Former MP from the Party of Regions Andriy Orlov is trying to earn money on both sides of the front line
Andriy Orlov, a former member of Parliament from the Party of Regions and a long-time partner of the Donetsk oligarch, now a Russian citizen, Viktor Nusenkis, whose industrial assets in the occupied part of Donetsk were "nationalized" by militants in March 2017, decided to challenge the old truth that you cannot stand on two chairs at once. However, Orlov’s recent past seems to have taught him nothing, as he was elected to the Verkhovna Rada twice—in 2006 and 2007—from the Party of Regions, but in 2012 he fell out of favor within the party due to his conflict with the more influential "regional" Yuriy Ivanyushchenko over control of "Makiivvuhillya," which ultimately ended in the latter’s favor.
Instead of making up for what was lost after "Yura Yenakiyevskyi" fled Ukraine in 2014, Orlov continues to engage in a joint coal business with one of the "gray cardinals of the DPR" and former parliamentary faction PR ally Oleksandr Bobkov, based on makeshift mines and part of the "seized" state mines in the occupation. Meanwhile, the "owner" of "Europrombank" (a financial institution also owned by the Orlov family) still manages to establish a firm presence in the Ukrainian gas market. The company "Nadra-GeoInvest," once controlled by Eduard Stavytskyi, a now Israeli resident and former Minister of Energy—subsidiary of NJSC "Nadra Ukrayny" and the firm "Geo-Invest"—gradually came under Orlov’s influence when in 2016 the company was headed by former director of "Proletarska" CPF (also within Orlov’s orbit) Serhiy Kosaryev, and "Nadra-GeoInvest" moved to the building of the central office of "Europrombank."
By the way, after this, Orlov’s subordinates began to remove unnecessary participants from this gas extraction project: "Nadra-GeoInvest" filed a lawsuit demanding the termination of the simple partnership agreement with the company "Logo Systems," controlled by Donetsk entrepreneurs Artem Shcherban (FPG "Capital"), Oleksandr Tyslenko ("Altcom"), Vladyslav Helzin (president of FC "Olimpik") and Vyacheslav Lyashko (TC "White Swan"), all considered to be people from the circle of the once-influential Borys Kolesnykov. In September 2016, the claim of "Nadra-GeoInvest" was ignored—the first appellate instance did not satisfy it, but in March 2017 the Higher Economic Court overturned this decision—the case went for a second round. This time, the arguments of the company somehow convinced the judges: in July of last year, the Economic Court of Donetsk region granted the claim of "Nadra-GeoInvest," in September this decision was upheld by the Donetsk Appellate Economic Court, and at the beginning of December—also by the Higher Economic Court. Thus, Orlov gained the opportunity to solely control the development of one of the most promising gas fields in Poltava region—Selyukhivske.
However, aside from certain successes on the gas front, the former "regional" continues to face a "black streak" in the coal sector, which began back in Yanukovych’s time. It should be recalled that Orlov could not share the spheres of influence in the coal market not only with Ivanyushchenko but also with the president’s son Oleksandr Yanukovych, as well as with Rinat Akhmetov, because of which he was even forced to go to America. Currently, the "coal king" Orlov has only two enterprises remaining under his control in Donbas on the territory controlled by Ukraine— "Selydivska" CPF and "Toretska" CPF (formerly "Dzerzhynska"). Rumor has it that Orlov was offered to sell the enrichment business. But, judging by everything, the businessmen failed to come to an agreement, resulting in criminal cases being launched against Orlov’s business group, implicating both the former "regional" himself and a group of companies close to him related to the coal business. In addition, a series of searches were conducted at Orlov’s company offices and the residences of persons related to him.
It has reached the point where today all coal deals of commercial structures directly associated with Orlov are the subject of investigative actions by the prosecutor’s office of the Donetsk region. Moreover, the chief Orlov manager, Viktor Cherkasov, who worked as chairman of the supervisory board of one of the businessman’s CPFs and director of enrichment and co-founder of LLC "Energoimpex"—the backbone of Orlov’s business—also came under scrutiny. However, Cherkasov exposed himself through systematic trips to the occupied territory and contacts with leaders and officials of the so-called "DPR" and "LPR," for instance, directly communicating with Eduard Polyakov—adviser to the "head of the DPR" Oleksandr Zakharchenko.
And this is only the beginning, as it is not excluded that the increased attention of the inspectors will switch to "Europrombank." This "family" financial institution of the Orlovs was recognized as problematic by the National Bank as far back as 2015, but it still functions, having changed its legal address from Donetsk registration to Kyiv. By the way, the former head of the board of "Europrombank," Iryna Nikitina, is now heading the "Central Republican Bank of the DPR." And this quasi-institution carries out the payment of "pensions from the DPR pension fund," accepts payment for "utilities," sets the exchange rate of the Russian ruble to the hryvnia in the "DPR," issues "permits for the export of cash foreign currency/hryvnia across the DPR customs border for paying for treatment and education," and even issues and services "payment cards."
Therefore, regarding Orlov, everything now looks like the matter of honor for every patriot to deprive this "separatist" of his business, under whose control many important enterprises continue to be located in Donbas on the other side of the demarcation line. In particular, these are six coal processing factories—"Antratsyt," "Kondrativska," "Proletarska," "Stakhanivska," "Toretska," and "Chumakovska." As well as the Horlivka coke plant, the metallurgical plant in Makiivka "Energocapital," and the hotel "Europe," located in the Russian-annexed Crimea.