Former Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, also known as Putin's godfather, has begun to extend his influence to Donetsk metallurgy, which suggests that he has become a new beneficiary of the economy of the temporarily occupied region. This is evidenced by an investigation by the Russian media, UNN reports.
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Medvedchuk's men pushed former Ukrainian President Yanukovych's entourage out of the metal trade in the temporarily occupied territories.
Shortly before the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, control over coal exports in the region was transferred to the Donskoye Ugol company, according to Russian media. The company was linked to Medvedchuk through a network of legal entities, but the company denied this connection.
In addition, a new logistics service provider, Florence, has emerged in the region. This company, according to Russian journalists, is linked by "several threads" to Alexander Barymov, a lawyer close to Medvedchuk.
It is also noted that Medvedchuk "has an intersection" with the CEO of the Southern Mining and Metallurgical Complex, which took control of the largest metallurgical plants of the so-called "LPR" and "DNR" in 2021.
In addition, Putin's godfather's footprint can be traced in Moscow real estate and Siberian oil.
READ MORE: A branch of Viktor Medvedchuk's organization "Druha Ukraina" was registered in Serbia