Russian occupation authorities of Crimea and their Russian supervisors are happy to “nationalize” property of Ukrainian companies, politicians and businessmen with the aim to acquire it free of charge or at favorable prices. The list of expropriated objects is 83 pages long.
The first wave of illegal expropriation of the property of Ukrainians in Crimea has been highlighted in our material “What hides nationalization of Ukrainian property in Crimea”.
As “speaker” of “Crimean parliament” Volodymyr Konstantynov reported that “members of Crimean State Council” in absentia “nationalized” property of 77 legal and physical persons who “conduct subversive work against Russia”. The list includes around 1 150 objects of immovable and movable property. Russian occupation “parliament” and “government” declared them the property of the Republic of Crimea”.
It is production facilities and lands of agricultural enterprises, property of Ukrainian banks, sports and rehabilitation centers, sanatoriums and recreational institutions as well as apartments and buildings.
They were expropriated because they were owned by states and foreign citizens, unfriendly to Russia, as Russian Crimean authorities justified their looting. Objects owned by Ukrainian politicians, loyal to Russia, and legal entities under Ukrainian sanctions have been also expropriated.
Property of Ukrainian banks
Collaborators steal last assets of state Oshadny Bank of Ukraine (Oshadbank). Oshadbank has already won the lawsuit in international arbitration against the Russian Federation about its assets stolen by Russia in Crimea. The court estimated losses incurred by Oshadbank at 1,1 billion USD with interests. This court decision has not prevented occupants from stealing premises of the bank in Simferopol, Dzhankoi and Kirovske as well as an apartment in the center of Simferopol.
Russian occupants “expropriated” the property of Ukrainian “Industrialbank”. Its beneficiary is Ihor Dvoretsky (he directly or indirectly owns 72,7% of shares). The second largest block of shares has been owned by the Ukrainian government through JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” and “Ukrtransnafta”.
Ihor Dvoretsky has been prominent businessman in Zaporizhzhia; he has been a member of the Supervisory Board of “Zaporizhstal”. In accordance with the National Bank of Ukraine, now he is the citizen of Switzerland (as well as his wife Hanna Dvoretska, minority shareholder).
Property of the Ukrainian National Center of Para-Olympic Training
The National Center of Para-Olympic and Deflympic Traning and Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities has been built by the Ukrainian government in 2002 in Zaozerne village (Aleya Druzhby street, 1). Modern sports complex with swimming pools, football fields and other sports facilities for swimmers and athletes has been built on the territory of 60 hectares. Eight buildings and a hotel could host simultaneously one thousand people.
Russian occupants re-registered seized Center in the Russian jurisdiction in January 2015 with the name of the Ukrainian legal entity, translated into Russian. The National Committee of Sports of People with Disabilities of Ukraine has been indicated as the founder of the Center. It seems occupants hoped to avoid sanctions from international sports organizations.
The National Center of Para-Olympic and Deflympic Training and Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities. Photo: social media
At that time, Valerii Sushkevych, the President of the National Committee of Sports of People with Disabilities of Ukraine, declared that Putin promised him that the Center would not be expropriated by the Russian authorities and would be accessible for Ukrainian para-olympic sportsmen. In 2015, Putin promised that the Center would be still owned by Ukrainians whereas another center for Russian sportsmen would be built in Crimea. He broke his promises. Ukrainian sportsmen did not have an access to the Center and it has been used as recreational object.
Then, lawyer Oleksandr Voznuk reported that the Center has been used by the Russian company called “Sports Center “Evolution”. He accused Sushkevych in fraud and asked the State Security Committee of Ukraine to investigate his activity under the suspicion of the state treason:
“There has been legal manipulation and fraud. The property, built by money of Ukrainian taxpayers, has been transferred to the Russian company. Every Ukrainian citizen has been robbed”.
It should be noted that, in January 2015, the Russian State Business Register registered LLC “International Sports Center “Energia” at the same address and with the same founder – the National Committee of Sports of People with Disabilities of Ukraine. The Russian Register does not have information about legal entity with name “Sports Center “Evolution”.
Meanwhile, the website of “Evolution” demonstrates the registration certificate of LLC “National Center of Para-Olympic and Deflympic Training and Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities”. This LLC holds the license of the Russian Ministry of Healthcare on healthcare services.
The site of “Evolution” also shows that de jure invalid “Evolution” controls the territory of the Center stolen by Russians from Ukrainian para-olympic sportsmen and people with disabilities. The website says: “Our Center has its own clean sand beach, 1 km long, a lake, park zone, 15 sports facilities, healthcare center and 6 buildings for accommodation”.
