There are many well-known businessmen in Ukraine who actively support sports and invest significant funds in its development. Among them, Oleksandr Svishchev and Hryhoriy Kozlovskyi are very ambiguous characters.
Reading their official, "decent biographies", we can learn the following:
Oleksandr Svishchev actively develops water polo. The "Dynamo" Lviv team, which he manages, is the leader in the Super League of water polo for the 2023/2024 season. He also heads the Water Polo Federation of Ukraine and pays significant attention to children's sports, being the president of the Tennis Federation of the Lviv Region. Oleksandr organizes and finances children's sports events, as well as builds sports fields in schools. His significant project is the sports and entertainment complex "Leoland" in Lviv.
Hryhoriy Kozlovsky has been supporting FC Rukh since 2009, and in 2018 he created the Rukh Football Academy. Thanks to his financing, the club rose to the level of the UPL. Kozlovsky also helps youth and amateur football teams throughout Ukraine, finances the construction and reconstruction of sports facilities and supports sports initiatives for people with disabilities.
But where did Svishchev and Kozlovsky get the money to engage in sports sponsorship?
Svishchev, a former mechanic, and Kozlovsky, a former broker in the customs service, started with small businesses in the automotive industry, but then moved into smuggling and became important players in this field. However, their activities were impossible without the help of criminal groups abroad, because someone had to accept contraband goods in the countries of the European Union. This confirms that there is a coordinated organization involved in the smuggling of various goods, including cigarettes, alcohol and illegal migrants.
The beginning of October 2021 in Hungary was marked by an incident at the Chepel wharf, when due to a broken crane, a barge allegedly delivering Artemsol brand salt from Ukraine was sent to the city of Paks for unloading. During the unloading, it turned out that there is a huge batch of contraband cigarettes under the layer of salt. According to the Hungarian authorities, 2,375,465 packs. This incident aroused considerable interest of law enforcement agencies.
The recipient of smuggled cigarettes is the Polish company Crystal Invest with Ukrainian owners. It was founded by Vyacheslav Badagov, the son of the ex-deputy minister of transport and communications, as the company itself informs on its website and social networks. According to YouControl, Vyacheslav Badagov founded 15 companies and has connections with 42 other organizations operating in various fields, mostly registered in the Poltava region. His father is also a member of the supervisory board of Poltava GZK.
The Polish company Crystal Invest, the recipient of Marvel cigarettes, produced at the Vynnykivka tobacco factory in the Lviv region, at the facilities of the former Lviv tobacco factory.
Businessman and deputy of the regional council Hryhoriy Kozlovsky controls the Vinnykiv tobacco factory. he is also connected with the Marvel trading house, which is owned by another Lviv deputy - Oleksiy Riznik. Kozlovsky was repeatedly accused of smuggling and other offenses.
The State Fiscal Service addressed official letters to the regional office of the Tax Service and to the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxes and Customs as part of the investigation into the "tobacco" tax evasion scheme.
There is a possibility that the business of Hryhoriy Kozlovskyi, who owns enterprises in the west of Ukraine, may be connected with deputy Vasyl Petyovka, who is sometimes called the "curator of cigarette smuggling" in Transcarpathia. Both appear in the list of deputies and officials associated with the "tobacco" influence group. In the past, Petovka spoke about suspicious shipments of cigarettes and even advocated blocking the law on protecting public health from the harmful effects of tobacco smoke.
Only in 2021, according to the TNS Kantar company, the level of illegal trade in cigarettes reached 12.8%, which is a historical record for Ukraine. On average, 6.5 billion cigarettes are sold annually in the country without paying excise taxes, which leads to a loss of 12 billion hryvnias from the state budget.
These are serious funds that could be used to pay pensions and salaries. The lack of government reaction to such losses indicates the presence of officials within the system who benefit from it.
Such scandals also undermine Ukraine's reputation. The last shipment of cigarettes to Hungary caused a huge scandal. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has already intervened in the situation, summoning the head of the Customs Service for a conversation. But questions remain for law enforcement agencies. The mass media have repeatedly publicized cases of cigarette smuggling, but the schemes continue to operate. This calls into question the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures.
