Former official of the Yanukovych administration Andriy Portnov led the occupation of Crimea: evidence emerged

Ex-deputy head of Yanukovych’s administration Andriy Portnov was likely the supervisor of the occupation of Crimea in 2014 — this is evidenced by audio recordings obtained by the editorial office.

In recordings from April-May 2014, a person with a voice similar to Portnov’s communicates with the former head of the main justice department of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in Crimea, Serhiy Korovchenko, and former Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine MP Lev Myrymskyi.

In particular, he talks with Lev Myrymskyi on one of the recordings made on April 5, 2014. At that time, Portnov had not been in Ukraine for two months — he left in February 2014 through the "Goptivka" checkpoint towards Russia. The men on the recording agree to meet the next day at the "Ukraine" hotel in Moscow.

The next day, April 6, 2014, a person with a voice similar to Portnov’s speaks by phone to Myrymskyi with Serhiy Korovchenko. This is the former head of the main justice department of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in the AR Crimea, assistant and trusted person of Andriy Portnov. According to the audio, Korovchenko organized the meeting between Portnov and Myrymskyi in Moscow. During this phone conversation, Korovchenko confirms that he is following Portnov’s instructions:

Serhiy Korovchenko: What’s up, how’s it going?

Andriy Portnov: «Everything is fine, slowly».

Serhiy Korovchenko: «Well, okay, if anything, any assignments».

Upon returning from Moscow to Kyiv, Myrymskyi constantly communicates with Korovchenko. They plan a joint business trip to occupied Crimea on April 16, 2014.

As can be inferred from the audio, the business trip to occupied Crimea takes place at the instruction or with the knowledge of the "partner," who is likely Portnov. According to the audio, Myrymskyi will lead the trip to occupied Crimea, and Korovchenko will oversee resolving certain issues:

Lev Myrymskyi: Have you already talked to the partners?

Serhiy Korovchenko: «Eh... What’s this about?»

Lev Myrymskyi: «About the trip. Have they already told you?»

Serhiy Korovchenko: No, nobody said anything.

Lev Myrymskyi: No, I mean, the partner. Where I was.

Serhiy Korovchenko: «He wrote to me in theses that I am with you there, this and so on. Well, basically nothing specific. He told me to do whatever you say there».

Lev Myrymskyi: Oh! Understood, who’s your boss?

Serhiy Korovchenko: "Well, yes".

What did Korovchenko and Myrymskyi plan to do in Crimea, presumably according to Portnov’s information or instructions? It is known that Ukrainian investigators opened a criminal case against Serhiy Korovchenko. Within the framework of the case, the investigation checked Korovchenko’s involvement in preparing the peninsula for Russian "jurisdiction."

The following audios confirm this. They feature Korovchenko and Myrymskyi discussing losing a court case over some hypothetical matter and are unsure — whether Ukrainian or Russian courts will hear the forthcoming appeal. At the same time, they emphasize that the decision needs to be influenced, and this can be done by "AV" — as can be assumed from the audio, referring to Andriy Portnov.

In the next recording, Korovchenko and Myrymskyi directly talk about having to decide the fate of nearly 200 enterprises in occupied Crimea. As part of the same criminal investigation, investigators, by the way, checked Korovchenko’s involvement in the "re-registration" of property in occupied Crimea through courts.

On May 15-16, 2014, Myrymskyi and Korovchenko plan to meet in Moscow with Anatoliy Kucherena — a lawyer, Putin’s trusted person, and the chairman of the Public Council at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Kucherena, by the way, was the lawyer for the former air defender of the so-called "DPR" Volodymyr Tsemakh, suspected in the MH-17 downing case in 2014.

Myrymskyi, Korovchenko, and Kucherena discuss "Tavria" — according to hromadske sources, this is the so-called strategy for Crimea’s development. Companies of currently sanctioned Russian oligarchs Rotenbergs, "SGM-Most" «SGM-Most» and "SGM-Tavria," which were involved in the construction of the Kerch (Crimean) Bridge and "reconstruction" of "Artek," worked on it.

In another phone conversation, Korovchenko clearly asks Myrymskyi if they will provide office spaces for Russian lawyers as part of their work on Crimea. To this, he clearly answers – yes. As can be inferred from the recordings, Portnov’s associates are supposed to provide offices not just anywhere but in occupied Crimea.