Oleksandr Petrovskyi
Олександр Володимирович Петровський
Born
Alexander Tomazovich Narekleshvili

(1972-06-09) June 9, 1972
Rustavi, Georgian SSR
NationalityGeorgian Jew
CitizenshipUkraine
Israel
Cyprus
Occupation(s)mafia boss, entrepreneur, philanthropist
Known forNarik

Oleksandr Volodymyrovych Petrovskyi, at birth Narekleshvili, nicknamed Narik[1] (Georgian: ალექსანდრე ტომაზოვიჩ ნარეკლეშვილი, Ukrainian: Олександр Володимирович Петровський; born 9 June 1972, Rustavi, Georgian SSR) is a Ukrainian public person,[2][3][1][4] entrepreneur, philanthropist.[5][6] He is the ultimate beneficial owner of the Dnipro TV channel D1.[7]

Early life

Oleksandr Volodymyrovych Petrovskyi was born on 9 June 1972 in Rustavi, Georgia. And received at birth the name Alexander Tomazovich Narekleshvili. After his birth, his mother — Oksana Petrovska — with her new husband Volodymyr Petrovskyi moved to Dnipropetrovsk. There Alexander Narekleshvili studies at school, and after the 8th grade enters the Dnipropetrovsk Industrial College. As a schoolboy, Alexander Narekleshvili began to practice judo in Dnepropetrovsk sports centre "Dynamo" and reached the degree of candidate master of sports by the end of the 1980s.

The era of Gorbachev's "Perestroika" — the late 80s — became for Narekleshvili a kind of start in business. And at the same time he came to the attention of the police. In the late 80s, the police of the central Dnipro market "Ozerka" recorded a group of young sportsmen who were cheating with the help of the then popular game "Thimbles". According to the reports of the market police department, the group was allegedly led by a certain Alexander Narekleshvili, nicknamed Narik or Alik.[8]

According to police reports, the group of thieves included young judo wrestlers and boxers — Dato Suladze (nicknamed Dato), Sasha Yevtushenko, Oleh Panasenko, Roma Shovkoplyas (Roma Lugansky), Bohdan Gulyamov (Bodia), Valera Gulyaev (Slon), Valerii Kondratiev (Gastello), Serhiy Oliynyk (Umka), Sasha Lisovenko, Sasha Kavdax (Shtrek) and Albert Koleskor (Durdyonok). Many of the former young "fighters" became businessmen, patrons of the arts, and Petrovskyi's partners in commercial activities decades later.[8]

Mafia activity

By early 1993, Petrovskyi's group had already gained strength and developed to such an extent that it began to control the centre of Dnipropetrovsk. The group's structure included several dozen bars and restaurants, a clothing market at the Metallurg Stadium, and a large part of Ozerka, which by that time had become the city's central market.[4]

In the summer of 1997, together with colleagues tried to take control of one of the largest markets in Dnipro — "Metallurg".[9] Oleksandr's patron in the 1990s was Umar Dzhabrailov (one of the largest Moscow businessmen of the 1990s, owner of the hotel Radisson Slavyanskaya, ex-presidential candidate and friend of Yury Luzhkov). After the release from prison of another criminal authority Alexander Milchenko (nicknamed Matros), the distribution of power in Dnipro begins, at the same time Alexander survived an assassination attempt. While Matros was still alive, he began to establish ties with his entourage and colleagues, in particular Pavlo Lazarenko and the then mayor of Dnipropetrovsk Mykola Shvets.[10] After several unsuccessful assassination attempts, Oleksandr Petrovskyi moved to Germany,[11] opening legal businesses in several EU countries.[4]

Subsequently, Oleksandr's "business group" continues to be one of the most powerful in Dnipro. His sphere of interests: metal imports, trade in oil products and agricultural products, turnover of precious metals and stones, car sales, restaurant business, production of mineral water, etc.[12] From time to time Oleksandr comes to Dnipro, his organisation continues to operate.

