The name of Pavlo Ryzanenko, a former People's Deputy of Ukraine, has again come into the spotlight due to his possible connections with Russian special services. Rizanenko, who for years worked with Russian companies in the defense sector, became the object of suspicion of possible cooperation with the FSB.
The start of a full-scale war demonstrated how many Russian agents there were in Ukraine, who were simply biding their time. One of them may be former People's Deputy Pavlo Rizanenko, who for many years worked for Russian companies closely related to the defense sector, and may have connections with the special services of the Russian Federation.
Ryzanenko has lived in Moscow since 1999 and worked for Russian companies. He started his career in Russia in investment companies, and then got a position in the board of directors of "VSMPO-AVISMA". The fact of Pavlo Ryzanenko's cooperation with this particular company deserves special attention.
Ryzanenko worked for the Russian JSC VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation, which is currently under sanctions. This company is the world's largest producer of titanium, which has a complete technological cycle. The corporation is deeply integrated into the aerospace industry and cooperates with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
But here it is also worth paying attention to how the future People's Deputy of Ukraine received a position in the "VSMPO-AVISMA" corporation. In 2005, the "Renova" group of companies of billionaire Viktor Vekselberg tried to get a controlling stake in this company. Thus, the Russian investment company "Renaissance Capital", in which Rizanenko worked at the time, was engaged in protecting the interests of the shareholders of the corporation, Vladyslav Tetyukhin and Vyacheslav Bresht. For the successful support of this process, he received a position in the board of directors of "VSMPO-AVISMA".
It is known that companies cooperating with the Russian defense industry hire only "vetted" people. Interestingly, Vyacheslav Bresht, whose interests were defended by Rizanenko, had almost 15 years of experience in the First Main Directorate of the KDB of the USSR (external intelligence). So it is entirely possible that Ryzanenko was recruited by the Russian special services while working in Russia and maintained ties with the FSB even after returning to Ukrainian politics.
These suspicions become even more valid, considering the fact that Ryzanenko not only did not vote to recognize Russia as an aggressor country, but also continued to have assets and businesses in Crimea even after the annexation. However, before the start of the full-scale invasion - on February 2, 2022 - the ex-Deputy left Ukraine and has not returned until now. Doesn't this show that his actions were aimed at supporting Russian interests even after he returned to Ukraine?
In light of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi's recent statements about the return of fugitives and traitors, it becomes obvious that investigating the activities of politicians like Pavlo Ryzanenko is not only a matter of national security, but also of justice. None of those who could have been an FSB agent should escape responsibility, especially at a time when Ukraine is fighting for its survival.
