Foreword

Dear reader, there might arise a question why the Anticorruption Foundation decided to start this project and to write this book.

I will reply. At the moment of and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in Donetsk region as in no other region of Ukraine the criminal situation deteriorated considerably.

The very first state laws of independent Ukraine aiming at the transfer to the market economy, especially in the area of small business development, were used by the criminal groups for laundering the money coming from the black economy, for accumulation of the strategically important starting capital, and further on – involving their representatives into the economic and power structures.

Even if that does not impress you, still I believe that we should start struggling against crime with finding out its sources. For this very purpose, we created the project under the title “Mafia In Ukraine”, and the first part of it – the book “The Donetsk Mafia” – that you, dear reader, are holding in your hands.

Destiny and God gave me the chance not only to be born, but also to survive after reaching maturity and meeting face-to-face with the real Mafia.

And this Mafia, like the Sicilian-American criminal groups shown on TV, has really obtained absolute power not only in Donetsk region (the most densely populated and industrially developed region of Ukraine) but is also establishing its strong influence on the whole territory of Ukraine.

This domestic Mafia is not just organised crime; it’s been functioning for many years in close contact with the representatives of the power holding structures, i.e. the criminality longing for and having opportunity to merge with the state.

Today it is already fully oriented on capital accumulation, getting an excess profit, and organizing the shield for the illegal activities at the highest levels of state power using for its purposes legal commercial, public, and other organizations.

The Donetsk criminal group considered and still considers itself to be completely unpunishable.

And it was the Donetsk clan that in 2004 proposed its candidate for Ukrainian presidency[1]  and lost the election as they didn’t expect the powerful manifestation of the people’s consciousness[2] , their refusal to put up with the criminal laws of this clan, i.e. with everything that gave birth and has nurtured our present-day oligarchs within the fifteen years of Kravchuk’s and Kuchma’s[3]  unlimited reign.

They were the people who created favourable conditions for the appearance of the oligarchy in the country and illegally—the Mafia clan system.

And I am the only man who dared to raise his voice and state that “the Mafia exists”.

I gave the names of its representatives and appealed to the new administration of the country to pay attention to this problem and to keep the promise given to its own people at the Maydan[4]  “Criminals will go to prison!”.

I faced death eye-to-eye when the representatives of the Donetsk Mafia were trying and finally got hold of my property.

But I was lucky: after all the attempts upon my life, I survived.         

But many those businessmen of Donbas, who were shot together with their families near doors of their houses, were killed with screwdrivers and knuckledusters, were beaten to death with baseball bats and axe handles, who were deprived of the most precious that they head  – their life only because they owned some business – are not alive. More than 55 notorious murders in Donetsk oblast are still unsolved. Among the killed not only the MP Y. Scherban, founder of  “Inter-Ukraine” A. Shvedcheko, owner of “Intercomputer” and “Danko” A. Momot, owner of the company “Yug” and “Kiev-Konti” S. Roman, owner of “Medita” A.Opryschenko, director of Azov Sea Steam Navigation A.Bandura, owner of “Byttehnika” S.Guzul, director of Donetsk brewery Y.Pavlenko but also names of many-many other representatives of Donetsk business, whose murders are still unsolved.

And one more thing… When the book was almost ready to publish, the  authors obtained more totally shocking materials, with which they were able to help to investigate the most notorious murders of recent years. Let’s give names -  Igor Aleksandrov, Yevgeni Kushnir, Akhat Bragin. Contrary to the already known information about the crimes against these people, authors of this “Anthology” have gotten access to new data. You will be able to learn about them by reading our book carefully. Many facts couldn’t be included in the book, because they were still being investigated. But as these facts are clarified, the “Anticorruption” Foundation will inform about them at its press-conferences.

But most important is that the businessesof the killed people in an extremely strange way became the businesses of Rinat Akhmetov[5] and Boris Kolesnikov[6].

And precisely the trade marks of the shot businessmen decorated the sponsor boards of the Donetsk soccer club “Shakhtar”.

And these people are dead…

They are not alive anymore, and will not be! Never!

And where are their families? And why weren’t their businesses passed on to THEIR children?

Why do Boris Kolesnikov, as well as Rinat Akhmetov, own everything that remained after them?

Why does Boris Kolesnikov say: “I am a millionaire because I am successful…”

Don’t lie, Mr. Kolesnikov!

You became successful after the death of Sergiy Roman, when you, after his assassination, became the General Director of the company “Yug”, even though you didn’t have  higher education at the time. In order to be accepted by the society, you needed the first, starting capital.

And also – legalized capital.

And you got it… But after the death of S. Roman.

The same happened once again – murder of the director of the Donetsk brewery, Y. Pavlenko, after which this enterprise went to the hands of your best friend Rinat Akhmetov and was named “Sarmat”.

And why are you so good friends with each other, why Rinat Akmetov didn’t spare anything to rescue you from the prison after your arrest, connected with my appeal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on extortion of my shares by Kolesnikov?