In 2010, the then Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko called Petrovskyi a mafia boss nicknamed Narik (by his first name — Narekleshvili).[13] Subsequently, Oleksandr won several courts, including against Lutsenko, who ruled against calling him "Narik", "head of an organised criminal group" or "mafia boss". But in 2020, a reexamination of the cases revised the previous court decisions, recognising that Petrovskyi is allowed to be called a mafia boss (or criminal authority).[2][3]

Biletsky's statement

On 11 March 2019, the head of the National Corps, Andriy Biletsky, said that Petro Poroshenko wanted to kill him at the hands of Narik, Oleksandr Petrovskyi.[14]

According to Biletsky, he is aware of pressure from the president's people after the Put Poroshenko's Svynarchuks behind bars campaign. According to him, Oleksandr Petrovsky's 'titushky' will exert physical pressure on the National Corps and the Azov regiment, and this work will be supervised by the Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Viktor Kononenko.[14]

Eshonkulova's beating

On 15 July 2021, activist and human rights defender Natalia Eshonkulova was severely beaten in Dnipro. Natalia named Oleksandr Petrovskyi as the person who ordered the beating.[15]

According to the police, the attack took place on 15 July, around 20:00, in the Amur-Nyzhnodniprovskyi District of Dnipro. The human rights activist was attacked in the entrance of her house. After some time, Eshonkulova was hospitalised with head injuries. The police opened a criminal investigation into the beating of Natalia Eshonkulova under Part 2 of Article 15, Part 1 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (attempted murder). A pre-trial investigation has been launched. The police are considering all versions of the crime, one of which is the victim's public activities. In particular, Eshonkulova became known in Dnipro as a person who, together with other victims of raiding, is trying to counteract banditry.[16]

According to Eshonkulova, Petrovskyi's criminal group includes many people, from managers to executives. According to her, its "supervisor" is former deputy mayor Vitaliy Markhasin, who allegedly works in conjunction with notaries, bailiffs and registrars. According to the activist, the group is led by Oleksandr Petrovskyi and Emil Harutyunyan.[16]

Mayor of Dnipro Borys Filatov appealed to Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky to investigate the case.[15]

Armed attack on the journalist group of Mykhailo Tkach

On 13 January 2022, in Dnipro, the journalist group of Mykhailo Tkach, head of the Ukrainska Pravda investigative journalism department, was attacked by Oleksandr Petrovskyi's bodyguards. The journalist clarified that the Ukrainska Pravda correspondents were filming a story about Ihor Kolomoyskyi's birthday, which was to take place at the Menorah Centre, which has a closed car park.[17]

It was the moment of Petrovskyi's exit that Ukrainska Pravda cameraman Yaroslav Bondarenko managed to capture. After that, the businessman's escort demanded that the video files be destroyed, threatening him with a knife.[17] Petrovskyi and the bodyguard then got into an SUV and drove off to Kolomoyskyi's birthday party.

Journalist Yuri Butusov reported that, according to his sources, the attackers drove away in Lexus AE 1009 PI and Lexus AE 1009 PE. These cars belong to the Dnipro-based company Transstroyinvest Investment Group LLC. According to open databases, one of the owners of this company is Oleksandr Petrovskyi.[18]

The police opened two criminal proceedings. Those involved in the attack were later released on personal recognisance.[19]

Fleeing after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 18 March 2022, after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, it became known that Petrovskyi had fled Ukraine for Europe. This was reported by journalist Kristina Berdinskykh.[20]

Later, investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach found Petrovskyi's home in Vienna. The journalists recorded the car of Petrovskyi's brother, which is driven by the mafia boss's wife. The journalists did not manage to meet Oleksandr Petrovskyi himself, but according to Ukrainska Pravda's sources, he and his entourage left Ukraine for Vienna at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.[21]

Fight in Vienna

The incident took place on 26 May 2022 near the Bristol Hotel in Vienna. A group of men got out of a car with Dnipro licence plates and attacked another group. The video of the proceedings was published by the Austrian newspaper Heute. After the incident, the attackers got into the car and fled, leaving one of the victims on the pavement. The man was unconscious. The police confirmed the fact of the attack, as well as the fact that the attackers had arrived in a car with Ukrainian registration - a BMW X5 with the number plates of the Dnipro Oblast.[22][23]

Later, the mayor of Dnipro, Borys Filatov, claimed that the attackers were members of Oleksandr Petrovskyi's group.[24]

The fact that people from Petrovskyi's circle were staying at the Bristol Hotel was established by Ukrainska Pravda journalist Mykhailo Tkach.[21]

Involvement in the theft of humanitarian aid in Zaporizhzhia

According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, law enforcement officers are investigating the involvement of Petrovskyi and businessman Vemir Davityan, a friend of the Servant of the People party's faction leader, Davyd Arakhamia, in the embezzlement of humanitarian aid in Zaporizhzhia. According to political expert Oleksandr Kochetkov, Vemir Davityan is the vice-president and head of the Zaporizhzhia branch of the Solidarity Foundation, founded by Oleksandr Petrovskyi.[25]

