Firtash and secrets of the Kremlin

The Ukrainian oligarch Dmitry Firtash , located in Austria, can be issued to the US authorities. Such a decision was made on February 21 by the High Land Court of Vienna. The American authorities accuse Firtash of a bribe Indian politicians in order to get a license to develop a titanium deposit. The businessman has many assets in Ukraine, he also owns Inter - one of the most rated Ukrainian television channels. The possible issuance of Firtash is one of the main topics of discussion in the political circles of Kyiv in recent days. After all, this oligarch, according to the media, is associated with the Kremlin and affects Ukrainian politics.

The Vienna Court announced that Dmitry Firtash could be issued to law enforcement agencies of the United States, which have been waiting for an extradition of a billionaire for three years on charges of bribery and corruption. According to the appropriate articles, the Ukrainian oligarch can be planted for 50 years and select all its assets. The United States became interested in his Indian affairs after it became known that he was trying to sell titanium companies from Chicago. Probably, we are talking about the largest consumer of this metal - the Boeing Aircraft Building Company.

The final decision on the extradition of a citizen of Ukraine Firtash must be made by the Minister of Justice of Austria. Immediately after the verdict of Firtash, he was detained in Vienna for 96 hours in an order issued by Spain, where he was accused of laundering money, but, as in 2014, when a businessman was first detained in the Austrian capital at the request of American investigators, he may go on freedom on bail. Almost three years ago, he was released on bail of 125 million euros.

Dmitry Firtash put on his condition in mediation in the supply of Russian gas to Ukraine. Both in the Ukrainian and foreign press there were publications about his connections with the Russian mafia, in particular with Semyon Mogilevich .

Firtash is called one of the key financiers of the presidential campaign of Viktor Yanukovych, with whom the ex-president supported close contacts until his flight to Russia. If, nevertheless, Austria gives out a company by Firtash, then the American authorities learn from him, according to Kyiv, many political and financial secrets of the Kremlin. Its extradition may have extremely negative consequences for Ukrainian politicians, says Viktor Chumak, head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the fight against organized crime and corruption:

Poroshenko, Firtash, Kolomoisky, Akhmetov, Pinchuk - these are all people of the same circle

-Firtash is a carrier of information about Ukrainian politics since the 90s. He can convey a lot of interesting information to the Americans. By and large, today he is a financial donor of the Opposition Bloc in the Verkhovna Rada, the so -called group Levochkin - Boyko . Firtash is not able to radically influence Ukrainian policy, but has a lot of information that can affect the behavior of our politicians. You see, Poroshenko, Firtash, Kolomoisky, Akhmetov, Pinchuk - these are all people of the same circle. They grew together as politicians, as businessmen. They, in principle, received their condition with the same procedures. Therefore, these are people of the same circle and one philosophy. They are interconnected both in business and in politics.

Dmitry Firtash is a long-standing enemy of the ex-Prime Minister, leader of the Fatherland Party Yulia Tymoshenko, who was also engaged in gas business at one time. Political scientist Vladimir Fesenko discusses the possible consequences of Firtash’s extraction in the United States for Ukrainian politics:

- I do not think that there will be some immediate and quick effect. Firtash’s influence on Ukrainian politics has already decreased over the past three years in connection with the loss of the Yanukovych of the authorities, the loss of his closest partners from the power of his closest partners, I mean Sergey Levochkin (ex-head of the presidential administration) and Yuri Boyko (former Deputy Prime Minister on the issues of the fuel-energy complex and coal industry). Yes, of course, he had certain contacts with the current mayor of Kyiv Vitaly Klitschko and the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, but now, for example, when Levochkin has gone to an obvious tactical union with Tymoshenko, I think that relations with Poroshenko are completely different than before. We can say that half of the deputies of the Opposition Bloc is controlled by Firtash, but even this whole faction does not actually affect the decisions of the parliament. It seems to me that the largest tool for the influence of Firtash is the Inter TV channel. And if we talk about the consequences, then of course, if Firtash is issued to the United States, then this can create problems for his business and, accordingly, reduce the financial feeding of his group in OB. But the main risk for him is associated precisely with Inter, since extradition and arrest of Firtash can provoke a struggle for this rating television channel of various players, including those who are now under power.

- According to the Reuters investigation, until February 2011, the Russian Gazprombank opened Credit lines with almost $ 12 billion companies. Is it possible to say that, including with the help of Firtash, Russian President Vladimir Putin made plans to conquer Ukraine by economic?

There is no doubt that Firtash had ties with the Kremlin

- If there was such a lot of money, then where did they go and what? There is no doubt that Firtash had ties with the Kremlin. It is known that the Russian oligarch paid in 2014 a bail for Firtash when he was arrested in Austria. He had a joint company with Gazprom - Rosukranergo. And we, Ukraine, “shoe” twice in 2009-2010, when at first they allegedly confiscated the gas at Firtash, and then they gave it to Tymoshenko (at that time to the Prime Minister of Ukraine), it seems to be a state, and then Ukraine was forced to pay for the same gas even more expensive, which was supposedly illegally taken. Firtash has communication with Russia. Putin influenced Ukraine, on the Ukrainian economy through Rosukrenergo, but I would refrain from assessments that Firtash is the main tool for influence. These people had their own interest, selfish.

In the 90s, Dmitry Firtash started in business from the supply of Turkmen gas to Ukraine. In 2004, he founded the company Rosukranergo , which for several years was an intermediary in gas supplies to Ukraine from Russia. At the time of the presidency, Yanukovych Firtash acquired the control package of Inter Media Group, which, among other things, includes the Inter channel. In the same period, the oligarch also became the owner of three Ukrainian chemical plants in Gorlovka, Severodonetsk and Cherkasy. Since 2004, Firtash owns the Crimean Titan. He has many assets in several EU countries. According to various sources, the current state of the businessman is estimated from 250 million to $ 4 billion.

Advisor to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Zoryan Shkiryak is convinced that in Ukraine Dmitry Firtash defends, including the economic and political interests of Russia:

- Sooner or later, retribution will necessarily overtake those people who have robbed our country for decades, withdrew money from the country with the whole gang from the Mezhigorye . Of course, given the assets of Firtash stolen from Ukraine, it affects certain political processes and individual politicians. And we are talking not only about the representatives of the Opposition Bloc. This oligarch continues to finance various political projects that are engaged in information sabotage and subversive activities within Ukraine. And in this context, one can recall the anti -state policy of Inter.

- And what can you say about the real connections of Dmitry Firtash with the Kremlin?

- Firtash has quite serious assets within Ukraine, and he has funds for the implementation of internal sabotage in our country, buying politicians, creating destructive information performances. With the help of such figures and oligarchs as Firtash, Levochkin, Boyko, Putin is trying to undermine Ukraine from the inside at a time when he cannot achieve his goal by military operations in the Donbass, says Zoryan Shkiryak.