Because you and Akhmetov are bound up with each other forever, are bound up in a death grip, in a death knot. Exactly in a death knot.

This knot emerged when Donetsk clan was getting rid, directly or indirectly – it doesn’t matter – from all those who later became sponsors of Soccer Club Shakhtar.

Your friendship is very remarkably confirmed by the fact that on 19.02.2006, after the meeting of Rinat Akhmetov with voters, exactly you, B.Kolesnikov, who is now represented as a seriously ill person by General Persecutor, sat into the luxurious Mercedes and together with Rinat, smiling, drove away from the Donetsk drama theatre.

With the help of my book I would like to say to the people of Ukraine, to the businessmen of Ukraine that Rinat Akhmetov and his apprentices again, as in 2004, strive for Power.

Rinat Akhmetov is a wealthy man, an oligarch.

But in our book I ask the question: who is he and how he became rich?

And above all – the problem of Rinat Akhmetov is in his private capital.

The world history doesn’t know of such huge and rapid accumulation of capital in a fair and clean way.

The problem of Donetsk clan lies in this capital, procured by the blood of the inconvenient people.

The Donetsk clan was founded on gangsterism, on crimes.

The Donetsk clan not only took the capital from those they murdered, it also destroyed the self-awareness of the proud Donetsk people.

It trampled down the population of Ukraine.

Why do the people of Ukraine live SO BADLY?

Because the former presidents, especially L.Kuchma, nurtured the new oligarchs.

And it’s also very remarkable – why did Viktor Yanukovich, the protégé of R.Akhmetov, ask Kuchma to give a senior position to Vladimir Malyshev?

Why didn’t Vladimir Malyshev detect the above-mentioned 55 notorious assassinations, while he was head of Department of Internal Affairs of Donetsk oblast?

Why exactly did Malyshev become head of security at Rinat Akhmetovs’ company “SKM”?

And why did he destroy the documents related to these crimes?

Why, when Malyshev was the head of police of Donetsk oblast, did the property of the killed and shot people get transferred to Rinat Akhmetov and Boris Kolesnikov?

Why this did this occur before the eyes of oblast public prosecutors V. Pshonka and G. Vasilyev? Why Vasilyev became the Public prosecutor of Ukraine, and Yanukovich Prime Minister?

I ask questions that still don’t have answers, but I want to get them:

1. Who ordered more than 55 murders in Donetsk oblast?

2. Why are these murders still unsolved? 

3. Why did the property of the killed businessmen become property of R. Ahmetov and B.Kolesnikov?

4. Why did the companies of the killed people become sponsors of the Soccer Club Shakhtar?

5. Why wasn’t V.Malyshev called to account?

6. Why is the State Office of Public Prosecutor silent and until now unable to answer these questions about notorious crimes?

I wish to ask a question to the President of Ukraine:

- Why are you only occupied with the case of one killed journalist George Gongadze, but  do not bring an attention to  necessity of detecting  55 murders in Donbass?

- Why don’t you force the State Office of Public Prosecutor of Ukraine to give an answer to the people of Ukraine about murders of  MP E.Scherban and journalist I.Aleksandrov, businessmen A.Shvedchenko, A.Momot, J.Pavlenko and others?

- Why did your State Secretary O.Rybachuk dared to play the role of Themis and to say: "The Kolesnikov criminal case is weak..", and actually promote his release from custody?

I declare to all people of Ukraine: Criminality is alive, it has put on “white collars" and strives for power. It longs to possess all the riches of Ukrainian people.

I clearly understand that if these people come to power, population of Ukraine will fall not to 46 million people, but much more drastically.

I am fully aware that with our book we are obliged to open the eyes of people in front of the impending colossal threat.

I ask people to pay attention that there, in Donetsk, dozens of unidentified people were shot and dug in forest plantations and bore pits. Their corpses were found with the concreted legs, they were “stitched” through by screw-drivers, killed with knuckledusters and baseball bats, shot near doors of the houses with their wives and in the sight of children, buried in the ground together with cars, shot in airports …

And our Anticorruption Foundation warns you: the same destiny will await many of you.

You can close the eyes on it, but the threat is so great, that later nobody will remain to repent …

Our Anticorruption Foundation is systemically engaged in this. We do not substitute law enforcement bodies, we wish to open the eyes of Ukrainian people to the impending threat.

I don’t speak today about possible split of the country, I do not mention displays of separatism. Ukraine was united, is, and is obliged to remain such forever.

But I address to citizens of Ukraine with the request to support me and our Foundation in this hard struggle.

Only being together - we are force.

And only by disposing of all that was concealed from the people can order be established in the country.

Publishing of this book is only one of the steps on the long way of the "Anticorruption" Foundation towards promoting democratic principles in Ukraine. We should and are obliged to live in this country. We know how to make Ukraine a European country.

And children of Ukraine should live in the democratic European state. And Ukraine is their country, the country of our children.

And we all should and can make it a prosperous state - united, strong, rich.

Boris PENCHUK

Chairman of the Board

Anticorruption Foundation