The investigation into the supply of cigarettes to Hungary can be a test for the authorities and show how ready they are to fight corruption. At the same time, not only statements are needed, but also real actions.
Who is Hryhoriy Kozlovskyi?
Hryhoriy Kozlovsky stands out for his extraordinary behavior, which puts him in the spotlight. He often causes scandals and provokes discussion with his actions. For example, as a member of the Lviv City Council, he often appears there with armed guards and can cause a scandal at meetings. He also attracts attention with his business projects in Lviv and its surroundings, including the "Rukh" football club, which also became the subject of a scandal under his leadership.
Kozlovsky discovers unusual methods of conducting business, breaking the standard rules that business should be hidden and quiet. Despite this, his main business – hotels and restaurants – is operating successfully. He presents himself as a hotelier and restaurateur, owning such institutions as "Grand Hotel", "Royal Brewery" and others.
Although his business empire is based in Lviv, the main source of income and inspiration for Kozlovsky is in quiet Vynnyky, where the Lviv tobacco factory is located, which he has owned for more than twenty years.
Hryhoriy Kozlovskyi started his career at the Lviv Tobacco Factory back in 1994 after graduating from the Lviv Trade and Economic Institute. Having started working there at the age of 23, he became a customs clearance specialist, which was the starting point for his impressive career in the tobacco industry.
Despite his current success and ownership of various enterprises, Kozlovsky often talks about his difficult childhood. He grew up in a disadvantaged area of Novy Rozdol in a small one-room apartment and faced difficulties related to the environment. His first income was collecting bottles after parties in the park.
Kozlovsky entered the university, attracted by the opportunity to play football for the trade and economic team. This led to his admission to the institute and obtaining a specialty in accounting and analysis.
At the tobacco factory, he proved himself to be a competent specialist, especially in the field of customs clearance of products, which brought him recognition and advancement up the career ladder. As a result, he became the head of the department of foreign economic activity, which served as a starting point for further success.
In fact, it is known that the mother-in-law of Hryhoriy Kozlovskyi was the chief accountant at the Lviv Tobacco Factory. Her influence probably also contributed to his rapid career. When the American investor decided to liquidate the company in 1998, Kozlovsky already had his positions among the management of tobacco companies in Vinniki.
After the company "Volyntyutyun" acquired the factory, he was appointed manager of commercial issues in the created LLC "Lviv Tobacco Factory". It seemed like a humble position, but it offered huge opportunities for a person with business potential.
Although "Volyntyutyun" had no experience in the production of cigarettes, the company was a serious participant in the wholesale market of tobacco products. The launch of their own cigarette production was due to their strategic goals, which coincided with the interests of the mafia, to which Kozlovsky belonged.
The former director of the tobacco factory, Volodymyr Kvurt, accused the transnational company "Philip Morris" of ordering a provocative action at the factory, presumably with the aim of intimidating Lviv competitors. These statements were confirmed by the Lviv police, who reported that searches were conducted on the territory of the factory and counterfeit cigarettes with the Philip Morris brand were discovered. These events, as they say, could not have happened without reason.
Nevertheless, in 2005, Hryhoriy Kozlovsky, who was previously considered a poor son-in-law, already had enough capital to open his restaurant "Sviatoslav" in Vynnyky. It was the first of a number of restaurant enterprises owned by Kozlovsky. However, his restaurant endeavors will be told later.
In 2006, the tobacco business began to face difficulties due to changes in Ukrainian legislation, and the production of cigarettes at the factory was stopped. The director of the factory, Volodymyr Kvurt, became the secretary of the Lviv City Council, and Hryhoriy Kozlovsky founded his company "Mega Euro Stroy", although its activities were closely related to the tobacco business.
One of the tasks of "Mega Euro Stroy" was to ensure the supply of equipment for the organization of "left" cigarette production lines. According to the ORD website, a year after the company was founded, it was already engaged in supplying equipment from abroad. After Volyntyutyun's exit from the game, the Lviv factory established ties with the Russian Baltic Tobacco Factory (BTF), and together with them, Kozlovsky and his partners launched the production of Gin Ling cigarettes in Vynnyky in 2007.
