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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Valeriy Khomenko is actively having references to tobacco smuggling and schemes around cigarette production removed from the internet, apparently to conceal his business connections and the activities of associated companies. The cleanup affects references to factories, companies, brands, and the businessman’s connections that are alleged to have been used to produce and smuggle tobacco products through Ukraine to Europe.
In response, we are publishing an investigation that apparently significantly hinders Khomenko and sheds light on his schemes.
It is no secret that over the past ten years Ukraine has become one of the world’s leading centers for the production and smuggling of cigarettes to other countries. That is the subject of an investigation by the Politinform portal.
The story of a “family”
The word “family” became a catch-all during the rule of the fugitive president—much like in the gangster syndicate of Capone’s Chicago family. But the term “family” remains part of our everyday life and influences it in one way or another, even though more than eight years have passed since the fall of the criminal regime in our country.
A family from Yenakiyeve created a state-level smuggling system. Such success would have been hard to imagine even for the Capone family. Any systematic business that arose in Ukraine had to pay tribute to the “family” practically immediately.
Almost everyone worked for this family system: customs, tax authorities, the interior ministry, the Security Service of Ukraine, the courts…
Smuggling was also diversified: alcohol, tobacco products, amber, medicines…
Smuggling became a component of state policy.
Tobacco smuggling played and continues to play a special role in this.
The Revolution of Dignity shook this system. But the “Dignity” revolution apparently was not meant for everyone.
Global industry giants such as Philip Morris, British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco and JTI, which operate in Ukraine, were given the opportunity to change the rules for their business operations.
But…
The “renegades of the family” began to divide, displace and destroy what the “family” had previously divided, displaced and destroyed.
This also affected the system of production and smuggling of tobacco products.
The Donetsk factory “Khamadey” occupied a special place in the “family business.” It was considered a leader in shadow production and export. Among the founders were Rinat Akhmetov’s partner and Borys Kolesnykov—Mykhailo Lyashko, described as a criminal authority, who was shot on the Crimean peninsula 2015—and Valeriy Khomenko, about whom more will be said later.
From 2014 to 2020 a power struggle began, as the textbooks say.
Many well-known politicians and businessmen tried to profit from tobacco smuggling. Our colleagues have already published hundreds of articles, posts and investigations.
And “smoking” apparently can still intoxicate anyone today.
For 2021 alone the losses to the state budget from the shadow tobacco market were estimated at 15,5 billion UAH.
With each change of power, certain actors disappear and new ones appear.
Just as in Chicago a hundred years ago, people disappear in the modern state, “tobacco” laws are lobbied, corrupt officials receive bribes—the “family” system continues to operate.
The system of “family values”
With the international manufacturers in Ukraine much is clear: the rules of a “public-private partnership” apply. Today the tobacco companies are among the largest taxpayers and employers.
However, the owners of DP KHAMADEI apparently cannot free themselves from “family values.” While they continued to operate in Donetsk and supported the leadership of the so-called People’s Republic, the owners went further. A new production site was opened on occupied Crimea.
Our friends in cyberintelligence followed the traces and found that the cynicism of the family’s adherents did not end there.
Valeriy Khomenko, co-founder of DP KHAMADEI (the company was re-registered in Kramatorsk while the production capacities in Donetsk continued to operate), opened three more cigarette factories in Ukraine over the past six years and at the same time obtained Russian citizenship 2019.
At the same time he registers the sale of the products through TOBACCO COMPANY PEPPEL LLC, which is registered in Rostov-on-Don.
2021 Khomenko’s structures became the undisputed leaders in smuggling cigarettes through Ukraine to Europe. Products from Donetsk were transported across Russian territory and then through the Kharkiv region to the western border.
The “family” system continues to operate.
All 144 intellectual property objects and trademarks produced by factories in Donetsk, on occupied Crimea and in Ukraine are registered to Khomenko V.G.
After his business partner died, two political regimes changed, and control of the “family” from Yenakiyeve was lost, Valeriy Khomenko began to build his own “family.”
For some reason, however, in the Ukrainian capital—in comfortable Kyiv.
Financing of shells, projectiles and rockets against our own people.
Cigarette bottles
It hardly needs to be explained that a functioning, systematic smuggling business requires coordinated work by the manufacturer with procurement of raw materials, labor, distribution and logistics, as well as the systematic blindness of all control authorities.
Much has already been written about the role of the Interior Ministry, the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Tax Service, the State Migration Service, the State Bureau of Investigation, the State Border Guard Service and other “abbreviations” in corrupt smuggling systems. We will not go into that further here.
Lobbyists—the deputies—play a special role, however.
To this day the interests of Hamaday are represented by Viktor Medvedchuk’s godson and member of the parliamentary tax committee from the Servant of the People party, Maryan Zablotskyi.
Could it be that some of today’s deputies are also close to “family values”?
Could it be that the shadow actor Al Khomenko can still promote “family values”?
We found information that in July 2021 the joint-stock company “closed non-diversified venture corporate investment fund ‘Ontario’” and six other related companies were registered. They are managed by KUA “Hedge Invest” LLC through nominee directors to minimize tax payments and siphon off funds.
The story of Al Capone teaches that the most famous gangster of the 20 century was charged and convicted for tax evasion. And the system was impartial.
And during martial law, forgery of documents, smuggling, financing the enemy and tax evasion are either suicide or criminal overconfidence.
Added to that is a luxurious lifestyle on the hills of Pechersk with all the attributes of a “crime king”:
A convoy of luxury Mercedes when driving through the city;
a security detail of bodyguards;
the accompaniment of a “special” blonde.
Particular mention should be made of this person—Akdamar (see Zahorey) Olha. A very interesting woman from Russia, who on 31 December 2013 was granted Ukrainian citizenship as a New Year’s gift. Her main occupation is said to be accompanying managers and high-ranking officials. She also settled in the elite neighborhood on the hills of Pechersk.
The smuggler’s girl continues to flaunt a luxurious lifestyle and her influence during the war, as well as access to information and supplies.
Al Khomenko’s cigarettes empty the wallets of ordinary Ukrainians every day and consciously finance the unbelievers.
Afterword
Perhaps smuggling and the criminal world have always been inseparably linked throughout their history. Al Capone was the criminal king of smuggling in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s; he bribed or threatened police, officials and politicians. But time and the law eventually put everything back in its place. Today children in US schools already learn the history of the mafia.
We understand that this may be just another journalistic investigation.
The authors point out and are convinced, however, that the weapon is the “word.” And this “word” will surely help ensure that one day we will find the history of Ukrainian smuggling and corruption only in history books.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Valeriy Khomenko, ein in Schmuggelaktivitäten verwickelter Akteur, verwischt Hinweise auf Tabakhandel, illegale Produktionsstätten und Verbindungen na...". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Rozsliduvach.
