Ihor Mykolayovych Kushnir, chairman of the board - president of the Kyivmiskbud company, vice-president of the Construction Chamber of Ukraine, member of the board of directors of the Confederation of Builders of Ukraine. In 2010-2012, he was the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine. Doctor of Legal Sciences. That's what we can learn from the Wikipedia article, but what is Kushnir really like?
Career start and the French Quarter
The beginning of Igor Kushnir's career was inconspicuous, he quickly rose to the TOP of Ukrainian swindlers. One of his first steps towards a great career was taking the post of Deputy Minister of Defense. After two years of successful schemes, Kushnir moved to the management of "Kyivmiskbud", becoming its chairman.
Who was behind his appointment to the military department remains a mystery. In 2014, everything changed dramatically. The "Guides" disappeared or preferred to forget their past, deciding that it was best not to mention their part in the unexpected assignment. However, the initiators of moving Kushnir to the post of president of "Kyivmiskbud" were well known and cannot deny their participation. Among them are the former head of the presidential administration under Yanukovych - Serhii Lyovochkin, the former head of the State Administration of Affairs Andriy Kravets, who became a successful businessman, and the then chairman of the supervisory board of the Kyivmiskbud HC Mykola Porayko. It was they who became the final beneficiaries of gray schemes through the construction company.
Ihor Kushnir was an active participant in the civil and military spheres of Ukraine, engaged in capital construction and procurement at the Ministry of Defense. Unlike Anatoly Serdyukov, who worked in the military department for about five years, Kushnir stayed there for only two years. In 2012, he returned to peaceful life, and two years later, when army units in eastern Ukraine faced a lack of necessary materials, it did not bother him much. He became the head of the Kyivmiskbud holding company, the capital's largest developer, and was completely satisfied with his new appointment.
The holding company "Kyivmiskbud" was created 29 years ago by merging several dozen state and municipal construction organizations into a single entity. During the unification, each of the parts contributed its assets and land plots to the joint pot.
It was they who became the bait for the fraudulent actions of a group of people headed by Kushnir. And already in 2019, a powerful construction organization was on the verge of bankruptcy. She cheated thousands of her clients by violating the deadline for housing construction. The company constantly violates building regulations and rules, builds objects without investing in the modernization of city communications, which in the future will lead to the collapse of the entire communal system, especially in the old historical districts of Kyiv. However, these problems did not bother company president Kushnir.
Kyiv residents will remember him as the initiator of the ambitious "French Quarter" project. The ancient European city on the Seine River was to get its counterpart in miniature on the banks of the Dnieper. According to the "Kyivmiskbud" project, high-rise residential buildings that provide residents with European comfort, luxurious office and shopping centers, as well as a sixteen-meter copy of the Eiffel Tower were to be built. In total, Ihor Kushnir spent only three years on this. But at one point, in 2019, construction was frozen. Its main initiator disappeared from Kyiv and not in Paris, but much further across the ocean. In Southern California, in San Diego, the ex-Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine and the main Kyiv developer purchased a mansion with an area of 800 m² from the company US Business Consulting & Investments for $11 million. Perhaps Ihor Kushnir was not well versed in procurement for the army, but in housing he definitely understood. San Diego is considered one of the most comfortable cities in the USA.
But let's go back a little earlier, back in June 2014, former deputy, now adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mykhailo Apostol, sent a very detailed parliamentary request to the SBU regarding the activities of Ihor Mykolayovych Kushnir as the president of Kyivmiskbud. In it, he listed in detail all his actions as a former deputy minister of defense. Having reached the helm of management of the largest construction company, he illegally enriched himself and did not forget to share with his friends who calmly continue to live in Ukraine. was looking for a villa in the suburbs of San Diego.