The National Center of Para-Olympic and Deflympic Training and Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities stolen by the Russian Federation. Photo from the website of Russian looters
Special page of the website informs that “Evolution” provides rehabilitation of participants of “special military operation”.
“Personnel and administration of the Center support special military operation and conduct rehabilitation of participants of the operation. We developed unique individual program. We conduct crowd funding and acquired radio stations for the frontline”, as informs this webpage. It contains video with grateful soldiers of the Russian army.
On the eve of expropriation, on September 11, 2023, both Russian legal entities appointed “temporary administration”, headed by Papenin Mykola Anatoliyovych.
Ukrainian citizen Papenin is the resident of Simferopol. Before the Russian occupation, he has been co-founder of LLC “Belfegor” (real estate agency) and head of charitable fund “Open your heart”. Since August 2019, Mykola Papenin has been director of sanatorium “Pryboi” for children with parents, stolen by Russian from Ukrainian JSC “Ukrprofozdorovnytsia”.
Collaborator Mykola Papenin, the manager of stolen Ukrainian recreational objects. Photo: screenshot of video “Krym-24”
“Pryboi” has received over 11 million Rubles from the state budget of the Russian Federation to improve the health of Russians during nine years of Russian occupation. After the Russian full scale invasion into Ukraine, the sanatorium provided services to offices of the Russian Pension Fund and Social Security Fund in the following Russian regions: Krasnodar and Khabarovsk krai, Astrakhan oblast, Yamalo-Nenetsky district.
Group of companies “Yuvas-trans”
Konstantinov underlined “large prospective projects” in the “nationalized property”. As he reported, LLC “Yuvas-trans” includes around 120 objects of movable and immovable property in Kerch. The group of companies covers over ten legal entities in Kerch and Russian cities of Sochi and Novorossiysk registered in Russian jurisdiction after the Russian occupation of Crimea. The group has been owned by Kerch family of Narodytsky – Anatolii Leonidovych, his son Yaroslav and his daughter Elina.
Their Kerch ship repair plant provides all necessary services for technical maintenance and repair of ships in ports of Kerch and Caucasus. “Yuvas-trans” has its own pilotsman service and small fleet. Russian occupation authorities expropriated the following ships: “Smolny” and “Istra”, two tugboats “Lazar” and “Gandvik”, floating dock “DOK # 33”, floating repair shop PM-871, motor vessels “Pinguin” and “Mitridat”, fishing boats “Karadag” and “Arabat”. Agricultural assets of Narodytsky in Voikovo village in Leninsky district (cattle breeding complex of LLC “Yuvas-Agro-Holding”) have been also expropriated.
Anatolii Narodytsky, co-owner of the group of companies “Yuvas-trans”. Photo: grif-agro.com
Situation with Narodytsky’s business is instructive for the fate of collaborators on the territory occupied by Russia. After the Russian annexation of Crimea, Narodytsky family fully complied with requirements of Russian occupants. Ukrainian government imposed sanctions on “Yuvas-trans”. In 2018, its ships have been used by the Russian military to block Kerch Straits for Ukrainian military boats. It has been reported that Narodytsky conducted business with EU countries through their Ukrainian companies. Yaroslav Narodytsky had company in Scotland with turnover of million USD.
On the eve of expropriation, in October 2023, Russian authorities introduced “temporary administration” on “Yuvas-trans”. It is headed by Chugai Yevhen Oleksiyovych (he is likely Ukrainian citizen as he received Russian taxpayer’s code in occupied Crimea).
In March 2023, Elina Narodytska has been heavily criticized by telegram channel “Crimean SMERSH” persecuting Crimean residents with pro-Ukrainian position. She published on her Instagram account posts supporting Ukraine. She was forced to make public apologies and pay penalty.
We do not know real reasons of expropriation of Narodytsky’s business. Perhaps, unknown Russian businessmen decided to acquire them for free under “patriotic” slogans…
Sanatoriums, hotels and villas of “unfriendly foreign citizens”
“Crimean parliamentarians” officially expropriated sanatorium formerly owned by Ukrainian JSC “Clinical sanatorium “Poltava-Crimea”, its Artesian well, mud baths and hydrotherapy hospital in Saky. The latter small objects have been earlier registered as Russian LLCs “Aliskom”, “KEMZ Svarka” and “Koleso zhyzni –Trade”, clones of Ukrainian interrelated companies, owned by Inesa and Daria Kravchenko.
