova
Piliateiev is known to head LLC “Health Center.” The company’s founders are listed as ATZT “Kuriazh Residential Construction Complex,” LLC Firm “Spivdruzhnist,” and KOO FST “Dynamo.” The company’s beneficiaries are Valeriy Vereitinov, former Kharkiv regional council deputy from the Party of Regions Emil Ter-Stepanian, and the wife of regional council deputy from the Opposition Bloc Oleg Karatumanov — Tetiana Karatumanova, whose maiden name is Kolodna.
A plot of 3 ha in Staryi Saltiv was leased by LLC “Youth Sailing Base.” The company’s founders are Andriy Synytsia, Pavlo Pylypenko, Saud Khalil Al Biss, and Andriy Kravtsov.
Synytsia is founder of many enterprises. In LLC “Avtodrom Kharkiv” his partner is Oleh Chyhrinov — one of the regular business partners of former governor Yevhen Kushnaryov’s son-in-law, Oleksandr Kahanovskyi.
Three plots totaling 11,31 ha in the Hotymlianska village council area are leased by LLC “Investservice.” The company’s founder is Canadian joint-stock company Angram S.A., and the beneficiary is listed as Australian Julio Perez Friera.
Previously among the company’s founders were Andriy Ivanytskyi, Oleksandr Honcharov, and the Volkovskyi family.
Oleksandr Dorovskyi
Nearby is a plot of LLC “Khodos,” registered to the British Virgin Islands offshore “Khodos Holdings Limited.” The ultimate beneficiary is listed as Cypriot Andrea Calorkoti. Until 2011, founders included Henadii Khorunzhyi and Oleksandr Dorovskyi. Dorovskyi heads LLC “Pharmaceutical Company ‘Zdorovya’.” In 2014 he ran for Verkhovna Rada in a single-member district but lost to Oleksandr Kirsh. This year, in local elections he supported the presidential party “Solidarity.”
Also in this village LLC “Lis-2003” holds a plot of 9,9 ha. The company’s founders include the aforementioned Chyhrinov and Oleksandr Kahanovskyi’s brother, Dmytro. The company’s director is Denys Davydov.
Derhachi District
In the Malodanylivka village council area, a plot of 6,5 ha is leased by the Charity Fund “Slobozhanshchyna.” The fund’s founders are people who, together with Shaptala, received land plots from the city council for free — Aliona Arikh, Dmytro Arikh, Svitlana Arikh, Myroslav Balyuk, Oleksandr Ruzhytskyi, Vadym Kononenko, and Albert Kononenko. The latter became a regional council deputy from the Revival party. Also from that party, Ihor Arikh — Dmytro Arikh’s brother — was re-elected to the city council.
Yevhen Popovych
Also, Arikh V.S. leases 1,54 ha in the same village for a boat station. Another lessee there is former Kharkiv prosecutor Yevhen Popovych, who uses 2,41 ha.
Also in Mala Danylivka the Charity Fund “Ukrainian Slobozhanshchyna” leases 2,42 ha for a coastal recreational park. Its founders include the head of the State Financial Inspection in Kharkiv region and city council deputy from “Solidarity,” Stanislav Kosinov, his wife Oksana Tatsi, and his parents — Svitlana and Anatolii Kosinovy. Tatsi is the daughter of the rector of the Yaroslav Vasyli Tatsi Law University. Other founders of the Fund are Tetiana Spitsyna and Maksym Averianov.
The already mentioned Saud Khalil Al Biss, together with Antonina Biriuk, Iryna Pylypenko, and Olena Vinnikova founded LLC “Suputnyk-SV,” which leases 3,55 ha for a recreation zone in Cherkaske-Lozova.
Zmiiv District
Gennadiy Kernes’s business is registered to Oksana Haisynska, and her mother Halyna owns a hectare of land.