Relations with Kadyrovites

According to MP Geo Leros, Petrovskyi and Oliynyk were members of a criminal organisation that sold stolen humanitarian aid in the occupied territories with the help of Kadyrovites.[26]

Raider attacks

Relations with Kolomoyskyi

Petrovskyi's relations with Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyi began in the mid-1990s, when the Privat Group began buying up vouchers from the population and privatising factories.[27] At the same time, Kolomoyskyi used a certain scheme, according to which his company gradually absorbed shares in the enterprise from the state. And this scheme required the absence of competitors, i.e. other private shareholders — where they did appear, as in the case of the Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant, Kolomoyskyi had protracted conflicts. In this scheme, Petrovskyi exerted the necessary pressure on the management of state-owned enterprises, helping Kolomoyskyi privatise the plants.[27]

Through Kolomoyskyi, Petrovskyi not only became one of the most respected members of the Jewish community in Dnipro, but also gained important connections in Israel, as well as an Israeli passport.[27]

Seizure of Dnipro markets

According to an investigation by Dnipro journalists, Oleksandr Petrovskyi controls the largest markets in Dnipro.[28]

All of them are registered in the names of non-public people who are somehow connected to Petrovsky or his business partners. We are talking about the Ozerka, Slovianskyi, 12 Kvartal and other major trading floors in Dnipro.[29]

Participation in the division of Naftogazvydobuvannya

Oleksandr Petrovskyi, nicknamed Narik, and Serhiy Oliynyk, nicknamed Umka, assisted MP from the Servant of the People party Oleh Seminskyi in the conflict over Ukraine's largest energy production company, Naftogazvydobuvannya. This became known from Seminskyi's conversations with a suspected gangster, Andriy Melnyk, published by the Security Service of Ukraine.[30]

Seminskyi was the director of Naftogazvydobuvannya for many years. In 2012, he was kidnapped during a dispute with his business partner, former Minister of Transport and Communications Mykola Rudkovsky. And in conversations with Melnyk, it turned out that well-known figures were involved in this conflict, including Dnipro criminal lords Petrovskyi and Oliynyk.[30][31]

Oleh Seminskyi said that in 2000, after the 'cassette scandal', they had to transfer Naftogazvydobuvannya's assets to Petro Poroshenko for a while. A year later, Seminskyi and Rudkovsky managed to get them back. In a recording released by the Security Service of Ukraine, Melnyk tells Oleh Seminskyi that this happened with the help of criminal authorities engaged by their partner, now MP from the banned pro-Russian party Opposition Platform — For Life, Nestor Shufrych.[30]

Assets

According to journalists, Oleksandr Petrovskyi personally or through his relatives, friends and close associates controls a number of companies and holdings.[32]

He controls the Dnipro TV channel D1.[7] The TV channel's ties to Petrovskyi were mentioned in the ownership structure for 2019, according to which the beneficial owner is his sister Alina Volodymyrivna Petrovska.[7]

Oleksandr Petrovsky founded Last Way LLC, a funeral office that controls most of the funeral services in Dnipro. Petrovskyi's co-founder in this office is the Orthodox Church of Ukraine clergyman Bohdan Gulyamov.[32]

Dnipro-Inform LLC with co-founder Bohdan Gulyamov also belongs to Petrovskyi's business empire. In turn, Dnipro-Inform founded a subsidiary company, Nefteprom LLC.[32] Oleksandr Petrovskyi's wife founded Pirosmani LLC, Oleksandr Petrovskyi's mother and wife co-founded Alina-A LLC — Cossack Fortress restaurant, Slavyansky Bazar LLC (with other co-founders close to the family).