In 2014, JSC “Sanatorium “Poltava-Crimea” has been introduced into the Russian State Register with address in Saky. In 2018, address has been changed to Moscow. In 2019, registration data “lost” Crimea. All mentioned legal entities are registered in Moscow, Rubtsovska naberezhnaya, 3.
Popov Aleksei Mikhailovich has been appointed as “temporary administrator” of all four companies on November 22, 2023. This legal entity received 200 million Rubles from the Russian state budget during Russian occupation. After Russian full scale invasion, this legal entity has kept providing healthcare services to Russians. Treatment of bones and muscles has enjoyed increased demand.
Sanatorium “Poltava-Crimea”, Saky. Photo: social media
Four apartments and parking lot of Ukrainian ex-parliamentarian Vitalii Khomutynnyk, registered on his parents, has been also nationalized by the “State Council of Crimea”. One object is located in Vidradne village, Masandra.
“Tea house” of Viktor Yanukovych and “a house near sea” of his son Oleksandr Yanukovych are located in this village. Ludmyla Yanukovych, the wife of Viktor Yanukovych, has resided there after she left Ukraine.
Other objects, presumably owned by Khomutynnyk, are located in residential complex “Emperor” in Livadia village, Baturina street, 44a. Luxury apartment of Olena Zelenska, the wife of President Zelenskyy, is also located here. Russian authorities expropriated and recently “sold” it for 44 million Rubles at the auction.
Residential complex “Emperor” in Livadia. Photo: social media
As Konstantinov reported, Crimean “parliamentarians” expropriated a house and a land plot of Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Pinchuk in Crimean village of Biloglinka. Land plots and grain facilities of Rinat Akhmetov have been expropriated in Kirovsky district of Crimea. It is the property of Mariupol metallurgical factory destroyed by Russian troops.
The list of Konstantinov includes the property, presumably, owned by Mykola Onyshuk, ex-Minister of Justice of Ukraine. It is a land plot of 5 hectares in Krasnogvardeisky district and villa in Foros, registered for his daughter Ustyna. Villa with an area of 700 square meters has been put for sale at various auctions (estimates – 200-400 million Rubles).
Villa of Onyschuk family in Foros. Photo: realtymag.ru
Russian occupants “nationalized” remnants of former hotel “London” in the center of Yalta, Sverdlova street, 7. It has been owned by Ukrainian legal entity – LLC “Hotel “London”.
It has been constructed at the beginning of XX century. After the collapse of Soviet Union, there were a number of scandals related to its privatization and further transfer of ownership. In accordance with Ukrainian media Censor.net, Oleksandr Yedin, Ukrainian ex-parliamentarian from pro-Russian Party of Regions, had hidden stakes in the hotel. Investor promised to invest 10 million USD into its reconstruction but failed. In 2018, Russian occupation authorities tried to get 40 million Rubles of debts from company “Spetsgaspostach” which leased the land.
in 2022, there has been a fire in the building. Now “London” has been put for the sale at online auctions (estimate is around 100 million Rubles).
Fire in “London” hotel in Yalta, 14.07.2022. Photo: social media
Park-hotel “Marat” (Gaspra), owned by Ihor Shkirya, Ukrainian ex-parliamentarian from pro-Russian Party of Regions, has been also “nationalized”. It is surprising as Ihor Shkirya has openly demonstrated its loyalty towards Russia during first years of the Russian occupation of Crimea.
He attended Crimea to relax; registered his Ukrainian legal entity in the Russian jurisdiction in December 2014 and delivered services to Russian governmental bodies (most often – to city government of Moscow) (they bought recreation tours to his hotel).
Members of All-Russian Union of Veterans of Afghanistan have been rehabilitated in Shkirya’s hotel. They actively participated in the Russian occupation of Crimea and recruited “volunteers” for the war in Donbas. In summer 2017, leader of the Union and Russian senator Frants Klintsevych attended the hotel. He has been happy that the cost of rehabilitation of Union members in “Marat” is 3-4 times lower than in Russia.
Park-hotel “Marat”. Photo: hotel-marat-yalta.ru
In accordance with the Russian State Business Register, LLC “Part-otel “Marat” is owned by Moscow company “Invest-torg group”. In its turn, it is owned by Cypriote B&T lines ltd., що which, in its turn, controlled by оформлена на компанію First Finans Firm Ltd in Belize offshore…
The Center of Journalist Investigation will prepare special article about agricultural assets (private farms, production facilities and land plots) expropriated by Russian occupation authorities in Crimea.