List of scams
Here is a complete list of frauds from the deputy request of the Apostle:
The specified organized group took possession of the property of PJSC HC Kyivmiskbud, 80% of whose shares belong to the Kyiv City Council, especially large amounts, namely:
- with funds in the amount of UAH 200 million. through the purchase of PJSC "HK Kyivmiskbud" from LLC "INPROM" land plots with an area of 27.9041 hectares, located on the territory of the Trebukhvska village council of the Brovary district of the Kyiv region, are unnecessary and unsuitable for construction. The price is significantly inflated;
- Withdrawal from the management of the State Administration of Property Affairs of the state publishing house "Press of Ukraine" for the purpose of its write-off, demolition and further construction with the transfer of the functions of the customer to PJSC "HK Kyivmiskbud" on a land plot with an area of 3.1863 hectares of a residential-office-retail-entertainment complex on the street . . Henri Barbyusa, 52/1 in the Pechersk district of Kyiv (French Boulevard) and possession of funds in the amount of more than UAH 255 million. from the sale of real estate during construction. The construction of the complex and withdrawal of funds continues;
- possession of the house on the street Berlinskogo, 15 by purchasing at reduced prices. The area of the building is 966.50 square meters, the price is 6,500,000 UAH (6,725.29 UAH per 1 square meter);
- possession of an administrative building in the city of Kyiv, str. Mechnikova, 20 at a reduced price. The area is 1,811.2 square meters, the price is 12,086,137.60 square meters (6,673 UAH per 1 square meter);
- possession of the Oberig hotel building at 25/16 Chervonozoryany prospect (Letter A) with an area of 2,475.8 square meters on a land plot of 0.1881 hectares (cadastral number 8000000000:72:2334:0018) subject to payment;
- possession of non-residential premises of the assembly hall of the building on the street. Suvorova, 4/6 in Kyiv (central office of the company), which is being reconstructed with a change of purpose to a restaurant with the involvement of funds, materials and works of PJSC "HC Kyivmiskbud" at a reduced price;
- possession of immovable property (recreation center) together with a land plot at the address of the city of Kyiv, st. Lisova-Kozynska, 1, which was owned by PJSC "HK Kyivmiskbud" at an undervalued price;
- committing intentional bankruptcy of the subsidiary company "Medbud" (03037, Kyiv, Chervonozoryany, 17), the consequence of which is the possession of the building and the land plot;
- acquisition of real estate (about 100 objects: houses, parking lots and structures, including a plot of land in Konchi-Zaspa) of the liquidated subsidiary "Ekos". The reason for the liquidation of the enterprise is the arrest by law enforcement agencies of the deputy director of this enterprise upon receiving a bribe and the choice of preventive measure for him - detention.
The members of the organized group created LLC "First Ukrainian Expert Center", which was given the mentioned houses and buildings for free use. At the same time, the expenses for the so-called operation of PJSC "HC Kyivmiskbud" increased by 5-10 times, which is a classic form of money laundering.
Mykhailo Apostol asked Arsen Avakov to take measures to check the activities of "Kyivmiskbud" and, in case of confirmation of illegal actions, to prosecute Lyovochkin, Kravets, Porayk and Kushnir.
Part 2: Laundering Money in ORDLO
Criminal money-making schemes helped Igor Kushnir gain popularity far beyond Kyiv. The SBU intercepted several phone conversations of influential people in ORDLO, during which some details of their receiving financial support from Ukraine were revealed. The money was transferred to Donetsk and Luhansk through Krystalbank. The financial chain included the former "regional" and now deputy from the "Block of Petro Poroshenko" Roman Romaniuk. For a commission of 3-5% of the total amount of the transfer, he undertook to carry out the transaction inconspicuously. The field commanders doubted his reliability, but when they learned that Ihor Kushnir was the guarantor of the agreement, they immediately calmed down. Such authority cannot be earned in one day.
Communication with Stolar
Kushnir and Stolar will shine together. In July 2016, journalists managed to record the arrival of Vadym Stolar on a charter flight together with another well-known Kyiv developer Igor Kushnir.
But the most interesting thing began in February 2023, when the SBU searched the deputy Vadym Stolar. Kushnir was also searched.
"But after the termination of Medvedchuk's citizenship and his exchange for 200 Ukrainian prisoners, Medvedchuk's share came under the control of Stolar. Journalistic investigations show this. Accordingly, Yermak or his relatives want the share previously controlled by Medvedchuk in the mentioned business to be transferred to Yermak's person. This is only one of the elements of a big puzzle regarding the change of influence and the balance between influence groups within the parliament itself," said political scientist Ihor Chalenko about the searches.
