Is Oleg Tatarov leaving or gaining more power? What does a power struggle for money look like?
There have been rumors in Ukrainian politics since the end of last year about the possible removal of Oleg Tatarov, deputy head of the President’s Office. Some sources have suggested Censor.NO that Tatarov's dismissal is a demand from the White House. However, this may also be part of a battle for the redistribution of influence. Over the past 2 years, Tatarov has successfully placed his allies in the SBU, the office of the Prosecutor General, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Bureau of Economic Security.
And recently, his associates have been increasingly involved in scandals.
Tatarov’s ally in the Office of the Prosecutor General, who actually closed the criminal case against him in the courts, Aleksey Simonenko, was caught by journalist Mikhail Tkach going to Spain with his family in a car with conspicuous numbers 0001, registered to a company owned by his wife, who is a well-known Lviv businessman and deputy, Grigory Kozlovsky.
And Symonenko was driven by Roman Seretko, who is again Mr. Kozlovsky’s bodyguard.
Grigory Kozlovsky is primarily known in Ukraine as the owner of the Vinnikovskaya Tobacco Factory. According to Kantar, this factory is responsible for the largest share of illegal tobacco products – 62%. These mainly consist of packs labeled as Duty Free, but they are sold in regular retail.
Theoretically, the Bureau of Economic Security, which Tatarov controls, should have apprehended those involved in the illicit tobacco market.
The situation looks somewhat different.
At the start of the year, the Security Service of Ukraine apprehended a senior detective from the Transcarpathian Territorial Department of the Bureau of Economic Security and a local deputy who was involved in the underground sale of excisable goods, including e-cigarettes.
The detective demanded that merchants pay him $2 for each e-cigarette sold in exchange for protecting their illegal business.
As informed People's Deputy from Holos party, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, detained Bureau of Economic Security detective Ivan Grubinko. Before joining the Bureau of Economic Security, Grubinko was a Senior Investigator for Particularly Important Cases in the Criminal Investigation Department of the State Fiscal Service.
There is also information that the detained BEB detective Grubinko is associated with Alexander Tkachuk, who was the head of the Lviv department until November, and during the arrest, was acting head of the main detective unit of the BEB.
Tkachuk recruited personnel for the regional detective departments and effectively oversees these departments.
On Friday, the head of the board of the StateWatch expert organization, Alexander Lemenov, stated that Tkachuk had been appointed as the head of the main detective unit of the Bureau of Economic Security.
Lemenov describes Tkachuk as close to Oleg Tatarov.
Before joining the BEB, Tkachuk worked as deputy head of the territorial department of the State Bureau of Investigation in Lviv, under Ruslan Lyashko. It also appears that Lyashko is Tkachuk's godfather. Locals claim to have seen both men together in Lviv restaurants, sometimes with a sports bag.
Is Oleg Tatarov leaving or becoming more powerful? What does a struggle for control over money look like?
Is Oleg Tatarov leaving or becoming more powerful? What does a struggle for control over money look like?
Perhaps someone might wonder what's in the bag, but an even more intriguing question is whether the SBI can impartially investigate the BEB's crimes in this situation. It's important to note that Tatarov influences the State Bureau of Investigation's operations, and has previously influenced Schemes journalists. indicated Yermak's assistant was in contact with members of the commission appointed by the director of the State Bureau of Investigation Alexei Sukhachev.
Hold on, you might say. So why is Vasily Malyuk, who also appears to be associated with Tatarov, suddenly targeting other individuals?
Firstly, the regional authority, when addressing complaints about the relatively small player Grubinka, may not have been aware of the connections he had.
Additionally, the SBU also alleges earning profits from smuggling and the underground market.
According to Censor.NET's sources, certain SBU leaders can make between 4 to 8 million dollars per month from this.
Do you remember the deputy head of the SBU Naumov? It's said that even while in a Serbian prison, he continued to profit from smuggling.
Previously, it was suggested that the protection of certain processes was the responsibility of the mid-level personnel of specific departments. However, thanks to the attention of journalists and activists, the situation now appears to involve centralized profiteering, with Oleg Tatarov at the center of it all, and others seeking to make money too.
Given Tatarov's constant mention in the context of the Rada commission's work, and now also in connection with the scandal involving Symonenko, the deputy chairman of the Office is becoming as troublesome for the president as possible.
However, members of the 'Servants' party who were interviewed doubt that Tatarov will lose his position within the Office of the President so quickly.
Furthermore, on Friday, it was announced that the government had appointed Ivan Vyhovsky, the head of the National Police in Kyiv, as the interim head of the National Police.
He is also referred to as Tatarov's man. AND ZN.UA noted a year ago, when Vyhovsky was appointed head of the capital's National Police, that the Deputy Chairman of the President's Office had played a significant role in the decision to appoint him.
The death of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Denis Monastyrsky, was not only a major human tragedy, but also disrupted the power structure. With the position left vacant, a power struggle will start among different members of President Zelensky's circle, along with the money flows, which have significantly reduced.
On one hand, Tatarov's ability to collaborate with the Interior Ministry system may help him stay in his position. However, another protege of the Deputy Head of the Office, Vasily Malyuk, has not yet been appointed as the head of the SBU, reportedly partly due to Kirill Budanov having his own candidate for the position.
Tatyana Nikolaenko, translator Skeleton.Info
