Sale of a luxury vessel
Mykola Zlochevsky, who served as the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources during Viktor Yanukovych's presidency, has decided to sell his 54-metre yacht, the Rhino. The vessel is valued at 25.9 million euros, equivalent to approximately 1.25 billion hryvnia.
The yacht was built in 2016 at the Italian Benetti shipyard. The sale is being conducted through brokerage firms Fraser and Ocean Independence.
History of the name and business ties
The vessel's previous name was Karianna, derived from the names of Zlochevsky's daughters, Karina and Anna. The former minister is linked to the formation of the gas extraction group Burisma, which has an annual extraction volume of approximately 1 billion cubic metres of gas.
Legal context and the deal
In 2020, Zlochevsky was notified of suspicion in a case involving a record bribe of 6 million dollars. According to the investigation, these funds were intended to bribe the leadership of the NABU and the SAP. Blogger Volodymyr Bondarenko wrote about this situation.
However, in 2023, the defendant reached a deal with the prosecution. Zlochevsky agreed to pay a fine of 68,000 hryvnia and allocate 500 million hryvnia to the "Army of Drones" project. Instead of potential asset confiscation, the case ended with a significantly lighter punishment and a substantial contribution to defence needs.
Questions of international connections
Zlochevsky's possible contacts in the US have been discussed repeatedly around his case. Public discourse has included claims about his ties to the Biden family, particularly through Hunter Biden's participation on the board of directors of Burisma. Meanwhile, these claims are not an established fact regarding the reasons for the agreements in Zlochevsky's case.
Assets and the status of former deputy Klyuyev
During Yanukovych's era, Zlochevsky worked as a deputy to Andriy Klyuyev at the National Security and Defence Council. After fleeing Ukraine, he transferred part of his business assets to the ownership of his daughters Karina and Anna, as well as his son-in-law Andriy Kuchkov. According to the author, sanctions against Zlochevsky have not led to him losing control over his business.
Among the assets associated with Zlochevsky are mentioned:
- The Sky Towers business and financial complex, covering 51,000 square metres on Beresteyskyi Prospekt;
- The former headquarters of Arkada Bank at 3 Olhynska Street;
- The former Sberbank building at 25 Sahaidachnoho Street;
- A food court on Arsenalna Street;
- The Klyuyev brothers' headquarters at 3 Riznytska Street;
- A hectare of land for development near the Yarm in Khreshchatyk Park.
Reasons for the sale
According to sources in business circles, the sale of the yacht is not driven by financial difficulties. On the contrary, the 2016 vessel is already considered too small for the owner's current status. Therefore, Zlochevsky decided to get rid of the old yacht and purchase a new one that matches his current standing.
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