Showing off donations to the Armed Forces, corruption and attitude towards investors
Despite the war, many Kyiv developers continue to fulfill their obligations to investors. Ihor Kushnir, the head of Kyivmiskbud, while receiving significant funds from investors to complete his own facilities and the Ukrbud residential complex, for some reason froze construction for a year, citing the war as an excuse. IDPs and military personnel, who are investors of "Ukrbud" and "Kyivmiskbud", remain without apartments for which they paid their money for many years. We will remind that it is Kyivmiskbud that must complete the Ukrbud residential complex at the request of President V. Zelenskyi. However, the head of Kyivmiskbud, Igor Kushnir, is not concerned about this. Instead of solving the current problems related to the resumption of construction and finding sources of financing for the completion of residential complexes, he is abroad, in Austria. Journalists met him in Vienna and included him in the "Vienna 2" battalion.
Frankly about the attitude towards the investors of UkrBud. Mykytas and Kushnir (Kyivmiskbud).
BATTALION "VIENNA" 2. UP found Ukrainian fugitives, VIP refugees and VIP tourists | Investigation
Part 3: Igor Kushnir's business empire: three traces leading to connections with Viktor Medvedchuk
On December 20 last year, Ihor Kushnir left his post at "Kyivmiskbud", where he worked for 12 years. This was preceded by searches in the company, suspicions of financial fraud and, as a result, an audit. Despite this, the auditors declared that there were no violations. Thus, Kushnir, who managed to acquire properties both in Conchi-Zaspa and on France's Cote d'Azur, left office with a reputation for impeccable cleanliness.
There have long been rumors that the wealth of Kushnir's family is growing thanks to Kyivmiskbud. However, real evidence appeared only in 2023. In May, investigative journalists established that people close to Kushnir built cottages on the land of the former recreation center, which was handed over to the KGB in the early 2000s. Among the owners of the villas were former and current employees of companies related to "Kyivmiskbud", a lawyer who represented the company's interests, a direct relative of Kushnir's wife and a person close to Kremenchug City Council member Ruslan Fedorchenko, who heads one of the firms. associated with Vadym Stolar, a former member of the currently banned "Opposition Platform - For Life".
In July, it became known about Kushnir's wife's villa on Blakytny Bereza worth more than 20 million euros. This became the last argument for conducting an inspection of the state of affairs in "Kyivmiskbud" and studying the reasons why the family of its president was fed up with luxurious real estate. Ihor Kushnir was removed, the company was subject to authorized searches and an audit, which, however, did not reveal the source of Kushnir's funds for the French villa.
He insists that he has been involved in business for many years, and after his appointment to "Kyivmiskbud" he handed over the management of his business to his wife. It is interesting, but quite expected, that from the moment of his arrival to a managerial position in the KGB, his wife Oksana becomes the owner of a wide network of construction companies. These companies are registered mainly in Cyprus, Lithuania and the British Virgin Islands. And very often their business partners are people who have connections with the OPZZ party, banned in Ukraine, and the best man of the Russian president, Viktor Medvedchuk. Documentary confirmation of this was found in three cases related to Igor Kushnir's family.
Volodymyr Kravets, deputy of Kyiv City Council from OPZZH, together with Oksana Kushnir, the wife of the head of Kyivmiskbud, withdraw money from Ukraine to Lithuania (Lithuanian trail)
Volodymyr Kravets together with Oksana Kushnir invested in the construction of two business centers in the capital of Latvia. Let's agree that Oksana Kushnir is the wife of Ihor Kushnir, the modest director of the holding "Kyivmiskbud". Why did we call Kushnir the "humble director"? Because "Kyivmiskbud" is an enterprise, 80% of whose shares belong to the city of Kyiv, and the director of this enterprise is an ordinary official. Well, theoretically.
In reality, of course, it turns out exactly like that. Because the wife of the director of a Kyiv city enterprise, together with a deputy of the Kyiv City Council, suddenly start the construction of two business centers in the Latvian capital, and the Latvians claim that the money for this construction has an opaque history and it is impossible to trace it, because it is disguised by a number of Cypriot offshore companies. But the traces of these offshores lead to Volodymyr Kravets, Oksana and Igor Kushnir.
