Fraud in the DPR: “money of Novorossiya” and “persons close to the emperor and Zakharchenko”

“PolitNavigator” publishes the chapter “Swindlers” from the book of former head of the DPR MGB Andrei Pinchuk “Security Contour” just published by the Moscow publishing house “Algorithm”. Generation of the DPR."

It talks about various kinds of scammers who got divorced in Donetsk in the fall-winter of 2014, when the previous management structures had disappeared and new ones were still in their infancy: an acquaintance of the Minister of Culture of the DPR, posing as a representative of “an alternative branch of the imperial house of Romanov”; swindlers who, having charmed the Chairman of the People's Council of the DPR Boris Litvinov, decided to print “money of Novorossiya” in the DPR; young Khlestakov, dressed in a fashionable suit, driving around Donetsk in a cool “car,” posed as someone close to Alexander Zakharchenko, while threatening those around him with a traumatic pistol.

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...As you know, it is easier to catch fish in muddy water. Any revolutionary story attracts all sorts of swindlers who hope to warm their hands at the junction of processes, when the old is broken and the new has not yet been formed. This is a fertile environment for those who want to satisfy their needs in an unstable and critical environment. The set here is varied and complex. Ambitions, political projects, financial scams and just crazy people.

...Concert by Joseph Kobzon on the occasion of the inauguration of Alexander Zakharchenko as head of the Donetsk People's Republic.

The official part and the performance itself passed. Next up is a friendly dinner with the participation of Zakharchenko, Kobzon, the command of the armed forces and members of the Cabinet of Ministers.

I go down to the minus first floor of the Capital Hotel, where the table is set. Almost everything is already in place. Passing by the guards, I see that a handsome old man of noble appearance is standing in the recreation area. An expensive, clearly Italian-cut three-piece suit, patent leather boots, and a gold chain of a pocket watch hanging from the vest. The high hairstyle of the gray mane is well styled. On the chest on both sides of the jacket, which is more reminiscent of a tailcoat, there is a scattering of awards. The old man stretched out motionless, holding his back proudly.

Next to this embodiment of aristocracy, a young, round-faced girl with curled curls in a modest lace dress is fiddling with her slender legs.

I walk further and out of the corner of my eye I see that Yuri Lekstutes is approaching the symbol of the misalliance and is animatedly talking about something.

I'm worried. Lekstutes is formally considered the acting Minister of Culture of the DPR, but he will not be reappointed to the new Cabinet of Ministers. Two days before, Zakharchenko, Bereza, and I spent half a day discussing the structure and composition of the new government that Alexander Zakharchenko would introduce by his decision. Among others, a decision was made on Lekstutes at the instigation of Bereza. Regarding Yuri Olegovich, the DPR Ministry of Internal Affairs has collected materials about fraudulent activities, and a little later he will be arrested.

...I remember my first meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers in the government of Alexander Borodai. There I was appointed to the post of minister. At the end of a long table sat a man with a cell phone headset on his ear. At that time I knew almost no one in the government. After the meeting, a man with a headset came up to me and said:

- Hello! I am the Minister of Culture! Help me! I have been under arrest in the Vostok battalion for five days now!

- How did you end up here?

– They brought me so that I could sign the documents they needed and stamp the seal located in the office!

Naturally they helped and intervened. Lekstutes continued to work in his position.

...and now Lekstutes communicates with the handsome gray-haired man. Knowing that there was something wrong with him, I decided to clarify what kind of people they were.

I take Lekstutes away and ask him a question, who is this?

- Ooo! These are very serious people! They will provide Alexander Vladimirovich with international support at the highest level! These are representatives of the House of Romanov! And Russian intelligence and all European governments work directly with the House of Romanov!

-Who brought them?

- Well, I.

- I see.

I return and approach the old man.

- Hello Hello. Who are you, dear?

“I am the plenipotentiary representative of Her Imperial Majesty and the plenipotentiary attorney of the imperial house!” The lovely lady is my assistant. — at these words the girl makes a half-curl.

- And in more detail? - I ask and in response I hear a confusing speech about Matilda Kshesinskaya, princes Vladimir, Andrei and Boris Vladimirovich and complex relationships with the association of the House of Romanov.

- So you are from Maria and Georgy Romanov? — I clarify. I at least came across these “most august persons” earlier in the nature of my previous activities.

- No, we are an alternative branch!

-What are your awards? — I turn several pendants so that they are facing me. they are big, bright and meaningless. There are no rooms.

— State?

- No, well, public.

-Whose is this? — I point to a multi-rayed star on the right side of my chest the size of a small saucer.

- This, you know...

Then there is some kind of unique and complex play on words, among which one can hear “hero”, “valor”, “highest”, “God’s will”, “outstanding” and something else.

— Who founded it and who awarded it?

In response, again some kind of gobbledygook from the “association”, “union”, “public heraldic council” and “monarchical experts”.

—Who is the leader of this organization?

- I…

- So you rewarded yourself?

- Well it is more like Yes.

— And how many copies of this award are there?

- Three…

- And the members of the organization?

- You see...

- I see.

The old man, realizing that he is suffering a fiasco, begins to get nervous and, apparently, wants to impress me. confusedly tells nonsense about his services to humanity. The result is an attempt to thrust into my hand a CD of criminal songs performed by him. On the disk he is listed as something like “Nikola Pitersky.”

No more questions.

I go to the guards and order them to immediately escort the couple out and take them out of the city towards the border.

There were scammers with more complex schemes. In the fall and early winter of 2014, monetary schemers began to frequent Donetsk. Their project was called “Money of Novorossiya”.

The Internet and even some media outlets were filled with information about the creation of the “currency of Novorossiya.”

