Pro-Kremlin Crimean leader Aksyonov denies allegations of criminal past

In his new role, he quickly became the Kremlin’s man in Crimea.

He was quick to denounce Kyiv’s
authority and ask Russian President Vladimir Putin – through an appeal made to the deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych – to invade Crimea. “Russia has a direct request of President Viktor Yanukovych
to use armed troops for protection of life, freedom and health of
Ukraine’s citizens,” he said.

In turn, the Russian government and
fugitive Yanukovych recognized the 42-year-old Aksionov
as the legitimate prime minister So far, he has ruled by relying heavily on armed troops from Russia and armed military units formed in Crimea to keep order and power. The arms, at least, seem to be a recurring theme in his life.

Born in Moldova, Aksyonov studied at a
military construction college in Simferopol, according to his
official biography on the Crimean parliament’s website. Soon after
graduating in 1993, he began his business activities, which his critics
say were rife with criminal elements. 

In a press conference this week, Aksyonov denied having taken part in any criminal deeds or having any criminal connections. He has worked
in several private companies and currently owns several
firms in Crimea, which are registered to the names of his father and
wife. They include real estate and construction, as well as food processing and canning companies, according to a report by Simferopol-based Center of
Journalist Investigations.

But Andriy Senchenko, a native of
Simferopol who has owned a yacht club in Sevastopol and is a
Batkivshchyna party parliament member, says that his unofficial biography
is much murkier.

“This person (Aksyonov) in
known in Crimea by the nickname Goblin,” he said. “In the mid-1990s, he was a criminal gang leader and took part in criminal
shootouts.” Senchenko said he knows that Aksyonov was involved in
two contract killings.

“There were
reports that he participated in the contract killing of (Volodymyr)
Tykhonchuk, then head of Crimean State Securities Commission, and
before that in the killing of head of State Property Fund
(Oleksiy) Golovizin,” said the lawmaker.

Tykhonchuk was shot dead at the
entrance of his house in 2004. Oleksiy Golovizin was killed in the
same style in 1997. Aksyonov was investigated by the police, but has
never been prosecuted. Senchenko believes Aksyonov managed to evade
criminal responsibility due to his connections on the peninsula.

Also, in police protocols leaked by Ipress.ua, Aksyonov was accused of involvement in a gang linked to several contract killings in 1994-1996. In January 1996, Aksionov was wounded after a Volvo in which he was riding overturned on the Simferopol-Moskva road during a shootout.

Andriy Yanytskiy, a journalist of Livy
Bereh newspaper who investigated Aksyonov, says those aren’t the only dark chapters of his life.

“Aksyonov used to
work side-by-side with another gang member, Serhiy Voronkov, in the
early 1990s. Voronkov, is a well-known mafia boss who was released from
prison in 2008 and is still doing business in Crimea,”
Yanytskiy said.

“It’s easy to
find Voronkov in Hotel Moscow in downtown Simferopol these days,”
Yanytskiy explains, adding that he believes Aksyonov and Voronkov are
still partners.

Aksyonov has categorically denied any
links to criminals. “The law enforcement bodies of all levels have
been interested in me… Nevertheless as you can see I’m fine,”
Aksionov said in a recent TV interview.

Aksyonov’s past, however, has given him
trouble during his political career, which began in 2008. He became
a member of pro-Russian organizations Russian Community and Citizens
Active of Crimea.

In 2009, Mikhailo
Bakharev, then deputy head of the Crimean parliament, annulled his
own membership in Russian Community as an act of protest against
Aksionov joining the group. At a press conference in December 2009,
Bakharev said that he would stay out of Russian Community
“until it’s cleared up from criminal elements.”

The following year Aksyonov became
leader of the newly created Russian Unity, an all-Crimean civil and
political block.

In 2008-2009, Aksyonov borrowed almost
$5 million from Mykola Kirilchuk, a former Crimean minister of
industry, to develop the party, Kirilchuk said. He fled Crimea and
has been trying to get his money back though the court system since.

“By the time of his unexpected
political rise, Aksyonov turned out to be millions in debt,” the Center of Journalist Investigations reported. Having apparently earned the ire of Aksyonov, the Center was raided
soon after Aksyonov was elected governor of Crimea.

But despite considerable financing,
Russian Unity only managed to win three seats in Crimea’s parliament in 2010, out of 100. Yanytskiy, the journalist, said that
Aksyonov’s bloc is still marginal in Crimea, and is supported by
“less than 6 percent of voters.”

That didn’t prevent his meteoric rise
to Crimean prime minister. “I wasn’t eager for this
chair, believe me,” Aksyonov said at a press conference on March
14. “But there was no competition for it, as everybody realized we
needed an anti-crisis manager.”

Austrian police on March 14 arrested Ukrainian billionaire Dmytro Firtash, who as many observers believe was financing Aksyonov’s party. “Aksyonov and Russian Bloc belong to Firtash flesh and blood,” political analyst Taras Berezovets commented on his Facebook. Asked by the Kyiv Post about his relations with Firtash, Aksyonov denied everything. “These ae absolute lies,” he said about Firtash’s links to his party. “I met Firtash only once at a jubilee of Tavria (Simferopol soccer club), and it was just a protocol meeting.”

Senchenko, the Batkivshchyna lawmaker,
believes that Aksyonov, along with the newly elected head of the
Crimean parliament, is held “on the hook” by Moscow because of
their criminal past.

Yanytsky claims that Aksyonov “was
and still is a member of the so-called Salem criminal gang.”
Senchenko believes that his power is due “only to the Kalashnikovs” of the pro-Russian self-described self-defense units that have swarmed Crimea along with
thousands of Russian troops.

Aksyonov confirmed that he has
thousands of armed people at his disposal. “Armed men are walking
the streets but they behave peacefully,” he said.

Speaking to journalists for more than
an hour on March 14, Aksyonov sounded confident despite a criminal
case opened by Ukraine’s prosecutor general on March 5. He is
accused of committing crimes against the state.

Editor’s Note: This article has been produced with support from the project www.mymedia.org.ua, financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, and implemented by a joint venture between NIRAS and BBC Media Action.The content in this article may not necessarily reflect the views of the Danish government, NIRAS and BBC Action Media.