"He really knows a lot": what Firtash can tell the FBI about Russia and Ukraine

Austrian court 25 June satisfied the request of the USA on the extradition of one of the most odious Ukrainian oligarchs Dmitry Firtash. In America, they have achieved this for four years. It almost came to a change in the national legislation of Austria, but nothing helped Firtash.

Photo: video frame YouTube / Details

The FBI is one step away from getting a businessman who can tell a lot about Russia's influence on Ukrainian politics and the shadow gas trading schemes, writes “Currently,".

How Ukrainian oligarch Firtash is connected with Russia

Dmitry Firtash arrived in Vienna 21 February 2014, and since then he has not succeeded in leaving the borders of Austria. The arrival date is not accidental: on this fateful day for Ukraine, when the fate of the country's future after a mass execution of people on the Maidan was decided on the street, Firtash took part in a meeting of the leaders of the then opposition with former President Viktor Yanukovych.

Firtash was arrested in Vienna two weeks after that meeting at the request of the United States. The FBI accuses Firtash of allegedly bribing his people $ 19 million for a license to develop titanium deposits in India. In the US, the oligarch faces up to 50 years in prison and full confiscation of assets.

Since then, in the courts of Austria, the multi-tier struggle of Firtash’s lawyers for refusing extradition has continued. At one point, it even reached the constitutional court of Austria. The oligarch tried to prove the unconstitutionality of the extradition agreement between Austria and the United States, but to no avail. The Vienna lawyer of Dmitry Firtash at this time was the former Austrian Minister of Justice Dieter Bemdorfer.

The name of Dmitry Firtash also appeared in leaks published on the Wikileaks website related to the State Department's diplomatic pouch. Allegedly, an influential Ukrainian businessman admitted to the American ambassador in 2008 that he was connected with Semyon Mogilevich, whom the FBI at that time considered the “leader of the leaders” of the Russian mafia and is still wanted.

About the fact that the business of Firtash with Mogilevich, was described in detail in “Ukrainian Truth” by a journalist, and now Verkhovna Rada deputy Mustafa Nayem. His articles tell in particular about how Dmitry Firtash became co-owner of the company RosUkrEnergo, which for several years served as a gasket between Gazprom and Naftagaz when delivering Russian fuel to Ukraine. Allegedly, the control of companies from the Russian side was carried out personally by Semyon Mogilevich, aka Sergei Schneider.

After the arrest of Mogilevich in Russia in 2008, Firtash could inherit his business and his ties with the Russian special services - this version was actively promoted in Ukraine by blogger, activist of the Public Lustration Committee Karl Volokh.

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But besides the gas market, Firtash has real assets in the production of titanium. It is interest in the titanium business that is the cornerstone of the US prosecution. In September, 2018, in Armyansk in the north of the Crimea, there was a major accident at the “Crimean Titan” plant, which led to repeated emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. Then the journalists found that “Crimean Titan” belongs to Dmitry Firtash through a number of offshore companies, which allow him to control the company in the Crimea, bypassing European economic sanctions.

As for Firtash’s influence on Ukrainian politics, here is just one example. At his extradition trial in 2015 in Vienna, Dmitry Firtash said the phrase: “We achieved what we wanted: Poroshenko is the president, Klitschko became the mayor.” Then the US request to extradite Firtash was rejected: the judge saw this as politically motivated, but now the situation has changed.

“Strong, independent, self-sufficient player”

Sergei Shcherbina, editor-in-chief of the RBC-Ukraine publication, on the “Evening” program, said that, in his opinion, Firtash might know about Ukrainian and Russian politicians, and also suggested that the FBI might want to know from him.

- Do you think that Americans really want to learn from Dmitry Firtash? And most importantly - can?

- I think that Americans are interested in quite a lot of things, including those related to the peculiarities of running the gas business, Dmitry Firtash's numerous partners, participation in gas negotiations with the Russian authorities and other things. Firtash really knows a lot of details about the functioning of the energy market not only in Ukraine, but also in Russia and in Central Asia. In principle, I think these details can be very interesting to the Americans.

- Was Firtash really such an influential businessman that he could influence the country's policy, up to and including decisions about who could become president?

- Of course. He was one of the most influential people ever since the presidency of Viktor Yushchenko.

- What is the essence of his influence?

- The fact is that the gas business in Ukraine has always been called the presidential business. This business was impossible without a specific consideration of the interests of the person holding the presidential post. Such a situation has developed, including during the presidency of Viktor Yushchenko.

Firtash’s influence was reinforced by the fact that he was one of the largest gas suppliers; he controlled chemical enterprises and still controls them. He controls the network of regional gas companies, these are companies that supply gas to the population.

- In your opinion, Dmitry Firtash looks like a person who is afraid of his further extradition and his further fate? You do know him somehow.

- I Firtash saw twice, and both times - in the Vienna court. Unfortunately, not this time, it did not happen to get there. But judging by the videos that were published, including by our colleagues from Radio Liberty, it is clear that the survival session was for Dmitry Vasilyevich.

- Some activists and bloggers have claimed that Dmitry Firtash is almost the “hand of the FSB”, they are being ruled. This statement seemed a bit comical to me, but I still want to ask you: is he a controlled person by the hand of the FSB or not?

- I do not think. Dmitry Firtash is basically a serious player. And to call it controlled by the FSB or any other structure is an unacceptable simplification in any case.

Dmitry Firtash, of course, lost in the influence, of course, this is not the same Firtash, who was five years ago, the whole story is very much affected. But Dmitry Firtash is a strong, independent, self-sufficient player. And everyone should understand this. This is a man who really was one of the most influential people of Ukraine.

