Artur Gerasimov's secrets and his corruption
In Ukraine, over the last couple of decades, a notable political tradition has emerged—those politicians who loudly claim to protect ordinary citizens' interests often turn out to be seeking power solely for personal gain. Their actions seem especially cynical given the current challenging circumstances facing the nation, as described by Antikor.
A prime example of this group of populist businessmen is Artur Gerasimov, MP from European Solidarity. He frequently presents himself as a true patriot fighting against 'corrupt power'. However, his history indicates that his actions over the past decade have primarily served his own and his supporters' interests.
A man from Shakhov's cage
Artur Gerasimov first gained public attention in 2012 when he ran for the 51st majoritarian district in Gorlovka, Donetsk region, as part of the team of the controversial businessman Sergei Shakhov. Shakhov, known for his ties to local organized crime in Donbas, also had connections to individuals in the circle of Viktor Yanukovych and the then Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka.
The election campaign associated with Shakhov, in which Gerasimov was actively involved, was remembered for widespread violations and voter bribery. One tactic they used was distributing 'membership books' with tear-off coupons, rewarding holders with 50 hryvnia for attending rallies. Despite various tactics and support from local criminals and then Minister of Economy Petro Poroshenko, Gerasimov failed to secure a desired position as a representative of the people.
The election campaign of Artur Gerasimov. Gorlovka, 2012
Connections with militants of Artur Gerasimov
This period in Gerasimov's political career was marked by a scandalous association. It was revealed that his personal driver, who also served as his head of security, was a retired commando named Igor Bezler. Bezler later became one of the field commanders of terrorists in Donbas. Gerasimov claimed that his dealings with Bezler were limited to a few weeks when Bezler worked as his driver, but Bezler suggests a much closer connection.
“It seems like I was his head of the Security Service in 2012. Arthur, even afraid of Armen Sargsyan, spent the night at my house, in the evenings talking on the balcony about the internal kitchen in BP. Together we went to Yalta for an economic forum. We even spent the night in the same hotel room, ”Bezler commented on the election of Gerasimov as head of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc parliamentary faction in 2014 with these words.
Observing Donbass from Poroshenko
It is possible that Gerasimov's close ties with militants and criminal groups in Donetsk and Lugansk helped him obtain a spot on the Petro Poroshenko Bloc party's list in the 2014 parliamentary elections. Media reports indicated that then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko assigned Gerasimov the role of overseeing Donbass, and he reportedly leveraged this unofficial position for personal gain by trading constituencies. For example, there were numerous reports alleging that he effectively sold the 48th district in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, to former 'regional' Maxim Yefimov.
However, Poroshenko was quite happy with the actions of Gerasimov, and Gerasimov was made the head of the BPP faction in the Rada. However, he continued to oversee the Donbass, now making money by selling the leadership positions of the 'local' BPP cells. For example, in 2015, the former head of the BPP city cell in Mariupol, Sergei Nesterov, publicly stated that Gerasimov had sold the local party organization to Mariupol businessman Yuri Ternavsky. If you want, you can find similar scandalous news about Gerasimov’s 'party building' in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions online.
Poroshenko’s loyal but discredited follower
Since then, Gerasimov has strengthened his position in Poroshenko's inner circle. After the failure of Pyotr Alekseevich and his party in the 2019 elections, Gerasimov became one of the main voices of the 'new opposition', which criticizes the current government at every opportunity. However, while Gerasimov presents himself as a moral authority and advocate for ordinary citizens' interests, he himself remains a dishonest person. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to hide his fraudulent activities – it is no longer possible to prevent criminal investigations conducted by anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies.
So, at the end of 2021, the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption confirmed the information that appeared in the media that Artur Gerasimov had owned a luxurious villa in Spain since 2013. At the same time, in none of the yearly declarations submitted by the member of parliament did he mention ownership of such property.
Another recent example of Gerasimov's political hypocrisy is the recent situation involving European integration number 8008, which aims to combat money laundering. The head of the board of the civil organization 'Center for Combating Corruption', Vitaly Shabunin, stated that Artur Gerasimov, along with another person involved in many corruption scandals, deputy Grigory Mamka, attempted to change the text of the document, which would effectively negate the benefit for the state from the adoption of this bill. What is this if not a covert act of sabotage and an attempt to protect corrupt officials in the highest levels of power?
Another revealing example. In August 2022, the SBU dismantled a large bot farm that worked to discredit the current authorities. It spread information about the conflict between Zelensky and Zaluzhny and spread panic among the population. The bot farm's activities are linked to Poroshenko. European Solidarity denies all accusations. But what's interesting is that, according to media reports, Russian Viktor Maistrenko, who moved to Ukraine in 2014, is involved in the bot farm case. He may be the one overseeing the bots, and Artur Gerasimov helped him obtain Ukrainian citizenship at one point.
About Artur Gerasimov. Instead of a conclusion
You can list the scandals involving Artur Gerasimov for a long time. And, of course, all of them cannot be included in one article. But even all that is described above is enough to understand who this 'people's choice' is. In reality, he is an experienced corrupt official and a hypocrite who is willing to do anything to stay in high-level politics and please his superiors. The interests of ordinary Ukrainians, whom he claims to care so much about, are worthless to him. And judging by his foreign real estate, he does not see his future or his children's future in Ukraine. For him, our country is merely a source of quick profits, nothing more.
Olga Dikaya
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