In addition to that — close comrade and priest Bohdan Gulyamov with no less close comrade of Petrovsky — Valery Kondratyev is the founder of the following companies: Basketball Club LLC, SOIS LLC — co-founder is Bohdan Gulyamov's father. Bohdan Gulyamov's ex-wife is the founder of Sportland LLC and Invest Revival LLC. Another friend of Petrovsky, Yuri Grinev, is the founder of Kapital LLC.[32]

Oleksandr Petrovskyi's business interests through his friends, nephews and relatives as founders and directors include Shark LLC, Zaryadye sports complex, Zaryadye LLC, Jaguar STG LLC, Kristina LLC, Araks-Service LLC, Ojakh restaurant, Pridneprovsky Food Bank Foundation, Cossack Regiment public organisation, Dvoyka LLC, Annushka LLC, Pride LLC, Paradiz Charity Foundation, Rubix-plus, Zastroyshchik LLC, Dniproinvestbud LLC, Rubix Oil LLC, Svyaz + LLC, Business-Masterskaya LLC, and Socium CJSC.[32]

In 1998, Petrovskyi managed to acquire and take ownership of the Tsarichanskaya mineral water bottling line — KORASK JSC. Petrovskyi's friend Valery Kondratyev became the director of production.[32]

According to the The New Voice of Ukraine investigation, Petrovskyi, his mother and wife have officially founded or own stakes in several dozen companies, ranging from property dealers to a sports club. Petrovsky's friends and their children also have numerous companies. All this makes him one of the richest people in Dnipro. Thus, in 2018, the investment fund Capilano, which is owned by Petrovsky, was registered with authorised capital of UAH 135 million.[33]

According to the YouControl website, at the same time the company Armarius was born with authorised capital of the same size. Co-owner is Petrovsky, other owners include Vyacheslav Kapustin, head of the meat processing factory Alan.[33]

Petrovskyi's business also includes Delmar group of companies with offices in Dnipro, Kyiv and Munich, dealing in real estate. Now Delmar is building a 28-storey building in Kyiv within the elite residential neighbourhood Novopecherski Lypky. And in Dnipro, the company has built a number of shopping centres and residential high-rises.[33]

In 2021, Petrovskyi acquired 50% of Kramatorsk Thermal Power Plant.[34]

He is an associate of some of the most influential thieves in law in Ukraine, mafia bosses Umka Serhiy Oliynyk and Lasha Svan Lasha Dzhachvliani.[35]

Awards

  • Cross of Ivan Mazepa (24 August 2017) — for significant personal contribution to state-building, socio-economic, scientific, technical, cultural and educational development of Ukraine, significant labour achievements and high professionalism (as a representative of the volunteer organisation "Hearts of Cyborgs", awarded by the President of Ukraine).[36]
  • Order of Prince Volodymyr I class (2018, awarded personally by Patriarch Filaret).[37]