Over time, the company "Volyntyutyun" ceases to be mentioned in the context of the factory in Vinnyky. In 2010, "Lviv Tobacco Factory" LLC officially started producing cigarettes, the owner and director of which was Hryhoriy Kozlovskyi. Later, in 2011, another company appeared - "Vynnykiv Tobacco Factory" LLC, also founded by him. However, both companies were later transferred to other owners. Despite the confusion of the ownership structure, the real owner of the factory in Vynnyky will continue to be Hryhoriy Kozlovskyi, or rather, the people he represents.
It was a very complex organization, and probably illegal activity of this scale in Ukrainian conditions was impossible without the support of law enforcement agencies. Among those who "crushed" the cigarette business of Kozlovskyi and his company were the heads of the UBOZ, regional police chiefs and generals from the central apparatus of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is said that Kozlovsky personally transferred large sums of money to Vitaly Zakharchenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs, when Yanukovych was president.
Personal contact with Kozlovsky was carried out by UBOZ employee Roman Mud, who was involved in the organization of channels for the supply of contraband cigarettes to Europe. According to other data, tobacco fraudsters cooperated with conversion centers, using "one-day firms" to conduct pseudo-operations and ensure the illegal production of cigarettes.
The essence was that the "envelope" purchased unused materials from a tobacco factory and faked transactions through well-known firms, thus organizing the hidden production of cigarettes, which were then distributed in Ukraine and abroad (smuggling) for cash.
In fact, the raw materials that were imported, and actually sold through one-day firms, created certain obstacles for law enforcement agencies. For many years, the activities of the criminal cigarette syndicate attracted the attention of both the media and political figures of Ukraine.
Hennadiy Moskal, the governor of Transcarpathia, appeared as one of the most active accusers of the Lviv "tobacco empire" and Grigory Kozlovskyi in cigarette smuggling. He clearly called the Vinnik factory the main supplier of cigarettes that were illegally shipped abroad. He also claimed that he had discovered manufacturers in other regions of Ukraine who were falsifying cigarettes under the Lviv Tobacco Factory brand.
However, Kozlovsky remained silent about other brands of cigarettes that were also the subject of accusations. Among the figures known for their activity in the shadow business, Oleksandr Svishchev, also known as "Grey", stands out. It is said that he is often seen at the tobacco factory, where he behaves not as a guest, but as an active participant in the process. the village of Podbereztsi near Vinniki.
His difference from others is connected with the fact that cooperation with Kozlovsky was not only forced, but also based on many years of friendly relations. The partners also share business interests in many areas, including the hotel and restaurant business. Together, they build estates and share land plots with other well-known personalities in Lviv, such as MPs Petro Adamik and Andrian Gutnyk. It is believed that "Grey" is a real partner of Kozlovsky in all his business enterprises, both in the field of tobacco business and in the hotel and restaurant segment.
However, it is not clear who they play the main role in this partnership. Some sources hint at the presence of more influential figures, such as Yura Tsirkul or Yura Muzykant, who is rumored to be running the group's affairs from London.
Hryhoriy Kozlovsky actively invests in the hotel and restaurant business. To date, he owns several successful enterprises in this field, including the Grand Hotel, the Sviatoslav hotel and restaurant complex in Vynnyky, the Royal Brewery and Trali-vali restaurants, as well as the popular Pod Siniya coffee shops Flask" and "Cabinet". He is also building a complex of five restaurants on Rynok Square, which he considers the "heart of Lviv." He recently purchased the premises of the former "Kyiv" cinema.
His first step in this direction was the Sviatoslav restaurant, which was opened in 2005. Over time, this establishment turned into a large recreation complex with more than 50 hotel rooms, a summer courtyard, a bathhouse, a football field and a tennis court.
It is worth noting that if during the management of the city of Vinnyki by Mayor Serhiy Uvarov (2002-2006), things were going well for Kozlovsky, then problems began when Mayor Teodor Gudziak took office. In 2009, Kozlovsky accused Gudziak of actions that hindered the development of the hotel and hinted at his desire to receive a bribe. He even threatened to do everything to put Hudziak behind bars.
