Source: Security Service of Ukraine
Direct speech
At the end of 2014, in November-December, early December, - 2015, a clear system for the purchase of coal from the unrecognised LDPR was built in Ukraine. That is in the territory of Donbas, which remained uncontrolled after the events of 2014. And virtually the entire top of the state apparatus was involved in this. Starting with the president, ending with ministers, law enforcement officers, and those who directly implemented this scheme for the possibility of purchasing this angle and delivering it to Ukraine. It was during this period, at the end of 2014, given the high needs and the impossibility of meeting them in Ukraine, due to the fact that many mines stopped working and coal production decreased, all this flowed to Russia, where coal purchases increased. Based on this, Russia introduced quotas, namely, buying one ton in Donbas, they had the right to buy two tons in Russia. This whole system contributed to the fact that President Poroshenko, with the help of his subordinates, such as Demchishin, Kononeko, Gontareva, law enforcement officers, the Prosecutor General, the Minister of Internal Affairs, built a system under which this coal was to come from the Donbas on favourable terms and be sold in Ukraine.
So, for example, Mr. Kononenko, at that time a member of parliament of Ukraine, one of the politicians close to Poroshenko, who was engaged in many business projects, even though he was a deputy, despite the fact that he was dealing with a president, it was he who proposed the candidacy of Sergey Kuzyara (ex-adviser to the Minister of Ecology - Ed.), in order to organise a scheme for both the purchase, transportation, and supply of coal to Ukraine.
Mr. Volodymyr Demchyshyn, who took this post just at the discretion of Poroshenko, as Poroshenko's close person, since before Demchishin this position was occupied by Minister Prodan, who disagreed with the idea of ​​buying coal in the Donbas. Moreover, he opposed and defended the purchasing scheme of South African coal, which was systemic at that time in Ukraine, and, in the opinion of specialists and experts, was more profitable and of better quality for consumption in Ukraine. Namely, with the help of the President of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General, the Minister of Internal Affairs, they put pressure on the leaders of the Ministry of Energy, Ukrinterenergo* Vladimir Zinevich - it even came to arrest, searched his place, with one goal - it was necessary to stop the supply of South African coal. This is the challenge facing law enforcement officers. This is a task that was carried out at the direction of the President of Ukraine, Poroshenko.
*SFTC Ukrinterenergo is a Ukrainian state-owned commercial company founded in 1993 following the order of the Ministry of Energy and Electrification of Ukraine. Currently, the organisation’s activities are controlled by the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine.
Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn, who replaced the "naughty, unruly" Prodan, did everything necessary to make this scheme work like clockwork. It was him who appointed the leaders of Luganskugol* and the mine named after Kiselev, representatives of uncontrolled territories, and registered these mines so that the links of this chain were convenient, both for the supply and sale of coal. And through this mechanism coal was realised.
*Luganskugol is a coal-mining state enterprise (the center is the city of Lugansk). The association includes 20 separate enterprises
Gontareva. The person who heads the National Bank of Ukraine, in fact, had to open accounts in the uncontrolled territory in Donetsk and Luhansk. This task was set in order to implement the main principle of non-cash payment for shipped coal. The bottom line was that non-cash payments would look more efficient and transparent in terms of the ability to eliminate any corrupt practices. And since Gontareva, who undertook the implementation of this task, for some reason refused after a few days because she considered it necessary (or motivated it) by the fact that it was impossible. Maybe this is so, but after Gontareva refused to open accounts in Donetsk and Luhansk for non-cash payments, it was decided to supply money there as payment for mined coal through the collection system. That is, to collect money, and transport it from controlled territory to uncontrolled territory, which was carried out by the security service of Ukraine, and directly by Mr. Hrytsak, who at that time was the first deputy chairman of the SBU and head of the ATO. Maybe, Gontareva played into the hands of the fact that through the collection of money it was easier to pay, since the non-cash ruled out, and the cash could be used to fill the corruption component. Thus, the state administration, senior officials headed by Mr. Poroshenko organised, established and implemented this scheme to supply coal from the uncontrolled territory to the territory of Ukraine. This is how the mechanism for purchasing and selling this coal operates.
Role of Medvedchuk
This was my role. As for the Russian Federation, the leadership of the Russian Federation, where my help was needed in separate agreements that could ensure the implementation of these coal supplies, on the initiative of Poroshenko and those people from the state apparatus who were involved in this. And therefore, having told this, I did not expect that someone should change their opinion about me. I just wanted these facts, albeit few, about what Mr. Poroshenko did as President of Ukraine to become known.