References

  1. 1 2 "Хто такий "Нарік"? Чому всі говорять про Олександра Петровського". nv.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  2. 1 2 "Верховний суд дозволив називати Олександра Петровського "Наріком" | Dетектив INFO". detective-info.com.ua. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  3. 1 2 "Журналіст Бутусов виграв суд у бізнесмена Петровського, якого називають "кримінальний авторитет Нарік"". hromadske.ua (in Ukrainian). 2019-12-06. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  4. 1 2 3 "Петровський чи Нарік. Кримінальний авторитет чи церковний благодійник". Ukrainska Pravda (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  5. ↑ СТУПАК, Людмила. "У Дніпрі Патріарх Київський Філарет нагородив волонтерів та воїнів". Archived from the original on 2018-10-13. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  6. ↑ "ВІТАЄМО МЕЦЕНАТА ДНІПРОПЕТРОВСЬКОЇ ЄПАРХІЇ — ОЛЕКСАНДРА ВОЛОДИМИРОВИЧА З ДНЕМ НАРОДЖЕННЯ!!! : Дніпропетровська єпархія Української Православної Церкви Київського Патріархату". cerkva.dp.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 2018-10-14.
  7. 1 2 3 Nataliia Vyhovska (2022-09-02). "Дніпровський телеканал D1 під час війни: новини головомовців". detector.media. Detector Media.
  8. 1 2 Kateryna Davydenko (2022-08-24). "35 лет ОПГ Нарика в Днепре: история известнейшей банды города". dnepr.express. Dnipro Operative.
  9. ↑ "Налекрешвили, Александр Владимирович — ДОСЬЕ". dosye.info (in Russian). Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  10. ↑ Видання «Регіон», Григорій Руденко, 24 липня 1999-го.
  11. ↑ "Александр Петровский (Налекрешвили): криминальная "крыша" днепропетровских олигархов. ЧАСТЬ 2 • SKELET-info". SKELET-info (in Russian). 2017-10-26. Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  12. ↑ "Дело Петровского-Налекрешвили. Кровавый "решала" из Днепра". Retrieved 2018-10-09.
  13. ↑ "Хто такий пан Петровський. Історія сходження найбільш закритого бізнесмена Дніпра". nv.ua. Retrieved 2019-10-24.
  14. 1 2 ""Нарик даватиме своїх бійців на цю історію". Білецький заявив, що в Адміністрації Президента фізичне знищення лідерів "Нацкорпусу"". gordonua.com. 2019-03-11.
  15. 1 2 "У Дніпрі жорстоко побили правозахисницю Ешонкулову. Поліція розслідуватиме "замах на умисне вбивство"". zn.ua. Dzerkalo Tyzhnia. 2021-07-16.
  16. 1 2 Iryna Levchenko (2021-07-20). "Лицо превратилось в кровавое месиво: Наталья Эшонкулова рассказала, как и по чьему заказу ее избили". telegraf.com.ua.
  17. 1 2 "Ткач про напад у Дніпрі: Бізнесмен Петровський особисто погрожував журналісту". detector.media. Detector Media. 2022-02-14.
  18. ↑ "На знімальну групу УП напали охоронці бізнесмена Петровського". pravda.com.ua. Ukrainska Pravda. 2022-02-13.
  19. ↑ "Напавших на журналистов в Днепре охранников отпустили на свободу". dnepr.news. 2022-02-23.
  20. ↑ "Криминальный авторитет "Нарик" сбежал из Днепра за границу после начала войны, – журналист". dnepr.news. 2022-03-18.
  21. 1 2 "Українські віпбіженці ховаються від війни у Відні, - ЗМІ. ВIДЕО". censor.net. Censor.net. 2022-09-22.
  22. ↑ "В Вене жестоко избили двух таксистов: полиция подозревает украинцев". nv.ua. The New Voice of Ukraine. 2022-05-29.
  23. ↑ "Драка в центре Вены: днепровские братки Нарика устроили жесткую разборку (Видео)". 2022-05-28.
  24. ↑ "Бійка українців у Відні: Філатов заявив про причестність кримінального авторитета з Дніпра Наріка". podrobnosti.ua. 2022-08-26.
  25. ↑ "Розкрадання гуманітарки у Запоріжжі: у справі фігурують імена "авторитету" дніпровського криміналітету Петровського та друга Арахамії Давітяна, - Кочетков". censor.net. Censor.net. 2022-09-13.
  26. ↑ "Гуманітарку з Запоріжжя кадирівці продавали на окупованих територіях". 2022-09-15.
  27. 1 2 3 "Александр Петровский (Налекрешвили): криминальная "крыша" днепропетровских олигархов. ЧАСТЬ 2". skelet.info. 2017-10-26.
  28. ↑ Kateryna Davydenko (2022-09-01). "Озерка, Славянка, 12 квартал: как Нарик захватил крупнейшие рынки Днепра". dnepr.express. Dnipro Operative.
  29. ↑ Petro Shchukin (2022-09-01). "Як ринки Дніпра братву зростили".
  30. 1 2 3 Yuri Butusov (2021-04-15). "Слуга народу Олег Семінський на записі СБУ ділив з бандитом частку в "Нафтогазвидобуванні": "Зірки мене обрали, я в команді президента. До того ж зі мною Дубінський, ну, вся команда, всі, бл...дь, 240"". censor.net. Censor.net.
  31. ↑ Oleksii Valenko (2021-04-15). "Как днепровские авторитеты помогли "слуге народа" отжать предприятие".
  32. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Oleksandr Sybyrtsev (2019-01-09). "От наперстков до Томоса. Жизненный путь бизнесмена Александра Петровского, который помог создать ПЦУ". ctrana.news. Strana.ua.
  33. 1 2 3 "Чим володіє в Дніпрі загадковий бізнесмен Петровський - розслідування НВ". nv.ua. The New Voice of Ukraine. 2019-02-02.
  34. ↑ Oleksii Valenko (2021-04-22). "Авторитет из Днепра стал совладельцем теплоэлектростанции".
  35. ↑ "У Дніпрі судять кримінальних авторитетів Умку та Лашу Свана". cripo.com.ua. Ukraine criminal. 2023-12-01.
  36. ↑ Decree of the President of Ukraine from 24 серпня 2017 year № 251/2017 «Про відзначення державними нагородами України з нагоди Дня незалежності України» (in Ukrainian)
  37. ↑ "Відбулася зустріч Патріарха Філарета з керівництвом Дніпропетровської області". www.cerkva.info. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
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