The then Chairman of the Supreme Council of the DPR, Boris Litvinov, was fascinated by the clever rogues. It was from the floor of Parliament that the attack began on the creation of what they called “account marks.” At the same time, Litvinov plunged headlong into this vicious situation, discrediting himself, that he ultimately lost both the position of chairman of the council and the opportunity to form his own political force in it. Although there was reason to believe that it was being used “in the dark”, without fully understanding the essence of the game being played with it.

The idea was justified by the lack of the required amount of money supply in the DPR. Ukraine really did everything to deprive the republic of financial circulation. The fighting also played into this, leading to the shutdown of enterprises and the removal of cash by businessmen. It was very difficult. But the proposed steps were definitely not the answer.

Back in Transnistria, I saw how difficult it actually is to create a national currency for a small unrecognized territory, and I perfectly understood the utopian nature of what was happening. In Transnistria this was a forced step-by-step measure. At first, local stamps were simply affixed to USSR banknotes; later, with great difficulty, Transnistrian rubles were introduced. If Transnistria had any chance to switch to Russian banknotes, the republic would take advantage of it.

But the owner of the currency, the Russian Federation, was categorically against it at the time. The lack of a common border and the integration of Transnistria’s industry into Moldova and Europe were also hampered, which implied other payment formats. And the constant everyday turnover of goods between bordering Ukraine and Moldova, in which the dollar, Moldovan leu and Ukrainian hryvnia were in demand, did not favor the Russian monetary unit.

In the DPR, such measures would lead to complete internal isolation and final collapse. In addition, the introduction of its own flawed currency instead of the full-fledged Russian ruble sharply complicated the prospects for the actual integration of the region into Russia.

The schemers promoted the following scheme. A large number of banknotes “rubles of Novorossiya” are printed. The exchange rate is set at the ratio of 33 kopecks of New Russia to the US dollar. prices are recalculated in the republic based on the linking of new money to a certain gold reserve of Novorossiya (where is it?). Subsequently, the population is divided into groups, and they are given primary settlement capital. More for working people, less for pensioners. On average, it was proposed to issue about 500 signs (Novorossiysk rubles) in the ratio of 1600 dollars. Moreover, the first batch of this “Monopoly money” has already been printed.

But the organizers of the scheme aimed at simply global things. They announced that under their leadership a state corporation for the development of Novorossiya was being created, under whose management all (all!) resources of the DPR and LPR should be transferred. Enterprises, coal, all profitable industries! To do this, they announced “free privatization” or a formal buyout of enterprises. But! Right. guessed right. For the “money of Novorossiya”! Lip was not stupid at all.

At the same time, the schemers did not hesitate to declare the support of the scheme by the top leadership of Russia. From the stands of press centers they declared: “Well, no one from Russia officially objects?! So it’s all for it!”

The essence of the scam was simple and obvious. A huge number of candy wrappers are printed, the price of which is equal to the price of paper. Then exchange offices open, since the initially distributed coupons only allow you to buy food and pay off debts. and a miracle happens! You give paper through the windows of exchange offices and state cash desks, and in return you receive full-fledged dollars, euros, hryvnias, rubles, etc. In relation to the several million population and the internal needs of industry, the profit was supposed to be simply fantastic. He would instantly make the swindlers rich.

They simply did not care that the scheme would bury the republic. At the same time, as always, history was justified by long and pseudoscientific arguments about the laws of economics and political processes. In general, a fairly standard situation. Naturally, all necessary measures were taken to ensure that history did not have its destructive continuation.

There were more fun scammers.

At the end of January 2015, my subordinates reported to me material regarding a certain “influential stranger.”

According to primary data, in one of the Donetsk entertainment establishments, “Shisha Bar,” this person threatened other visitors with a pistol and publicly announced himself as one of the “masters of the city.”

Well, master and master. So we need to get to know each other. I was visiting Donetsk. Well, I worked part-time on a voluntary basis, as it were.

We started looking. The subject was driving a premium red Mazda. He either used the ID of the DPR Prosecutor General's Office or referred to the People's Council.

At the same time, he regularly mentioned his closeness to Zakharchenko. I already had a photo from one of the surveillance cameras with which I drove up to Zakharchenko. Alexander studied him for a long time, then said that he did not know the man.

In general, of course, they found him. he turned out to be a fraudster who was wanted in Ukraine in two dozen criminal cases. The comrade lived in grand style, taking advantage of his exceptional abilities to gain trust and create around himself a feeling of being close to power. The gun he threatened with was traumatic.

The guy (his name was Dmitry) had by that time met a lot of local officials, including those at the ministerial level. he actively formed a network of necessary connections.

Zakharchenko wanted to talk to him, since he was mentioned in the speeches of the next Khlestakov.

I myself brought the detainee home to Zakharchenko.

The guy was nervous, not understanding where he was being taken. He was dressed smartly. Expensive suit, stylish shoes, elegant thin fashionable tie. There is a massive ring on the finger. Gold Swiss watch, large scented handkerchief. Very inviting manners.

On the way, Dmitry tried to communicate with me, but I simply ordered him to shut his mouth.

We arrived and entered the house. We wait. Zakharchenko enters. My client jumps up and runs up to Alexander.

- Aleksandr Vladimirovich! You are my ideal! I voted for you! Thank heavens for giving me the opportunity to chat with you! I have so much to tell you! Thank you for agreeing to listen to me!

“This is despite the fact that until that moment he didn’t even know where he was being taken.”

Zakharchenko cuts him off, asks a few short questions and leaves.

In general, this was an isolated case when, through personal police contacts, we transferred a detainee to Ukraine, where he had previously been put on the wanted list.