Now he may be in the States. In this context, it is necessary to consider this story.

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“Everyone knew who Firtash was a long time ago”

Mikhail Krutikhin, a partner at the consulting company RusEnergy, told Current Time that oligarch Dmitry Firtash can tell American investigators about the gray schemes of the Russian gas industry.

- In your opinion, what secrets of the gas industry can Dmitry Firtash take with him to the USA? What can he know?

“The oil and gas community in Russia has long known that he was a participant in a fraudulent scheme that had been operating for quite some time, with the participation of members of the Gazprom board. And not only members of the Gazprom board.

I would like to remind you that the Rosukrenergo company was led for quite a long time by Konstantin Chuychenko, a KGB officer and classmate of Dmitry Medvedev, who is now officially Putin’s assistant and the head of the presidential control department. That is, this is a fairly important figure. This is not just the FSB, this man comes from the KGB, who was the nominal head of this most fraudulent company, Rosukrenergo.

- That is, that it is fraudulent, there is no doubt on the market?

- Absolutely not. That is, this is a company that bought gas from Gazprom - Gazprom did not directly sell part of the gas to Naftogaz of Ukraine, but sold it to this company for some reason, it is not clear why, at reduced prices. And then this sharashka’s office resold gas both within Ukraine and exported it from Ukrainian territory at, naturally, inflated prices. Where did this delta, where did the price difference go? It went primarily to Switzerland, to the canton of Zug, where the Rosukrenergo company was registered. And how the participants in this transaction further disposed of these funds is completely unknown.

- Imagine that suddenly Dmitry Firtash wants to make a deal with the investigation of the United States? Suddenly, all this will fall on the paper. What consequences can this have?

— In principle, for Russia – none. Everyone knew a long time ago who Chuychenko was, who Firtash was, who the Gazprom figures who participated on the Gazprom side in this deal were. There was someone involved there - now again no one - once President Yanukovych, when all this was organized. Gazprombank was involved at one time, which sold its share in this sharashka office to Gazprom for 2,4 billion euros.

- Are the Dmitry Firtash misadventures in Austria being discussed in the market at least in some ironic way? Or the market does not touch this and does not touch?

— Discussed. Just today I heard a comment from one of the gas market specialists. He said: “Oh, what if he starts talking about the machinations of Gazprom board members with American pension investment funds? Oh, what will happen then?

- What did he mean? Do you understand what is being said, or is it just that phrase?

- Partly, of course, I am in the know. But you can't just talk about it directly, because it will be an accusation without documentary evidence. And if we see Firtash as a witness calling names for American justice, then this can be a very, very interesting process.

— In Russia - in the leadership of Gazprom, for example, or maybe even higher - are they generally worried about the fate of Firtash and his ability to get to the United States?

- I think they are worried. But in principle, the reaction, if he even starts to say something, to reveal some Gazprom-Kremlin secrets, it will be unambiguous. Everyone knew what kind of office it was - Rosukrenergo, and yet Chuichenko became an adviser to the president. That is, those who are involved in these frauds will not abandon them.

- If this happens and something he starts to say, it will become somehow noticeable? For what - on publications? How can this be noticeable?

— First of all, by publications. Secondly, well, okay, he will name names - so what? In Russia, no one reacts to many revelations. Just look at how many scandalous revelations there have been from the Russian leadership - and the reaction was either zero or a rather ugly campaign in the Russian media about “you’re all lying, it’s all Russophobia.”

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• US Department of Justice 2017 accused Ukrainian oligarch Dmitry Firtash of XNUMX in ties with the Russian mafia. The 115-page judicial document states that Dmitry Firtash and his associate Hungarian Andrash Knopp are high-ranking members of Russian organized crime and tried to organize an international titanium racket.
• In 2014, Firtash was arrested by the Austrian authorities, but was released on bail of $ 174 million.
• In the US, he is accused of trying to get permission to mine titanium in India using bribes totaling $ 18,5 million, as well as using American accounts and servers in transferring bribes to Indian officials. Prosecutors also noted that the case against the oligarch concerns bribery of foreign officials, “what Congress considers a threat to world security.”
• Titanium sponge should be supplied to Boeing, headquartered in Chicago. Firtash’s profits from this transaction should have been $ 500 million. For all the US accusations against Firtash, 50 faces years in prison and confiscation of all property.
• Firtash's business was linked to the ex-head of the campaign headquarters of US President Donald Trump Paul Manafort. It turns out that in 2008, Firtash was going to rebuild a hotel in New York with Manafort. It was about demolishing in 2007, the famous Drake Hotel in Manhattan. The project of building a new hotel in its place was estimated at $ 850 million. Firtash’s company was about to invest $ 100 million in the project. However, this transaction did not take place. Paul Manafort himself, in a commentary on NBC, said that he “never had a business relationship” with Firtash.
• We note that in Ukraine, Firtash is suspected of embezzling 2,6 billion hryvnia from the National Bank of Ukraine and the bankrupt Nadra bank.
• In 2013, Firtash's fortune was estimated at $ 3,327 billion. He was the owner of the Ukrainian television channel Inter, holding company Group DF, 45% RosUkrEnergo, Cherkassy-based Azot. He also has assets in the chemical industry and energy infrastructure. In addition to Ukraine, the businessman owns companies in Austria, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Cyprus, Tajikistan, Switzerland, Estonia.
• 25 June Austrian Supreme Court allows extradition odious Ukrainian oligarch Dmitry Firtash in the United States.

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