In 2004 the private enterprise “Karpi” received a plot on the Zadonecka village council territory for 49 years. The land was allocated for a holiday base; the plot area is 2,54 ha. The founder of “Karpi” is Olga Piliateieva. Together with Tetiana Karatumanova and Mariia Kolodna she founded LLC Firm “Viteryets.”
Also in this village in 2013 Halyna Petriivna Haisynska — mother of Gennadiy Kernes’s “wife” Oksana Haisynska — leased a plot of 1,06 ha.
Vasyl Synchuk (second from left) and Arsen Avakov (one removed from the prosecutor) at the Prosecutor’s Office Day celebration in 2006.
Nearby LLC “Terra-Plus” leased a plot of 3.16 ha for 25 years. This company belongs to Larysa Vasylenko and the son of the former Kharkiv region prosecutor — now prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea — Vasyl Synchuk: Oleksandr Synchuk.
A plot of 10,44 ha is held by the Ukrainian-American joint venture “Europol” as an LLC until 2058. Its founders are Yurii Narozhnyi and Serhii Utytskykh. In 2010 among the founders was Yurii Zadorozhnyi.
Three firms that lease plots outside the Zadonecka village council area are connected to Interior Minister Arsen Avakov. These are PE “Kharkiv-Budinbudindustriia,” which leases 0,79 ha; PE “Revold” with 0,79 ha; and LLC “Megapolis-Bud,” which uses 0,83 ha.
Once Arsen Avakov did business together with Gennadiy Kernes
PE “Kharkiv-Budinbudindustriia” founded LLC “Multimediacenter,” and its beneficiaries are listed as Cypriots Sidera Penelopi and Georgios Vlachou. These Cypriots hold PJSC “TRK ‘Pravo A/TVK’,” which owns the Kharkiv channel of the same name. Since the end of 2014 the company’s director has been Serhii Bordovskyi. Prior to that, Bordovskyi was a board member for five years of Avakov’s “Investor.” The Cypriots are also listed for PE “Diatrek,” which founded PE “Revold.” “Diatrek” also founded LLC “Hotel ‘Kyiv’,” which is currently suing the regional council for 40 million UAH.
LLC “Megapolis-Bud” is registered to Serhii Katrych, who is a beneficiary of channel “A/TVK” together with the Cypriots. In 2006 the company’s founder was listed as Gennadiy Kernes’s business partner Anatolii Chelobitchikov. This is not surprising, since until 2011 Avakov and Kernes had joint business interests, including the “7 channel.”
Pechenizkyi District
In Pechenizkyi district near one of the region’s most elite settlements, Martove, there is the recreation base LLC “Elat” on a plot of 6,43 ha. The company’s founders are Mykhailo Kharnam, Leonid Nadtochyi, and Hennadii Rudman. They are known as founders of LLC “Budivelnyk,” which regularly wins tenders.
Also 6 ha are leased by PE “Kompozyt” of Yurii Nepokrytyi. A plot of 0,95 ha in Martove is also leased by former chief tax official of Kharkiv region, Stanislav Denysiuk.
In Pechenihy a plot of 9.90 ha belongs to the Protas family’s company LLC “Idalia.” Also in the district center three plots totaling 20,97 ha were allocated to LLC “Lis 2003” of Dmytro Kahanovskyi and Oleh Chyhrinov.
Chuhuiv District
A plot of 4,05 ha for a holiday base is leased by LLC “Malynivka.” The company’s founders are LLC “Agro-Industrial Association ‘Agrosvit’,” LLC “KUA ‘Dikv-L’.” Beneficiaries are listed as Serhii Polumysnyi, Oleksandr Bichuch, and Cypriot Christodulu Kirillos. Previously among the founders was Pavlo Pylypenko, who was mentioned in LLC “Youth Sailing Base.” He founded that enterprise together with Armen Aslanyan.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg, showing how Kharkiv officials, deputies, and even prosecutors became wealthy landowners while serving in government positions or winning state tenders.
Pavlo Novyk, “Nashi Hroshi. Region”
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