Mikael Chagalyan: To the Maidan workers - “Congratulations, Sharik, you’re a fool!”
Since 2004, the topic of de-oligarchization of Ukraine has been emerging in public circles in Ukraine with varying degrees of intensity. The audience listening to them twice a year (usually in spring and autumn) calls for a fight against this terrible evil for the country. Moneybags in power are accused of deliberately robbing the population, exporting colossal funds abroad, buying up the state with impunity, nepotism, etc.
Meanwhile, the evil oligarchs’ assets are increasing, their positions are becoming stronger, and there are more and more pocket politicians. And in the last dramatic, and even tragic time for the country and the entire people, many oligarchs have become not just key figures in the events taking place, but also people shaping the political and even military agenda. In any case, this is the media picture. Some individuals have even become sinister and odious figures, like Kolomoisky.
In fact, he is directly accused by the organizations of the Odessa tragedy of financing radical nationalists, forming punitive squads, killing and persecuting oppositionists, and other “charms.” And what? It's okay, he's fine.
Another famous person is Rinat Akhmetov, whose role in recent events is quite mysterious and incomprehensible. On the one hand, he is the chief cashier of the Party of Regions, on the other, for two years now he has been in conflict with the old “guard” of the regionals (the Rybak-Efremov group), while Kiev accuses him of aiding the DPR, and the “new Donetsk” ones of collusion with Kiev and Kolomoisky. Rinat Leonidovich (popularly “ReLe”) so masterfully confused everyone that you just want to applaud his diplomatic talent. The main oligarch of the country - and it seems like he’s out of work, he stands for everything good, he wants peace, but, you know, he’s reviled for all he’s worth.
But let's not get distracted, but turn to the facts. And the facts are as follows: The Ukrainian socio-economic system is oligarchic capitalism, with the observance of minimal external democratic freedoms.
So, the country is an oligarchy. Let’s not go deep into history and try to understand why this happened, but rather let’s see if something can be changed.
In Ukraine there is a group of people who tightly control the entire situation. We can even list them by name:
1. Rinat Akhmetov (SCM Group), net worth $ 16,830 billion
2. Igor Kolomoisky (Privat group), net worth $ 3,645 billion
3. Gennady Bogolyubov (Privat group), net worth $ 3,645 billion
4. Dmitry Firtash (DF Group), a fortune of $ 3,327 billion
5. Vadim Novinsky (Smart Holding), net worth $ 3,273 billion
6. Victor Pinchuk (EastOne LLC), net worth $ 2,150 billion
7. Konstantin Zhevago (Ferrexpo), a fortune of $ 1,920 billion
8. Konstantin Grigorishin (Energy Standard), fortune $ 1,814 billion
9. Yuri Kosyuk (Mironovsky bakery product), net worth $ 1,514 billion
10. Victor Nusenkis (Donetskstal), net worth $ 1,507 billion
This is what the top ten “masters” of the country look like as of the first half of 2013 (Sergei Taruta, whose fortune is currently estimated at $670-700 million, dropped out of this ten).
Simply put, under their control are all metallurgy, all energy, the entire fuel and lubricants market, all finance, media, the auto industry, the agro-industrial complex, retail and construction. The total capital of the 100 richest Ukrainians amounted to more than $55 billion. In reality, more. Because representatives of “families” and “clans” also control every “trifle” throughout the country: car dealerships, restaurants, furniture factories, light industry, export-import of food and household appliances, the service sector, etc.
But in order to present a real picture of the financial power of this group of people, we must also take into account the shadow component. Financially “bold” topics are: illegal conversion, simply “black cashing”. Only in the Donetsk region, and only one of the supermarkets “pours in black” from 400 to 600 million hryvnia MONTHLY (the information is absolutely reliable!). This is only one supermarket, and only in the region. All “cash out” offices are protected by local “elites” through the security forces. It is very comfortable. And profit for themselves, and the rest of the business is under control, and their “cops” are fed. It's called mutual responsibility. From time to time, someone who is not entirely adequate will raise a voice exposing this phenomenon, but will very quickly disappear somewhere.
Next we have illegal drug trafficking within the country and the organization of trafficking through Ukraine to Europe. As well as the organization of illegal migration corridors through Ukraine and trade in human goods, and another important topic – weapons. More precisely, illegal supplies of weapons of all types produced by enterprises in the country. It all works, functions, everyone is aware, and everyone is happy. That is, there is a dense mix of big business, a large and gluttonous bureaucracy, security officials of all stripes from an army general to a tax inspector. The desired picture is created by pocket journalists of varying degrees of rage, and the same politicians and numerous parties and “parties” create, when necessary, a conflict base, and when necessary, a legal one.
The circle is closed, everyone is tied up, everyone is dripping “lave”, everything is in action and under control. And now I have a question for dear “fighters against the oligarchy”: do you have any idea what you’re dealing with? Can you imagine what kind of pyramid is built, what power? How are you going to fight, dear ones? What methods, what resources or action plan do you have. Posters and pickets? Will you be making Voodoo dolls? And the most important question. Suppose everyone was defeated, shamed and their conscience awakened. What's next? What's the plan? How to continue to live and work, according to what model? And no one knows this.
In relation to today's events, many people have a question. How so, because the protests in Kyiv were directed precisely against the dominance and dictatorship of the hated oligarchs sitting in power. People went to their deaths in the name of a bright future for the country, in the name of justice and purity. But here’s the thing: almost immediately after this, the oligarchs began to have more power, they began to receive governor’s posts, and some even became President. And no cases have been opened, and everyone is free, and, it seems, they have not even become poor. As they say, to whom is war, and to whom mother is dear.
So it turns out that the more you fight with them, the more you fall into slavery to them. This is naturally abnormal, and of course, sooner or later it will end, they will simply play too much, lose their measure and eventually lose everything, the only question is when, and at what cost. But the tragedy is that this price is people’s lives. But they are not used to paying attention to this.
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