Construction of the first Link business center began back in 2016. It was run by the Lithuanian company UAB Baltijos Gildija, whose founder was UAB Mavlada, whose owner is Volodymyr Kravets. In 2017, it was joined by Cypriot Koksi Holding ltd, owned by Oksana Kushnir. In 2020, the composition of the founders of UAB Baltijos Gildija changed, now this company owns Koksi Holding ltd.
The second business center – Core – is being built by UAB Baltijos Gildija together with Ašis. The founder of UAB Ašis is Oksana Kushnir's Cypriot company Koksi Holding Ltd and Volodymyr Kravets' UAB Mavlada.
"The source of funds for projects in Vilnius is opaque. Lithuanian firm Baltijos Gildija lent money for the land under the Link business center in the amount of 1.47 million euros to Oksana Kushnir's Cypriot firm (Koksi Holding). This firm, in turn, also received them as a loan - from the offshore firm Obelia Industries Inc., registered in the British Virgin Islands. But who owns Obelia Industries Inc. and from where this firm accumulated income, it is impossible to establish from public sources," the authors of the investigation said.
At the request of journalists regarding the owners of Obelia Industries Inc. neither Kushnir nor Kravets gave an answer. But the latter confirmed that they are both involved in the construction of business centers in Latvia.
Lithuanian law enforcement officers, who were interested in the investigation, said that they "consider these transactions as a potential withdrawal of funds or an attempt to hide their true origin." And they added that they are now investigating the origin of the money invested in these objects.
Ukrainian trace
Koksi holdings LTD, owned by Oksana Kushnir, has business interests in Ukraine. Interestingly, they also lead to connections with the "Opposition Platform - For Life". Yes, the company is one of the beneficiaries of the Kovernot investment fund. Oksana Kushnir together with "Kovernot" and another investment fund "Hunter" became the founders of "Capital-East" LLC.
Without going into a detailed list of all the companies in this chain, it is worth noting that the documentary connection with pro-Russian figures in this context was revealed in two directions. First, Oksana Kushnir turned out to be an official partner of Pavel Yakubenko, known for his management of Truskavetskurort and sanatoriums in the Lviv region, which were associated with the sphere of influence of the people's deputy and one of Yanukovych-Medvedchuk's closest associates, Yuri Boyko. The Hunter Foundation, in turn, is the direct founder of the company created by Boyk's son, Anatoly.
Secondly, the funds "Hunter" and "Kovernot" appear at once in several criminal proceedings against the construction company "KUA Budcapital". In at least two of them, the court decided to seize documents as part of investigations. Unofficially, the company "Budcapital" is associated with Igor Kushnir in cooperation with the representative of OPZZ Vadym Stolar.
Swiss trail
In February 2021, when the Ukrainian authorities began active measures against Viktor Medvedchuk, one of the founders of the pro-Russian party "Opposition Platform - For Life", the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine imposed sanctions against five offshore companies. It is indicated that these companies own planes that belonged to Medvedchuk or were used for personal needs.
Among these companies was Klodius Investments Limited, owned by Oksana Kushnir. The company was prohibited from operating the Gulfstream T7-ABC aircraft (s 203). A few days before the announcement of the sanctions list, this plane was transported to the small town of St. Gallen in Switzerland, where Victor Medvedchuk's orbit company is registered.
Klodius Investments Limited, led by Oksana Kushnir, was also active on the eve of the announcement of the NSDC sanctions list, leaving four construction companies in Ukraine. In some cases, other offshore companies of the Kushnir family took their place. Here, for example, is the history of changes in one of the Ukrainian companies.
By the way, in February of this year, the sanctions against Klodius Investments Limited expire, and it is not yet known whether they will be extended. The same uncertainty applies to four other companies that own Medvedchuk's planes. Therefore, soon you should carefully monitor where and how the planes of the state traitor of Ukraine will fly.
Where do Kushnir's tracks lead?
The mentioned three traces in the business empire of Igor Kushnir's family lead in one way or another to the circle of Viktor Medvedchuk or the banned pro-Russian party "Opposition Platform - For Life". And regardless of his and his wife's denials of the connection, the documents testify to the opposite. Interaction with supporters of the enemy during a full-scale invasion is not only shameful, but may become the basis for checks by the Security Service of Ukraine.