Kozlovsky kept his promise: Gudziak was arrested and sentenced to eight years in prison. However, an appeals court later acquitted Gudziak, and he returned to the post of mayor.
At the level of local politics, problems for Kozlovsky are behind us, but they understood that he does not have enough space in Vynnyky. The time has come to conquer Lviv. The tobacco tycoon began this process in his characteristic style, accompanying each step with high-profile scandals.
The first object was the Grand Hotel, which attracted the attention of many wealthy investors, starting with the Ukrainian American Marta Fedoriv and the Lviv businessman Gennady Genshaft. In 2011, deputies of the Lviv City Council, under the guise of preparations for Euro-2012, decided to privatize "Grand Hotel" and "Leopolis". These auctions, in which Andriy Sadovy also took part, ended in success for all parties.
As a result of the reconstruction of the "Grand Hotel", its eight-story building radically changed the appearance of Kryva Lypa. In a few years, they started building another eight-story building in the courtyard of the hotel, which overlooks the well-known tourist road. Public protests did not prevent the completion of the project, and now almost everything is ready to open.
In 2013, a scandal arose over the construction of the Royal Brewery. The restaurant is located in the center of the city and caused the indignation of part of the public.
If there were no problems with the house on Staroyevreyska Street, where the businessman bought all the apartments, then a completely different situation arose with the stone house on Rynok Square. Several apartments belonged to another well-known Lviv businessman, Volodymyr Krekhovetskyi, who did not approve of his neighbor's activity. This led to protests by residents of the building, who claimed that the restaurant had occupied the cellars without permission, and public outrage, which accused Kozlovsky of destroying the architectural monument. The new restaurateur also angered the city council by continuing the construction of another building in the yard of the house on Staroyevreyska Street and independently installing a summer playground, referring to the fact that all the new buildings were inside the yard of the house he had privatized.
The entrance to the "Royal Brewery", located in this new building, became the subject of a scandal. The protests gradually died down, the public calmed down, and the restaurant continued to operate as if nothing had happened: with a new building, an illegal summer playground and occupied basements. Hryhoriy Kozlovsky once again realized that in Lviv everything is allowed for the energetic and impudent. Therefore, the result of the new scandal with the construction of an architectural monument at Rynok Square, 36, can be predicted already, despite all the efforts of law enforcement officers, officials and organizations to preserve monuments.
Kozlovsky likes to joke with his opponents, declaring that his works are completely legal and that he has "all documents, except for a certificate from a gynecologist." He even suggested installing a giant aquarium with sea water and sharks. The cafe is managed by Union LLC, where Kozlovsky recently owned 96% of the company.
Last year, his name disappeared from the lists of owners of this company in the State Register, but his influence remained. One of the interesting cases of property acquisition in the center of Lviv is the story of the privatization of the "Kyiv" cinema on Shevchenko Avenue. Kozlovsky bought these premises with an area of about 836 square meters. m without competition for about UAH 8.1 million. In the process, the owners decided to review the situation and organized two court cases.
One of the cases related to the recognition of the privatization of the object as illegal and the cancellation of the corresponding determination of the city council. The second case was about the termination of the contract of purchase and sale of the cinema. However, Kozlovsky once again proved his skill. While the case was pending in court, he carried out an operation to change the owner of the cinema. As a result, the next day after receiving the certificate of ownership of the cinema, the company's activities were stopped, and Yevhen Lobov became the owner. This is not the first time that Kozlovsky uses Lobov for such deals. The previous case was with the privatization of another enterprise a year earlier.
However, according to lawyers, it is almost impossible to implement this decision, since "Kinokompleks-Kyiv" LLC is no longer the owner of the cinema premises. Kozlovskyi also did not ignore the "wrong" position of the municipal management of communal property. In May of the following year, a petition was registered on the website of the Lviv City Council for the dismissal of the head of the department Inna Svystun, submitted by Hryhoriy Kozlovskyi's lawyer Oleksiy Reznyk, who represents his interests in court cases regarding the acquisition of communal real estate.
