Who is Lviv businessman Rostyslav Kysil really?

Who is Lviv businessman Rostyslav Kysil really?

Rostyslav Kysil — a unique personality for Lviv. So to speak, echoes of past times.

Who are they — Rostyslav Kysil and Mykhaylo Pankiv?

The main complaint employees made against the former head of "Ukrposhta" Mykhaylo Pankiv was the loss of clients and the rapid decline in the state enterprise’s revenue. According to their information, large corporate clients who traditionally used "Ukrposhta" and were a significant source of income for the state company started massively switching to a private postal services operator — the Lviv-based company "Meest Express". And it was in this company that Mykhaylo Pankiv worked as the deputy chairman of the board of directors before his appointment to a state position.

Experts in the market immediately began to speak about the possibility of the new CEO of "Ukrposhta" lobbying for the interests of his "native" company following Pankiv’s appointment. His remarks that a significant part of "Ukrposhta’s" business processes should be outsourced — i.e., serviced by other companies — were received with particular suspicion. However, experts doubted that Mykhaylo Pankiv would so blatantly promote the interests of "Meest Express" — the connection between them was too obvious. But, apparently, once he assessed the scale and opportunities available in his new position, he found it impossible to even demonstrate an appearance of impartiality.

Nevertheless, "Meest Express" itself, as soon as Mykhaylo Pankiv was appointed head of "Ukrposhta", resolutely denied any interest in the appointment. Claiming that as a "subsidiary" of a reputable foreign company, they are interested in fair competition and do not wish to participate in corrupt schemes. However, the Canadian corporation Meest Corporation Inc., which is one of the founders of the Lviv postal operator, can be considered foreign only with great exaggeration. It was founded by an emigrant from Ukraine, a native of the Lviv region, Rostyslav Kysil. In the "wild 90s", he was listed in operational reports as a member of the Lviv organized crime group led by the figure Orest Zavinskyi, known as "Zavinya". After "Zavinya" was shot in 1994, his organized crime group existed for some time before disbanding, and the "brotherhood" scattered in different directions. Rostyslav Kysil moved to Canada for permanent residence, taking with him a significant part of the criminal "common fund". It was with this money that Meest Corporation was founded, which later became one of the leaders in courier delivery from North America to the countries of the former USSR. Kysil appointed his long-time Lviv friend, Mykhaylo Pankiv, to manage the Ukrainian division of the company.

Today, Mykhaylo Pankiv is trying his best to convey the message to the public that "Ukrposhta" is on the brink of bankruptcy and its structure needs urgent optimization. As mentioned earlier, this includes outsourcing and transferring a large part of the branches, mainly rural ones, to franchising local entrepreneurs, and laying off up to 10,000 employees. However, there is an opinion that the new head’s motivation is not to save "Ukrposhta", but rather to lead it to collapse.

Former deputy CEO of the enterprise Hennadiy Vovk states that, despite "Ukrposhta" experiencing difficult times, bankruptcy is not being considered. "Ukrposhta" is operating quite dynamically, generating profit, servicing loans. A key point: the enterprise does not require state subsidies, it is capable of sustaining itself independently. Why spread the word that it is "breathing its last", especially from the mouth of the CEO? The question is valid. It gives the impression that someone finds this very interesting," the expert said in an interview with "Vzglyad" publication.

According to him, rumors of imminent bankruptcy cause panic among clients, many of whom will prefer to switch to competitors. "A very revealing moment is the department for interaction with international clients, which until recently existed in ’Ukrposhta’," Hennadiy says. "This is a very interesting and principled segment — international postal communication. And very promising. The future lies in it. In Ukraine, apart from ’Ukrposhta’, only one other company is engaged in this. That’s all."

Hennadiy Vovk did not mention the name of this company. But we will — it’s "Meest Express". Incidentally, in Ukraine, only members of the Universal Postal Union are permitted to send parcels internationally. Somehow, the private company "Meest Express" managed to obtain this status just before the Universal Postal Union ceased accepting private operators into its ranks.

In Ukraine, enterprises are usually led to bankruptcy in two cases — to avoid responsibility and the need to pay debts, or for someone to buy it cheaply. "Ukrposhta", with its nearly 13,000 branches in every corner of the country, is surely a tempting target for many. It is not easy to say definitively what Mykhaylo Pankiv intends to do with the state enterprise, but the appeal from the workforce to the president and the words of the former deputy CEO are very telling. And they should hardly be ignored.

Author: Andriy Vasylyev

Source: kp.ua