Kozlovsky openly stated that he initiated this petition, speaking at a meeting of the commission that is considering it. He sought to "sink" Inna Svystun, who is an important player in Sadovoi's team and heads the "Self-help" faction in the regional council, but he did not succeed.
Hryhoriy Kozlovskyi in the walls of the Lviv City Council
Hryhoriy Kozlovsky first tried his hand at politics in 2003, becoming a deputy of the Lviv City Council. His election was connected with the sad death of Andriy Mozharovskyi, elected in Vynnyky. Kozlovsky represented the "Party of Regions", but did not particularly stand out in the work of the city council during Bunyak's time. Since then, he has participated in elections with different party flags, not missing any, but not always successful. In 2015, he managed to become a deputy of the Lviv City Council, representing a different political force.
Kozlovskyi became a deputy already as a member of the Petro Poroshenko Block "Solidarity" party. His choice of political party was pragmatic rather than committed to certain ideals, which is characteristic of most businessmen. This time in the city council, Kozlovsky attracts attention not only with his activity, but also with his outrageousness. , as well as strict armed guards from "Titan" who constantly accompany him.
The attitude towards him varies from respect to contempt. His candidacy was even considered for the position of secretary of the council, but caused dissatisfaction among some deputies due to his lack of diplomacy and excessive emotionality in his statements, especially to the mayor of Lviv and his faction.
Kozlovsky often goes beyond politeness in communicating with opponents, sometimes even using profanity and threats. He expresses his thoughts frankly and without filtering, which can cause irritation and misunderstanding.
Regarding his political ambitions, Kozlovsky is reserved, stressing that he once dreamed of becoming a People's Deputy, but now he does not want to become like the current members of the Verkhovna Rada.
Today, Hryhoriy Kozlovsky and his native Vinnyky live well. Troubles with Mayor Gudziak have long since passed, and after Serhii Uvarov completed his second term as mayor, his long-time business ally Volodymyr Kvurt took his place. Now protection in the native city is provided reliably. Kozlovsky continues to control the cigarette business and develop the Sviatoslav project.
Local residents are most interested in the success of the local football team Rukh, in which Kozlovsky's son plays. This club, which was once amateur, is now confidently advancing to the second division of Ukrainian football. However, Kozlovsky adds a touch of outrage to football. In September, the Football Federation of Ukraine imposed a one-year ban on the president of "Rukh" from attending the team's matches after his aggressive visit to the referee's room during a lost match of the Ukrainian Cup.
Kozlovsky expressed his opinion about the situation in his own style: "If the federation cannot control this black uniform, the people themselves will take matters into their own hands and put them in their place." He is also no stranger to "pontam". Former stars of the national teams, such as Oleksandr Aliyev and Maksym Shatskikh, have already played in the second league of Rukha, and there were rumors about the possible arrival of Artem Milevskyi.
Kozlovsky himself also has a penchant for "pontam". For example, he likes to brag about a jacket that, he says, cost several tens of thousands of euros. On his birthday, he invited the legendary musician Thomas Anders from the duo "Suchasnyi Rozmovyty" to "Sviatoslav".
what today
The Vynnykivka tobacco factory demands from the DBR and OGP to deal with the arbitrariness of the BEB and protect their "white business".
This is a very interesting claim, given that the Vynnykivka tobacco factory controls 75% of the market for the production of illegal cigarettes for Duty Free.
Kozlovskyi's factory is not a "white national manufacturer", but a disgrace to the country, which should disappear as soon as possible in post-war Ukraine.
And yes, if something is to be demanded from the DBR and OGP in the context of this factory, then only the establishment of the circumstances of the Vinnytsia Tobacco Factory's creation of a monopoly on cigarette smuggling in the EU.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, certain border control structures, strangely, allowed tobacco smugglers to export only cigarettes from this factory, for a fee of $20 per box.
All other illegal cigarette manufacturers in Ukraine were prohibited from such activities.
Let's ask the DBR and OGP to figure out the issue, but who collected $20 each from smuggling Compliment, Lifa, and Marvel, and with whom did Kozlovsky and Svishchev agree on such a monopoly.
